I am building a resume.

flyingpig

It's my first time building one.

I am aiming at a lab monitor position. I've included my skills in Mathematica, Maple, TeX (I am gonna really TeX this one up to look cool) and some other trivial stuff like Microsoft Word.

Any advice? Is it stupid to add microsoft word as part of my skills?

Astronuc

If one is coming out of school, then one simply indicates experience with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Companies do look for skills in computational software, e.g., MathCad, Mathematica, MatLab, ANSYS, ABAQUS, STAR-CD/CCM+, or whatever. Companies also consider courses/electives in addition to the major and core coursework.

flyingpig

No I am just working for my college. Probably minimum wage and hours

Astronuc

Same goes. High school students should have a resume. One continually updates it, and modifies it according to academic achievement and experience. When leaving university, one doesn't include experience before university.

flyingpig

Wouldn't that resume be empty...?

FlexGunship

Hopefully if you attended university, you have something to fill your resume with FROM that university.

flyingpig

I should mention my competitions are pretty much going to be all computer science majors... horaay....

FlexGunship

Each will have also have a relatively empty resume, albeit wonderfully formatted.

Ryan_m_b

I was always taught the opposite. A CV should list your qualifications in descending order of importance but all should be there. Reason being if you are applying for a job and the other candidate is equal in recent qualifications it might swing it for you that you got straight As at school or that you did a mountain climbing course a few years ago.

Bottom line is it's impossible to know what the person reading your resume is looking for beyond the necessary qualifications. I had an interview years ago that I spent three quarters of discussing the philosophy that I'd learnt at school (totally unrelated to what I was applying for but the interviewer loved philosophy when he was at school and enjoyed the conversation).

FlexGunship

On that note, my resume has always been formatted to fit on one page with the maximum amount information available without being crowded. The informational content has always been tailored to each job providing the highest emphasis on the most relevant achievements.

Ryan_m_b

Mine too though I always make mine two pages precisely.

FlexGunship

I provide an addendum on a second page of completed work, projects, and personal achievements. I knew a guy who discarded everything but the first page of a resume; so I always put work experience and skills on my "resume and the rest on the "addendum." That way I can control what gets discarded (if it ever does).

I've done a few interviews at my current job and I have no problem with multiple pages of a resume. Although I HATE hunting for a piece of information if its not properly organized.

flyingpig

Okay guys, be honest, how bad is this...? How could I improve?

Attached Files

copy of 1.pdf (45.1 KB, 125 views)

Ryan_m_b

It's very sparse.

I've just quickly gone through and edited my CV into a template. It looks a lot fuller and better formatted than this but I hope this gives you a general idea.

Attached Files

CV template 1.pdf (187.0 KB, 74 views)

Dembadon

Hi flyingpig,

A general suggestion -- It's usually better to put examples of things you've done that demonstrate the skills you have.

For example, can you give a specific achievement regarding Mathematica 8? Try and list some of your accomplishments and link them to the specific skills you've mentioned in your resume.

As for its appearance, you can try downloading a resume template from the internet and go from there. Change some fonts, formatting and the layout, but don't get too crazy; it needs to be organized and readable.

Astronuc

Ordinarily one would not put in one's high school GPA when applying for a job after university. Having gone through a 4 year (BA/BS) program, it is expected that one qualified for that program, and the focus would be on one's academic qualifications in university (including GPA). However, one could include extra curricular activities and any projects, community activities, or leadership roles, and scholarships/awards.

Astronuc

For most, perhaps yes, but I hired a high school student who was valedictorian. His resume, even in 12th grade, was impressive. He'd won various awards in math competitions. He went on to Harvard where he was a straight-A student. He was also an excellent programmer, hard-working/diligent, and self-directed.