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Anyone good at resumes?
- Thread starter Kats66Pny
- Start date
My wife just attended a job fair and the main thing they stressed was keep it simple and to the point and no more than one page. They said with the amount of people applying these days employers don't have or will not take the time to read a "novel". Just the basic personal info, education and experience.
Sacbill
Hard Swinger
The key in building a resume is to have it highlight all the work experience that fits with the particular requirements of the job you're applying for. In other words, a one-size-fits-all resume is going to muddy your key experiences and they won't stand out for the company you're applying to.
Doing this for all your resumes is a PIA (I know!), but it provides the prospective employer with something where they're not distracted by the kind of work experiences that have nothing to do with the work you'd be doing there.
You could probably go down to 10-point on your font. I like using Arial or something similar without serifs on the letters; it makes it look more modern.
Good luck and feel free to post / PM any more questions.
Doing this for all your resumes is a PIA (I know!), but it provides the prospective employer with something where they're not distracted by the kind of work experiences that have nothing to do with the work you'd be doing there.
You could probably go down to 10-point on your font. I like using Arial or something similar without serifs on the letters; it makes it look more modern.
Good luck and feel free to post / PM any more questions.
AzPete
Well-Known Member
Do not ramble on. Just short, concise words to describe the past work positions/responsibilities. In the past, I would skip over anything that looked like a novel. Use bold print to separate the times/jobs/locations based on the layout you are doing. Look it over and honestly ask yourself if you would hire the person you are reading about.
This is what it looks like except there are bullets next to the actual job descriptions and my personal info at the top. It takes up one whole page using Arial 12 pt font.
OBJECTIVE
Looking for a position in Animal Care.
WORK EXPERIENCE
FORT WORTH ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER, Fort Worth, TX
Emergency Care Veterinary Assistant
June 2002 - January 2003
Providing before and after emergency care to patients.
Collect blood samples.
Monitoring the medicine supplies.
Assisted with x-rays and surgery.
Helped with euthanized animals.
Animal restraint.
Provided supportive help to clients.
Receptionist duties to include answer telephones, check clients in/out.
VETERINARY SURGICAL SPECIALIST, San Diego, CA
Veterinary Assistant Intern
November 2000 - December 2000
Prepping animal patients for surgery.
Provided pre and post surgical care.
Administered antibiotics.
Monitored the surgical patients.
Sterilized and wrapping of surgical instruments.
TIERRASANTA VETERINARY HOSPITAL, San Diego, CA
Veterinary Assistant Intern
October 2000 - November 2000
Provided basic nursing care to animal patients.
Managed patients before and after operation.
Helped doctors in treatment of patients.
Communicated with doctors and clients for providing high quality care to patients.
EDUCATION
Veterinary Assistant Program - PIMA Medical Institute, Chula Vista, CA
OBJECTIVE
Looking for a position in Animal Care.
WORK EXPERIENCE
FORT WORTH ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER, Fort Worth, TX
Emergency Care Veterinary Assistant
June 2002 - January 2003
Providing before and after emergency care to patients.
Collect blood samples.
Monitoring the medicine supplies.
Assisted with x-rays and surgery.
Helped with euthanized animals.
Animal restraint.
Provided supportive help to clients.
Receptionist duties to include answer telephones, check clients in/out.
VETERINARY SURGICAL SPECIALIST, San Diego, CA
Veterinary Assistant Intern
November 2000 - December 2000
Prepping animal patients for surgery.
Provided pre and post surgical care.
Administered antibiotics.
Monitored the surgical patients.
Sterilized and wrapping of surgical instruments.
TIERRASANTA VETERINARY HOSPITAL, San Diego, CA
Veterinary Assistant Intern
October 2000 - November 2000
Provided basic nursing care to animal patients.
Managed patients before and after operation.
Helped doctors in treatment of patients.
Communicated with doctors and clients for providing high quality care to patients.
EDUCATION
Veterinary Assistant Program - PIMA Medical Institute, Chula Vista, CA
sigtauenus
Active Member
Kat, I'm no expert on this since most of my career was military, but I have been hired by two different companies since I got out and here is my take on this.
Significantly cut out the fluff there. Make every word count.
Example, under your intern time, you can go from this:
VETERINARY SURGICAL SPECIALIST, San Diego, CA
Veterinary Assistant Intern
November 2000 - December 2000
Prepping animal patients for surgery.
Provided pre and post surgical care.
Administered antibiotics.
Monitored the surgical patients.
Sterilized and wrapping of surgical instruments.
To this:
Nov 2000- Dec 2000 Veterinary Assistant Intern
VETERINARY SURGICAL SPECIALIST, San Diego, CA
Skills developed and performed included surgery prep, pre and post surgical care, administration of antibiotics, monitoring surgical patients,
and sterilization and wrapping of surgical instruments.
That cuts your vertical space from 9 lines to 4, and allows you to include more significant data, or have more white space so that the focus of the resume is on what's really important. There are many different ways to format the info, but the dates on the left and data on the right helps to easily follow the chronological flow of your work history. It happens to be my preference, others may have other suggestions.
Also, if those are actual dates you have listed there, what went on before Oct 2000 and between Dec 2000 - June 2002 and between Jan 2003 and now? What was the date of your education? If you were unemployed/stay at home mom during that time, there's nothing wrong with that, but be prepared to explain why you have several short stints of employment at different Vets with long breaks in between.
Significantly cut out the fluff there. Make every word count.
Example, under your intern time, you can go from this:
VETERINARY SURGICAL SPECIALIST, San Diego, CA
Veterinary Assistant Intern
November 2000 - December 2000
Prepping animal patients for surgery.
Provided pre and post surgical care.
Administered antibiotics.
Monitored the surgical patients.
Sterilized and wrapping of surgical instruments.
To this:
Nov 2000- Dec 2000 Veterinary Assistant Intern
VETERINARY SURGICAL SPECIALIST, San Diego, CA
Skills developed and performed included surgery prep, pre and post surgical care, administration of antibiotics, monitoring surgical patients,
and sterilization and wrapping of surgical instruments.
That cuts your vertical space from 9 lines to 4, and allows you to include more significant data, or have more white space so that the focus of the resume is on what's really important. There are many different ways to format the info, but the dates on the left and data on the right helps to easily follow the chronological flow of your work history. It happens to be my preference, others may have other suggestions.
Also, if those are actual dates you have listed there, what went on before Oct 2000 and between Dec 2000 - June 2002 and between Jan 2003 and now? What was the date of your education? If you were unemployed/stay at home mom during that time, there's nothing wrong with that, but be prepared to explain why you have several short stints of employment at different Vets with long breaks in between.
"Kats66Pny" said:
Don't forget to include your time being married to a real animal! Surely that must count for something...
guruatbol
Always on vacation!
Have it proof read for grammar and spelling.
For example,
"Helped with euthanized animals."
Should be ing not ed...
I think the place in SD is the same place that put pins in the leg of my dog. This was almost 10 years ago. Small world.
Mel
For example,
"Helped with euthanized animals."
Should be ing not ed...
I think the place in SD is the same place that put pins in the leg of my dog. This was almost 10 years ago. Small world.
Mel
Before Oct 2000? Umm nothing. How old do you think I am. LOL I didn't graduate HS until Dec 97 (was on a weird schedule thanks to a screw up with class credits attending overseas DoD schools) and lived in Spain before that. As for the rest of the missing dates.. those were when we were moving around thanks to the good old Marine Corps. The Vet knows I've been a stay home mother for a long time and my husband was in the Marine Corps for 12yrs and we moved around a lot so the blanks in employment she understands. We talked about it for a bit last night at the weekly club meeting.
"guruatbol" said:
oops. Copy & paste from the internet FAIL :lol
You mean Veterinary Surgical Specialist? http://www.vetsurgspec.com
There also a dermitalogy clinic and internal medicine clinic there as well and at night it was an ER.
guruatbol
Always on vacation!
"Kats66Pny" said:
OOOPS sorry it was an older building than that one....Close to the area though. Maxie went into heat got out and was hit by a car. I came home from my computer store to change and go to work at the prison and saw her limping. I called in sick family dog and took her to the vet....
Mel
gtscode
Active Member
"guruatbol" said:
Not if she was the one disposing of bodies!!!
Google for examples and formats that work.
I recruiter called me the other day...so I had to write one. Since I already had a job I liked, I had the opportunity to be extremely cavalier with my content. I made it "highly personable." For my particular field, at least 2 pages is pretty common, so I didn't try to fit it all on one. I included a running joke about a progression of increased Mt. Dew consumption from one job to the next, and then listed living on earth as part of my relevant work experience. I was on The Price is Right a long time ago, so I usually try to work that in as well. It read pretty funny as you read in reverse chronological order. Anyway, the recruiter loved it, and apparently made quite a splash around that company.
So I guess what I'm saying is don't be afraid to show who you are in a resume. I read countless boring ones each month...every candidate reads the same. You did A, you improved B, you saved $C, yeah I get it. What makes YOU different from everybody else? My personal opinion is that if the company doesn't like me showing my true colors on a piece of paper, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to like working there anyway. My next resume may look like a page from a comic book, that should garner some attention. I've also thought about crumpling it up, and then sending it to HR in a big box via UPS. If it were me, I'd want to interview anybody who was so confident about their skills that they were willing to do something straight out of left field.
But that's me. YMMV, so follow at your own risk.
So I guess what I'm saying is don't be afraid to show who you are in a resume. I read countless boring ones each month...every candidate reads the same. You did A, you improved B, you saved $C, yeah I get it. What makes YOU different from everybody else? My personal opinion is that if the company doesn't like me showing my true colors on a piece of paper, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to like working there anyway. My next resume may look like a page from a comic book, that should garner some attention. I've also thought about crumpling it up, and then sending it to HR in a big box via UPS. If it were me, I'd want to interview anybody who was so confident about their skills that they were willing to do something straight out of left field.
But that's me. YMMV, so follow at your own risk.
guruatbol
Always on vacation!
"gtscode" said:
Hehehehe, I was reading it all wrong! Hehehehe...
Mel
"Kats66Pny" said:
Everyone in the business knows what you are talking about in your resume, but it doesn't appear very professional. You don't need a lot of words, but the words you do use need to strung together in the correct tense and more descriptively. Further, there are some specific strengths that you should mention (if present) that are generic but very important. I will hire someone without any experience with the right set of "life skills"... It's a plus to have a clue regarding the industry, but sometimes it's harder to undo what someone has learned elsewhere, than to train someone from scratch who possesses an aptitude for the type of job (receptionist, kennel help, veterinary assistant). For example (very, very important) something that is non-specific, but that matters a lot these days, are your computer skills. Are you comfortable using Word? Windows-based software systems? Excel? Many clinics have some sort of computerized software programs to at least manage the money end of the files, if not the medical portion. Employers want to know how comfortable you are in using different types of software--it doesn't matter if you've used the specific program, but if I'm looking at someone who lists fluency in different programs, I know that I won't have problems training them with my specific software system as there is a general familiarity there.
You have been out of the business for 7 years--as someone said--you need to account for that time. So, you worked at Staples instead of a veterinary clinic--what were your responsibilities there? How long were you there? I see 6 months of continuous, "real" clinic experience. I'm not very interested in hiring you with that...unless I see that you've been at Staples, Safeway, etc, for a significantly longer period of time. It's not so much of what you've actually done--I am afraid that I waste 3 months getting you trained, only to have you move on in another couple of months. But if I see that you worked at Old Navy for 5 years, I think the odds of you sticking around are much better. And you moved up to Assistant Manager at Old Navy--great, I know you can exhibit some leadership and initiative at my clinic. OK, so you were a stay-at-home Mom who is ready to get back into the field? Let me know that as well as it's not a negative and it explains what you've been doing. I even got a resume once indicating a prison term. OK, that's not going to work in my field, but I respected the honesty there.
Lose the objective--you say that in a cover letter.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Emergency Care Veterinary Assistant
FORT WORTH ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER, Fort Worth, TX
June 2002 - January 2003
Performed veinipuncture, assisted the doctor during emergency surgical procedures, and restrained animals during radiography.
Maintained the exam rooms and surgical suites to include inventorying, ordering, and restocking the medicinal supplies.
Receptionist duties included managing a multi-line telephone system, [name of any software the clinic had???] working with "Cornerstone/Avomark, Etc," Software, and billing and receiving payment for services [Have you handled cash? Balanced a drawer?].
Veterinary Assistant Internships
VETERINARY SURGICAL SPECIALIST, San Diego, CA
November 2000 - December 2000
TIERRASANTA VETERINARY HOSPITAL
October 2000 - November 2000
Provided basic nursing care for clinic patients, including administering medications when directed, monitoring IV fluid therapy, and animal restraint.
Surgical preparation and post-operative patient management.
Wrapping and sterilization of surgical drapes, instruments, and supplies.
EDUCATION
Veterinary Assistant Program - PIMA Medical Institute, Chula Vista, CA [Dates? Grades? Did you complete this program?]
High School? Did you have a high GPA?
Maybe have an additional category here: SKILLS (?)
Computer skills
Organizational skills
Management skills/People skills
Whatever might be non-specific but applicable to the job...
Interesting tips. Thanks!! Been a stay home mother. Maybe something like this would work then to fill in the last 7 yrs? Gives it some personality atleast! :lol
Homemaker
Feb 2003 - Present
Performed the services of a cook, house keeper, teacher, nurse, handyman, maid, security, coordinator, supervisor, manager, secretary, nutritionist, caretaker, personal assistant, life coach, bookkeeper, laundry maid, referee, taxi driver, and a motivational speaker.
I've run across so many different formats for resumes and can't seem to figure out which one would be best to use. I kind of like the look of this one. I think it looks a little more professional than the original one I started. Of course I'd have to go in and add some more things like PC skills, software, cash handling, etc that was mentioned.
OBJECTIVE:
Seeking a position in Animal Care.
SUMMARY:
Highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic Veterinary Assistant with experience assisting Veterinary
staff as needed; monitoring the health of animals in the clinic, providing care and treatment
to sick and injured animals, and preparing animals for veterinary care and surgical procedures.
Summary of Qualifications
Professional Experience
Jun 2002 - Jan 2003 Emergency Care Veterinary Assistant
FORT WORTH ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER, Fort Worth, TX
Providing before and after emergency care to patients, assisted
with x-rays and surgery, helped with euthanizing animals as needed,
animal restraint, provided supportive help to clients, receptionist duties
to include answering telephones and check clients in/out.
Nov 2000- Dec 2000 Veterinary Assistant
VETERINARY SURGICAL SPECIALIST, San Diego, CA
Skills developed and performed included surgery prep, pre and
post surgical care, administration of antibiotics, monitoring surgical
patients, and sterilization and wrapping of surgical instruments.
Internship
Oct 2000 - Nov 2000 Veterinary Assistant Intern
TIERRASANTA VETERINARY HOSPITAL, San Diego, CA
Provided basic nursing care to animal patients, managed patients
before and after operation, helped doctors in treatment of patients,
communicated with doctors and clients for providing high quality
care to patients.
Education
Mar 2000 - Dec 2000 Veterinary Assistant Program
PIMA Medical Institute, Chula Vista,CA
Graduated with a 4.0 GPA
copy & Paste really doesn't like to keep alignment
mg
As for Education... Should I put down all 3 High Schools I attended?
Homemaker
Feb 2003 - Present
Performed the services of a cook, house keeper, teacher, nurse, handyman, maid, security, coordinator, supervisor, manager, secretary, nutritionist, caretaker, personal assistant, life coach, bookkeeper, laundry maid, referee, taxi driver, and a motivational speaker.
I've run across so many different formats for resumes and can't seem to figure out which one would be best to use. I kind of like the look of this one. I think it looks a little more professional than the original one I started. Of course I'd have to go in and add some more things like PC skills, software, cash handling, etc that was mentioned.
OBJECTIVE:
Seeking a position in Animal Care.
SUMMARY:
Highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic Veterinary Assistant with experience assisting Veterinary
staff as needed; monitoring the health of animals in the clinic, providing care and treatment
to sick and injured animals, and preparing animals for veterinary care and surgical procedures.
Summary of Qualifications
- Sound experience in caring for and handling animals in a safe, effective and humane manner.
- Knowledge of clinic maintenance techniques and accepted sanitary practices.
- Great knowledge of various dog breeds and their characteristics and familiarity with symptoms of
diseases common to dogs and cats. - Immense knowledge of animal behavior.
- Solid interpersonal, communication, customer service, and time management skills.
- Strong affection for animals, concern for their welfare.
- Immense ability and initiative, working with minimal supervision and direction.
- Remarkable ability to work in the busy, demanding environment of a veterinary clinic.
- Excellent ability to read, write and understand English.
Professional Experience
Jun 2002 - Jan 2003 Emergency Care Veterinary Assistant
FORT WORTH ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER, Fort Worth, TX
Providing before and after emergency care to patients, assisted
with x-rays and surgery, helped with euthanizing animals as needed,
animal restraint, provided supportive help to clients, receptionist duties
to include answering telephones and check clients in/out.
Nov 2000- Dec 2000 Veterinary Assistant
VETERINARY SURGICAL SPECIALIST, San Diego, CA
Skills developed and performed included surgery prep, pre and
post surgical care, administration of antibiotics, monitoring surgical
patients, and sterilization and wrapping of surgical instruments.
Internship
Oct 2000 - Nov 2000 Veterinary Assistant Intern
TIERRASANTA VETERINARY HOSPITAL, San Diego, CA
Provided basic nursing care to animal patients, managed patients
before and after operation, helped doctors in treatment of patients,
communicated with doctors and clients for providing high quality
care to patients.
Education
Mar 2000 - Dec 2000 Veterinary Assistant Program
PIMA Medical Institute, Chula Vista,CA
Graduated with a 4.0 GPA
copy & Paste really doesn't like to keep alignment
mgAs for Education... Should I put down all 3 High Schools I attended?
guruatbol
Always on vacation!
Should be...
Performed the duties of chief cook and bottle washer. Nursemaid, Professor, contractor, cop, french maid, project manager, lunch lady, Gal friday and head hooker.
:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol
Mel