Writing a CV/Resumé

[KennyR]

@Cymric

Excellent points all round, and your post was everything I wanted to hear. If it was a kick in the ass, I didn't feel it - it made some things very clear. I needed people to tell me these things straight, and not just say "Well, it's easy, I did it, you can do it..."


@Glaucus

Having no life in Uni is normal (my sister who's in med has no life either, and that's normal). If anything it says you're responsible (that's a good thing) and comitted (that's another good thing).

See, it's this skill I lack totally - how to pluck positive things out of less positive. I'm just totally blind to that. Do you know of a list of these kind of things maybe someone has published on the internet? I know, I know...it's a long shot. But even a joke list would have some use. ;-)


@minator

You sound like a geek, OK with 5000+ posts here you are a geek. That probably means you will find marketing difficult.

Well, not your classical geek. :-P You won't find me rollplaying or being a guru in BSD/Linux or watching Star Trek and knowing every episode. I'm as focused as a geek though - which I suppose technically makes me one. ;-)

As for 5000 posts - it's amazing what you can do when you have no job.

>Being 26 when most over graduates are 22, that has to be a very,
>very good trick.

What were you doing?

Failing a computing degree. I did manage to get a fairly feeble HNC out of it, but that should have only taken one year and I stretched it out to three. I should have realised earlier that I just wasn't interested in it, but sh*t happens...

>None of my interests or hobbies (which I don't have much of) will cast
>a very positive light on me, in fact they'll probably stereotype me.

Everyone is different, what are they?

IRC.

You may even be depressed (yes, really).

Luckily, no. I know what it is to be depressed. I'm contented. Probably too contented, hence the problem working up any enthuisiasm for a change of life.


@Tigger

Teamwork is pretty important at most jobs, why don't you work well in teams???

I'm too independent and too opinionated, really. I don't have any leadership qualities but at the same time I don't take authority well. What has happened before with teamwork efforts in uni is that I haven't liked the direction the team was going, so went and did it differently myself, usually doubling effort all over the place.

Interests and hobbies, people always underestimate the appeal of this section. In the past I have gotten interviews because I: (lists 5 interesting and colourful hobbies)

I don't have anything near as eye-catching as hobbies. Basically, right now I spend most of my time on IRC and this forum, watching DVDs on rare occassions, and playing old Playstation games when I'm bored. I read, but not fiction. That's it.

Kenny I guess my comment is that if you really believe that you are not fun to be around, not hard working and not devoted, why exactly do you think someone should hire you??

Well, they wouldn't, and I wouldn't expect them to hire me if I went out and said it straight like that. That's why I don't. But anyone who hires me can expect to find me businesslike, detached, and not really interested in contributing anything outside of official work. Nor will I form anything but working relationships with anyone around me.

None of this is very positive. I'm still trying to find a way to make it sound positive. That's the hard part.

I mean do you really think your technical knowledge is so good that as a new hire you can be an asshole, slack off and not show up on days you dont feel like it???

Definitely not. But my reasons for wanting a job are to pay off student loans and get some money in. I don't have any major ambitions related to work or social life.

Have you really never had a job of any kind???

No. None whatsoever.

Also more importantly, what do you mean by no references??

I really don't know what to do about that. I've lost contact with my lecturers and couldn't ask to put them down as references by the time I realised I needed any. Family members aren't usable as references, either.

If you aren't sure who to use, list references available upon request, that way that section isnt a negative.

Thanks, that's a good idea. My bluff will be called if they request though (or I'll have to make an emergency trip to the uni to see what I can find, not much I guess).

Also I guess my other issue is, you graduated in Autumn of 2003, why exactly have you waited till now to work on your resume???

Well, I had to wait until almost November for the results, after missing a June exam due to illness. After that, I've applied for two jobs, and none have asked for a CV yet. They didn't ask for an interview either. I have a CV, but as you can see up in the thread, it's crap.

You also have to understand that, although Scotland pumps out graduates, it has very, very little work for them. Even less for the professional/scientific sector. I might see one job advertised every 2 weeks, if I'm very lucky. It will almost always require a minimum of years of experience.

I am sure someone is going to ask what you have been doing for the last 6 months.

I'll tell them what I told you: local jobs in this area are extremely hard to find, and I'm not willing to move country. After a year of this I'll have to chalk off my degree, it'll be useless by then.


@mikeymike

Another thing - if you've ever done work experience, put it down! Employment history (work experience)!

I don't. I've also done nothing extra-curricular remotely worth noting.  

[KennyR]

Speelgoedmannetje wrote:
even in Einstein's curriculum would've stated his job at the gasstation (if he had such a job)

And mine would too, if I had anything to put. But I don't. Not a thing. Not a club, not an achievement, not a part time job. I didn't even deliver papers at 14. I even dodged Work Experience Week at school (it sucked anyway).

[KennyR]

Mikeymike wrote:
If you don't think positive you'll end up stuck in a dead-end job. As someone said earlier about attitude being easily derived from how a CV is written.

Well, as long as it's well paid, I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I'm not ambitious - especially not in the field of careers. A lot of people view a career as a life. I view it as an annoying but necessary thing to have to do to be allowed to get on with my life as I see fit.

(I'm not stupid enough to tell employers that though, don't worry.)

Not even McDonalds?

No.

Now go call your lecturer(s) and ask them nicely! Get someone you know, anyone, aunt, uncle, whomever to write a personal reference for you.

Here's where the problems begin. Most of my lecturers left the university even before I took the final exam. (Through most of the final two years we got one rather overworked lecturer doing most stuff with us). If these lecturers don't answer to their email addresses, I really have no idea how to contact them.

And as I said, references from personal aquaintances are useless. That, at least, is something all CV writing guides seem to agree on.

But the longer you spend out of work, the less attractive it'll look. And sodding move country if you can't find work.

I've put a lot of thought into this over the last few months and I've decided I don't want to move. My family is here and I have really nothing without my family. So I'd rather throw my degree away than move further away than a few hours travel from them. *shrugs* That's just the way it has to be.

Unless you want to live on benefit for the rest of your life.

Nothing to do with want, I can't stay on benefit. Not unless I intentionally cripple myself for disability or something. Or win the lottery (which is unlikely because I don't buy tickets).

What exactly have you done with your life?

Nothing.

[KennyR]

Don't tell me: you went to university just around the corner from home. /me shakes head.

20 seconds walk from my house to the bus stop. Five minute wait. Twenty minute journey to uni. 30 seconds walk from bus stop to uni.

I didn't live at uni, or experience any part of uni life outside lessons (thankfully - I'm not into drink, whoring or getting stoned). I went to lectures, then went home afterwards. That's how it was.

[KennyR]

Bloodline wrote:
Look KennyR... With your ability to look miserably upon life, I suggest you get something in customer services... maybe get a job at the Job Center?

;-)

But seriously, I don't want any job that will force me to be near or to work with neds. That puts call centre and civil service right out. :-P

[KennyR]

Tigger wrote:
I'm not sure exactly what you mean here, but pretty sure it won't get you an interview. I'm not sure if you meant nerd and mispelled it, in which case I have to point out chem majors are nerds, and not even cool nerds. Or really meant neds which the Oxford dictionary defines as a stupid or loutish boy or man (and which is currently a term for young people in scotland without lots of formal education according to the BBC).

The dictionary is half-right. There's no real way for me to explain what neds/charvers are: they have no American counterpart (plus point for America). Basically they're people who have chosen a very antisocial way of life. It's not really a matter of education or income. It's definitely not one of race or class. They just...are neds. They respect nothing and the only reward you'll get for being near them is abuse, intimidation, and derision.

Ah...you'd have to meet them and be annoyed or threatened by them before you could understand fully. But you are right - it's hard going to get away from them without moving. Even harder to find a well paid job without moving. But there are certain jobs that will put me right in their way (a prime example is teaching), and those are the types I wish to avoid. They destroy people's self-esteem and they're not doing it to mine.

[KennyR]

As I understand it, they are what we called peasants, proles and commoners.

No, I'm a peasant. I come from a working class family with the same income as most as them. The difference is I don't form into gangs to break into people's sheds to get money for dope, or spit out of buses, or shout at people on the street for no reason. They took that choice, and the least we can do is give them a label for it, no?

Edit: or they do this. This man probably made the mistake of answering back their shouting.

[KennyR]

Wow, finally I got something together. Most of it I was able to cobble together using advice in this thread and example CVs. I finally got the glazing by having it taken to a professional and written up, although most of the text is still mine! My lying gland is still hurting from overuse. ;-)

Again big thanks to everyone who contributed. For the morbidly curious, you can see it here. You may have to shift-click. Note that you'll need a way of reading RTF - not a problem on a PC or Linux, and I suggest EvenMore on Amiga/MOS.

[KennyR]

mikeymike wrote:
Whoever admins that server seriously needs to learn how to configure a http server properly

Mea culpa. Its my webspace but I have a htdaccess file to configure it. Downloading rtf as octet streams should work now (fingers crossed).

about the CV - overuse of italics don't you think? I'd at least make something not italic

I thought so too, actually. I think it makes it hard to read, especially on-screen.

But it was a pro who wrote it up, and she's done hundreds if not thousands of CVs. I think I'll leave it alone for now...