Basic Resume Tips
15 seconds to catch the recruiter’s attention
Yeap – 15 seconds of the recruiter’s attention span. Which means, you need to cram all those wonderful credentials and experiences in one page. This is not a book report. This is not thesis. This is not even a scrapbook. It’s your resume. And it’s called a “Resume” because it’s really nothing more than a “Quick Summary” of your credentials. Having said that, these are what I’ve noticed from some of the resumes I received:
- It’s not supposed to be a diary.
- Keep your private information private.
- Picture (are you applying for the Ford Modeling Agency?)
- Vital statistics like height, weight, hair color or color of your eyes (This is not a Miss Universe competition.)
- Marital status (Whose next? The priest?)
- Parents names (Leave your parents alone. Send them money instead.)
- Sister/brother (Why will you bring them too?)
- Zodiac sign (They might not like a Leo, for all you know!)
- Hobbies (Who cares if you swallow a car or eat a live snake? Don’t scare them!)
- Keep your former employers private information private
- Trade secrets
- Confidential client information like, their prized clients.
- Don’t list contract amounts on your resume. Why? If their competitor finds out about that information, and their bid price was lower, they can sue the company and start an investigation. Meanwhile, you’ll be back on the unemployment line. Who knows, your company might even sue you.
- Authority to list references
Although when preparing to write a resume, it would be nice if you can write the complete details of exactly what you do at work. I have one friend who sent me his resume to be fixed. I went nuts. It was a diary! If you’re a regular here, you would know who he is! Hahaha!
Don’t divulge private information about you, unless they asked for it. Why? They probably don’t care. They know what they’re looking for. As a matter of fact, they listed it on their requirements. Now, if they did not ask for the information from you, don’t send it. What are these? It could be your:
When you apply for a job, the only information that you can give out of your employer is their address and quite possibly, their phone number. Your former boss? You have the option not to provide them. Just tell them to not contact them. But when you start listing some confidential information on your resume, you are threading a fiery line and you could be subjected to a lawsuit. What are these?
Do these people know that you are using them as your references? You better call or email them and ask them. Even if you have the authority to use them as your reference, do not list them. You only give them out once they asked for it. That’s why you see this line on most resumes, “References upon request”.
Need help on your resume? Click!
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Hahaha number 2 is really funny specially the “Parent’s names (Leave your parents alone. Send them money instead.) “…
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 2:50 am
hahaha i know, this is very true in Pinas. they wrote everyone in the family. pati edad nang tatay at nanay eh nakalista. hehehe
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
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So true Reynz! I am actually shocked whenever there are applicants who divulge all their extra-curricular activities from highschool to college! What’s worse, there were applicants who have a 3-page resume only to find out that she/he only has 1 working experience in his/her entire career. So, ano ang laman nung iba: naku eh di yung mga sinabi mo sa number 2 and 3…hehehe…
Kaya guys and gals, what are you waiting for? Sign-up na tayo sa resume writing services ni Reynz! (hehehe…sinamahan ng plugging
)
Snow´s last blog post..My Awesome Puerto Galera Trip!
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 2:51 am
i have that too.
i reviewed a number of resume (bio-data nga yon eh hahaha) from newly graduated kids who sent them to me, and they write sooooo many stuff na tipo bang kelangan maubos ang isang page. i don’t understand. sino kaya ang mga guidance counselor nang mga batang yon.
thanks for the plug hahaha
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Ely Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 9:17 am
kala kasi nila (namen dati), the longer, the better. So yung iba nilalagay lahat pati ung sinalihang singing contest nung first year high school. hehehe.
Kasi pag fresh grad ka, wala nga naman maisusulat na experience kundi ung mga pinaggagawa nila nung nag-aaral pa. tapos pag pumipila na for job interview, nakikita nila (name dati) ang hahaba at tipong 3 pages ung mga resume nung mga iba, at andaming mga experiences, kaya un ginagaya. di nila alam, mali pala. wala naman kasi ganun na tinuturo sa school, kung meron man, baka ung naturo ganun din ang gawain. hehehehe
Ely´s last blog post..I am Rin on the Rox-ing!
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reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 12:39 pm
hahaha that’s very true Ely, kahit na dun sa school ko sa Bikol, no one taught us how to write this stuff. alam mo kung saan ko natutunan? sa kalsada,. meron silang tinitindang Bio-data. hahahaha
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
Thank you talaga Reynz you’re truly a lifesaver!
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 2:49 am
Reine,
you got mail! hahaha! i sent you your resume, i just finished it. review and let me know.
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
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oops doon ko yata na type ke Ca t yong comment ko, checkin ko na lang bukas tapos lipat ko ditot, Diyos ko huwag sana akong batukan ni Ca T
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 12:38 pm
anong nangyayari seyo bata ka? hahaha
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
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lcm Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 5:57 pm
etoh po yong naligaw na comment: natagpuan na doon sa litter box ni Ms Ca T
eh san ba sila nag-aaply sa Pinas o sa US, kung sa PInas kailangan talaga pati apo sa tuhod kasama sa bio-data, kasi baka nga naman importor ka, baka ang pangalan na ginagamit eh Mark Wahlber yong pala ang totoong pangalan eh Maka Ihi nGAsapader. dito sa US, pag check sa Social Security number at Green card number labas na lahat ng information, kaya ako ang resume ko kasya sa one page lang tapos size 14 pa yata ang font noon para hindi sila mahirapan bumasa, and yon pa use those styles that are easy on the eyes of the reader, I usually use Verdana. at pls lang huwag ninyong taktakan, ng perfume and yong name ko doon sa upper right hand corner hindi nasa gitna and it never hurts to send a thank you note after the interview, I’ve received several of these thank you notes eh ang position na inaaplayan nila temporay office clerk pero sa higpit ng competition kailanga manotice sila at ma remember ko sila., and of course during the interview please show your vibrant personality pero huwag uber, just the right handshake, not too loose, not too tight at walang extra gesture to toktok their palad mga iha mga iho
Cathy
January 31st, 2009 at 2:32 pm lcm,
ang naliligaw na comment. hahaha
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 6:10 pm
hehehehe lasing ka ata lorena eh! ano ba? type ka nang type eh nasa gitna ka na pala nang kalye? hahaha buti hindi naginit ang ulo nung kuting seyo kundi nadale ka na naman hahaha
ano ka… i have seen one resume sent to us, new graduate, apply nang receptionist position, nakatupi ang resume in PINK COLOR! LECHEEEEE!!!!! at amoy CkB ata yon or sum’tin Calvin Clein hahahahaha NAGWALA KAMI SA OPIS ano? hahahaha
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
lcm Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 7:14 pm
siguro ginaya niya yong movie ni Reese Witherspoon pink tapos tinaktakan ng pabangano, kulang na lang lagyan ng feathers. and with re to perfume, hindi kayo “cool” or “hip” kung amaalingasaw kayo sa pabango during the interview, marami na ring opis na fragrance free environment so if you get hired pakiramdaman muna ang environment pag mga mukhang hippie ang co-worker nyo ok lang kasi sila amoy marijuana pero pag mga mukang me bitbit na yoga mat ang neighbors, beware huwag pollutin ang opis
lcm Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 7:20 pm
i’ll try to make it up with Ca T, i will stalk her more para humaba ang buhay niya
stalking=sincere friendship via internet
lcm Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 6:08 pm
nggaawk, ininterbyu yon nakapila sa job fair, bakit daw ayaw nilang pumila sa call center, ang magaling na sagot dudugoin daw ang ilong nila sa pagiingesh, , phullze, meron akong pamangkin, hindi nagcollege, bumili ng fake na diploma nagbasa ng Enggglish na libro ayon, hired sa call center, pakitaan ninyo naman kaming nandito sa US ng enthusiasm to improve yourselves, kami din dumudugo ang ilong sa English, may proof ako jan kay REyna ang dariri ko dumugo sa pagtataype ng answer sa aking bossing cookie kasi siya yong palaman doon sa oreo
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 6:12 pm
hahaha ano baaa! wala pa rin bang background investigation ang employment sa pinas??? i mean pag nag-buy ba ako nang PhD degree sa Recto, papasa ako??? hahaha ano baaa!!!
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
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Silver Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Depende sa mga HR guys mahal na reyna..
Merong iba na sa kagustuhan maka-hire ng marami e hindi na nagchecheck…
pero believe me…
meron pa rin kahit papaano…and with one pindot and search sa google…kaya na ng mga HR guys magresearch about sa tao..
aside from the conventional ways…hahhahhaha
lcm Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Silver Yu gi oh guy: sensya na kung wrong spelling doon pala yon sa Villa de Calamba yong aking bff
Silver Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 9:05 pm
No problem ICM…
marami talagang nalilito sa Villa La Prinza at Villa de Calamba…
hehehhe
Okies lang yun…
Sa academia ang hirap pagkasyahin sa 2 pages, kasi kailangang ilista yung publications, conference presentations, invited lectures, etc. Still, I wonder kung binabasa ba nila talaga yun.
Lalaine´s last blog post..Recent Reads
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reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 12:37 pm
i’ve done one of that lalaine and i did a trick that works. academia is similar to the engineers – civil, mechanical, electrical. kasi some prospective employers require that they list what they did on what projects – so ang haba nun di ba? similar to academia which you said, eh kung PhD ka, with published writings sa journals, kelangan isama yon di ba?
the trick is finish the resume withouth all these information at lalabas lang na 1 or 2 page ang basic resume. those stuff you said about publications, conference presentations, lectures, or engineering projects, published writings, you make it as an attachment. so kahit mga ilang page sya, ok lang. why do this? para ang titingnan lang nang prospective employer will be the 1st page and refer to the attachment kung kelangan. Or deretso sila sa attachment mo.
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
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Mahal na reyna!
Isa kang hulog ng langit! Sa totoo lang…dapat ang paggawa ng resume e isang subject na dapat sa school..parang business correspondence chorva..hahahhaha!
Kasi nag-scan ako ng resume ng mga applicants ko noon, and true, 15 seconds lang ang scanning (and longer kapag critical na positions like manager and chorva likes)…unang tingin pa lang ang resume, alam na ang basura at hindi…kaya ang labanan e the one who gets a good first impression wins!…hahahha..
Salamat at may natutunan din ako sa paggawa ng resume…medyo kinakalawang na rin ako sa part na yan dahil matagal na din ako wala sa corporate..at ngayon hanap me ng bagong freelance rakets at very timely ang resume tips na ito…
Thanks thanks!
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 5:42 pm
hahahaha that’s right! ganyan na ganyan ang gawain namen sa opis when we review resumes.
ang unang tinatapon namen eh yong mga ma-aarteng kung ano anong formatting ang ginagamet as if mayayanig kami sa mga style and color and fonts and everything na pag binasa mo wala naman palang meat hahaha
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
[Reply]
Silver Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Marami akong natutunan sa tips mo mother highness…
kahit nga ako e, bulok ang resume ko..hahah…
very timely ang post na ito…
pati yung site na raketscience.com
hehhehe
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 6:07 pm
send mo saken! cheap lang ako! panggasolina hahahaha
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
Silver Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Hahahah…
ngar ngar…wala pa akong dolyares na pambayad sa iyo dyan…
hindi pa ayos ang paypal account ko…
kainis ang mga bangko dito sa pinas…naghihigpitan lahat….
har!
lcm Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 7:08 pm
yu reminded me of my Bo bayanihan days, i was the only one sa aming barrio na tumatanggap ng typing job sa aking manual na smith corona, extra pambaon at panood ng sine
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 7:13 pm
alam mo ba? BROTHER, remember that? noong naging elevtiic typewriter sya, wez nag pa order ako nang isa sa amerika, pinadala naman nang brother sa barrio siete, ayus sophisticated ang typing job nang lola mo hahahaha
kaya lang wala akong kinita. lecheng mga tiga barrio, mga walang pera den gaya namen. hmpt!
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
[Reply]
lcm Reply:
February 1st, 2009 at 6:34 pm
he he he si Brother, yon ang pinadala ng Lola ko sa aking mga pinsan, sa awa ng Diyos yong isa andun sa Kuwait, nagtatatanim yata sa kaharian, yong isa, gagulo talaga kaya problema ng pamilya
lcm Reply:
February 1st, 2009 at 6:38 pm
this is what we can attest”We’ve come a loooong way Baby”
pwedeng bumili ng ready made resume? hehehe
meron pa bang mga bio data na nabibili sa kanto? hahaha
kengkay´s last blog post..pinatalsik sa trabaho dahil sa tabo (updated)
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reynz Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
hahaha nag-university pa ako ha? pero dun ko lang pala sa recto mabibili ang lecheng bio-data na yan nung nag-re-review ako sa PSBA at the same time, naghahanap nang trabaho hahaha sigurado ako, meron pang mga tini-tinda hahaha
reynz´s last blog post..Critical pointers in writing resumes
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Hi Reynz! Sobrang helpful ng mga tips mo. Just a quick question though, how about yung mga seminars, symposia attended, need pa bang isulat yun?
[Reply]
reynz Reply:
February 8th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
hi AbbyGurl.
for as long as relevant yong mga seminars and symposia na yan, include them. now here’s the thing, if they’re older than 5 years – wag mo nang isama, pasu na yon.
like i have seen seminas included sa resume as old as 1990′s about wordperfect and lotus 1-2-3. things like those di na kelangan dahil paso na,.
now, you might have attended a real good seminar na kahit 1990 pa sya is still relevant, iwanan mo sa resume mo. in other words basta keyword is this – RELEVANT pa ba sya?
reynz´s last blog post..Men Are Stupid
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Good day po, Pwede po patulong sa resume ko, last year pa ako graduate BS Information Technology, meron na po ako dito na resume kaso di ko po alam if catchy yung mga nilagay ko,, ano po ba yung email ad niyo para isend ko ang aking resume, and patulong na din po sa application letter, nabasa ko na po yung post niyo pero naguguluhan ako,, hehe..
thanks and good day..
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