The Problems With Resume Writing

One day I read a lot on my resume. From the information technology industry, I have seen some very crazy abbreviations, technical and program involved a lot of confusing terminology to be plugged. Here is an example of"Proficient in the following languages and operating platforms: C, C++, DOS, MVS, CICS, ISPF/VS, DB2, OS/2, OS/400, AIX, UNIX, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Basic, HTML, DHTML, XHTML, XML, PHP, PDP, JCL, SQL, George 3, Win95/98/Me/XP/VISTA, etc." Sounds pretty impressive doesn't it? The problem is verifying that the person does, in fact, know these things. Most of the time I've found they might have nothing more than a rudimentary knowledge of the subject which is why we recommend testing the applicant as opposed to just taking his/her word for it.

I also feel very annoyed, when a person uses language to describe themselves in detail. For example, whenever someone said they were "senior software engineer," This simply means that he is only with the work of two or more programmers in his belt. Some people add so many adjectives to describe their credentials as well as their success (not their failures) boast, you would think he was the second coming of Christ. Whenever I see this, I ask myself,"If this person is so great, why isn't he running his own company; why does he need a job from me?" Touting ones' successes is natural, but a little humility in the presentation of the resume would sure be refreshing.

I may not be an expert in preparing resumes, but I think the ones that appeal to me most are those that are simple and to the point. Frankly, if they cannot keep it to one page that isn't too busy looking, I think people will lose interest. I know I do. If I want additional detail, I'll ask for it. Tell me plain and simple: What are you interested in doing? What's your background? (your employment history) and What do you know? (your skill set). I don't want to know how you conquered neuro-electronic fusion systems based on a hashing algorithm you invented; do not try to baffle me with your brilliance. Just tell me how you can do a job for me and blend into the corporate culture. I think team accomplishments are still valued over individual achievement by most employers today.