Q37: Do you have a shorter resume?

ROB DAVIS, P.ENG.


Q37: Do you have a shorter resume?

The short answer is, yes, I do have a shorter resume, too.

The long answer is, yes, I do have a short resume as well as a long resume. If the short one isn't short enough for you, feel free to download and shorten it.

Recruiters generally want resumes that are two to three pages long. Please don't tell me you need a one-page resume. My experience is that, if a recruiting agency is telling me my short resume isn't short enough, the agency is uninformed.

I used to have a one-page resume, but it didn't sell very well with technical managers. So what did I do? I added to it enough details to make the prospective client feel that he/she knew the extent of my capabilities. In other words, I had to make it about three pages long, and THEN it started selling, because most technical managers wanted "meat" from the "get-go", not one page of fluff.

Resume length is a controversial subject, and opinions differ. From my experience in the last 10 years I've learned that I have to have a resume with enough detail to make the prospective end client feel that he/she knows the extent of my capabilities. A good format is to provide a statement of the task, the role I played, and the tools I used, including the environment and platform. I don't avoid using the names of companies, applications, areas supported, and software products, and don't worry about the length of my resume. Why? Because it has been my experience that ALL of this information is of interest to managers and leads looking for help.

Resume

For Rob's resume, click here or here.


Contact Rob

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