As a college instructor in a technical field I see many people at the starting point of their careers. Graduates often ask for advise on their job search and career options, starting with their résumés and cover letters. As I review these documents I see errors, omissions, structural issues and other factor & details that take away from their intended impact.
I found excellent resources related to career searching from a variety of organizations, publications and web sites but these tips and other information are widely scattered and often too wordy. I also disagree with some of the advice given.
I decided to create this resource site to document my ideas on creating a powerful résumé in a more concise and direct manner specifically for those in technical fields of study.
Prior to becoming an instructor I worked in the data communications industry where I've experienced hiring staff with a growing company for a variety of positions including production, shipping, purchasing and sales. Frequently an advertisement for a technical or non-technical entry-level position would draw between 50 and 200 résumés that I had to filter down to 3 interviews. I saw some good résumés but most were not. I primarily draw from this experience.
As a supervisor and manager I took training on selecting and retaining personnel. I have also worked in sales and sales support where I took numerous training sessions on sales psychology, tactics and strategies, and this experience is directly related to creating a powerful résumé. As an instructor in touch with industry and former graduates I know what industry is looking for in a graduate and these are points of emphasis in any résumé. I regularly visit trade shows and career fairs, and I keep up-to-date with news and general trends in industry.
I have also studied numerous publications produced by hiring agencies, government agencies, industry and other sources to gather as much information as possible. I have also asked people that I know that have experience hiring technical staff to review and comment on my web site.
Although there are many sources of information including web sites on the subject of résumé writing, interviewing and job searching, I want to present the information from the perspective of a technical graduate in a more concise and to-the-point format.
I have created and developed the content and the site myself. Please do not republish it without contacting me first. I am unsophisticated in web development and not very artistic. For the record here is a list of the primary tools used to develop the site:
Please send your comments. I hope you find this site useful and would especially like to know if this site was helpful in your career search.
Thanks,
prgodin @ gmail.com (minus spaces)