I nned some advice for a new resume

I have decided to scrap my old resume because it was so old and out of date. I would like some advice about things that must be included and what things are best left out. I have ten years of experience as an industrial vehicle mechanic (mostly electric forklifts). I have been with the same employer for all ten years, and I think it is time for a change. Also I have informaly spoken to some other potential employers and I need some thing formal to present to them soon. Before I worked on forklifts I worked in a power plant for several years as an assistant utility operator; my job was to inspect, maintain and do minor repairs to the plants stationary hydraulic systems and ash conveyor systems. So long ago now that it seems like a past life, I also worked as a motorcycle mechanic, and in fact went to vocational school for that trade. I want to stay with the trade that I am currently in, or one that is closely paralle like heavy equipment or ag equipment. They are all just machines to me, combustion works the same and electrons and oil molecules all do the same stuff.

Well, a resume is really a pretty straightforward thing.

Record your employment history, and highlight any training or continuing education you may have attended over the 10-year job span. List the general kinds of equipment you're experienced with and any specialty tools you can operate. List the general types of duties you've performed, particularly anything you might be in charge of (ordering stock supplies, scheduling jobs, checking customer satisfaction, whatever).

All told, your resume should fit on a single regular-size page. Keep it brief and clear because that's what's going to get read, but make it punchy enough that it gets noticed. Don't go overboard with fonts, colored paper, etc, but try to make it stand out a little.

I think Kinko's will do resumes for you from a variety of preformatted layouts, if you don't feel up to it yourself. Good luck!

Also, I believe you can search microsoft's office website for resume templates.

relate things to "I" actions... Did this... Lead this.. No member of or we did.

Strong action words are a must.

Latest trick I learned is to incorporate some white space..

Tailor your skills and experiences to the job, but reflecting back some the job requirments workds in the resume.

Attach a letter from your mother.

Specify that your availability is limited because Friday, Saturday and Sunday is "drinking time."

Explain that you work well nude.

Explain your arrest record by stating, "We stole a pig, but it was a really small pig."

Draw a picture of a car on the outside of the envelope and say it is the hiring manager's gift.

Explain the three month gap in employment by saying it was because you were getting over the death of disco.

(stolen, paraphrased and hacked from a careerbuilders.com article on CNN.com)

make sure you dont have typos in any major headings

I was once one of the people at Kinkos who would make the resumes. At the time, they shipped all those to the district office so the monkeys at the branch wouldn't screw it up, and the small team did probably 100 resumes or more every week. Here's what I learned:

Spelling counts. If someone else is typing it, neatness counts, too. If you write that you're an excellent pubic speaker, that's how it may end up on your resume. It's amazing how many people will write up a resume like they were berkeleying ee cummings or something.

Organize, organize, organize. The guy at the other end should be able to easily scan your resume to find the info he wants.

Don't add a bunch of crap. People that see a bunch of resumes can spot it a mile away. If your resume has "objectives", "other skills" or a job description longer than about 30 words, it probably has crap. Cut, cut, cut. Objectives/goals/mission statements are almost universally BS, and whatever you do, don't put something like "good computer skills" down. It's meaningless. I can tear up some HTML, and my wife is an excel whiz... but neither of us can do what the other does. They want to know you can use the software they use.

If you're seriously job hunting, your resume should be available in .doc, text and pdf formats.

Make sure you've got all the dates and stuff right. What they're after is a short spec sheet on you.

You're not going to be hired based on your resume. It's just fed into the machine (literally and figuratively) to see if you're a match and if you've been lying about anything. It's used to vet you. The actual hiring decision is based on cover letters, interviews, references and that sort of stuff. The resume is a test to see if you get that far.

One characteristic of a resume that I was taught (took a provided course after being laid off) is that you should customize it to each job you submit it to. This may not be incredibly relevant in your situation (more so to a big corporation) but you should at least make the intro/header match as closely as possible to what they are looking for. If you look at the job description / requirements, try to hit as many as those points a possible in the intro. You are writing the resume so that they can scan it quickly to make sure you meet the requirements. This is to get past the first screening process so you can get an interview (which really gets you the job).

Obviously this is not relevant to a "general" resume (e.g. one you might put on Monster) but in that case you probably want to write it to describe the job you would like to get, even if it isn't the job you are best suited for (the whole pigeon holing problem).

Anyway, hope that helps.

Just been here, done that, have the new job. Incidentally, I also worked in the lift truck industry a few years ago for Multi-Shifter, a battery storage system manufacturer.

Resume:

• Bullets. Brief and to the point
• Spelling counts
• List your certs (qualified to fix Raymond XXXX, etc.) and any advanced skills you have.
• Only go back ten years.
• Spend the money on good paper and matching envelopes available from your local Staples Depot
• Be prepared with a list of professional references.

Interview:

Be early. Be neat, clean, and presentable. Subdued business attire (white shirt, simple tie, sport jacket and pants) are essential, regardless of the position or the corporate culture. You would be amazed at the number of people I have seen at interviews or have interviewed that look like they are either headed to the beach or out to the sewage treatment plant.

Be prepared with questions. Ask things like: Why is this position open? What are the goals of this position? What are the most important attributes you are seeking of the person you hire for this position?

Ask for a business card of the person(s) you interview with.

Follow Up

This is what differentiates you from all of the other poor slobs looking for a job. It shows that you have good organizational and customer service skills and is another opportunity to put yourself in front of the employer. Do a web search for sample follow up letters and be certain to send one out IMMEDIATELY after each interview. Use the business card you got during the interview. Include a copy of your resume. If there is an e-mail address, send an electronic copy as well.

First…put yourself in the place of the hiring manager and then determine what the ideal employee would look like to them.

Second…quantify how you are that ideal employee.

For instance, your thought process should progress along the following lines:

First…I notice that a lot of my co-workers frequently call in sick or arrive late, I bet a hiring manager in my field would be looking for reliability & punctuality.

Second…include a line in your resume like: Only missed one day in the last year and generally arrive fifteen minutes early each day to ensure I’m ready on time.

Pepper your resume with about five of these selling points which most others wouldn’t think to make and you’ll very likely get noticed. But remember, always provide some objective measure to substantiate your claims.

Good luck, Brett