Resumes, Again...

[VegasLites]

Hey y'all,
I've just been through another round of resumes here in Vegas. Every time I do it I get so frustrated. I was really excited to see everyone here posting some help for resumes. You wouldn't believe the garbage that gets submitted. When you have to review up to 200 resumes for a position you would be surprised how we thin the pack down. So I thought I'd post this so you might get an idea to go over your resumes and see if they fall into any of the following categories-
1. While spelling is important (please use spell check) editing your resume is as well. Spell check can't catch word misuse and grammar issues. Read your resume! Have somebody else read it as well.
2. Make sure your cover letter is addressed to the same person/company you are sending it to. You would be surprised how many covers letters I get addressed to the last company a person applied to.
3. It is a good idea to have different resumes for different skill sets. Some of us have worked in different fields and that is great, but if you are applying for a moving light technician job, Tailor the resume to it.
4. I don't have time for a book...let alone a comic book. Be clear and concise. 2 pages is OK, but 3 to 6 is getting a little excessive. I don't really need to know what you did 10-15 years ago or all the plays you ever sat on the crew for.
5. If you haven't done much in the business, be honest about it. I would rather you tell me, than have you pad your resume and I find out it's all fabrication.
6. Attitude is just as important as aptitude. Please don't include why you really left your last job. "because they are all incompetent, and you are smarter than they are", "they wouldn't listen to my better ideas", and "I hated my boss" doesn't attract my attention, it makes me run away.
7. We all know the objective portion of a resume is silly, please don't use it to editorialize. Delete it if you think it's silly. It really doesn't make a difference in getting your name put on an interview list.
8. Pick a readable font. In this electronic age your resume gets scanned , emailed, faxed and sorted...that playful font just gets muddy.

OK time to get off the soap box. These are only a few thoughts but i needed to get them off my chest.
Thanks!

[philhaney]

Originally Posted by VegasLites

While spelling is important (please use spell check) editing your resume is as well. Spell check can't catch word misuse and grammar issues. Read your resume! Have somebody else read it as well.

My favorite are cover letters that end with, "Do the necessary" or "Do the needfull."

Friends, I know America is the great melting pot, but please, please, have someone look at your resume and cover letter who has English as his or her first language. You may be the best candidate for the job hands down, but if the grammar in your resume or cover lettter puts off the recruiter you won't be called for an interview.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by philhaney

...please, have someone look at your resume and cover letter who has English as their firstlanguage. ...

Someone is a singular noun; their is the adjective form of the plural pronoun they.

From they - definition of they by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Usage Note: The use of the third-person plural pronoun they to refer to a singular noun or pronoun is attested as early as 1300, and many admired writers have used they, them, themselves, and their to refer to singular nouns such as one, a person, an individual, and each. W.M. Thackeray, for example, wrote in Vanity Fair in 1848, "A person can't help their birth," and more recent writers such as George Bernard Shaw and Anne Morrow Lindbergh have also used this construction, in sentences such as "To do a person in means to kill them," and "When you love someone you do not love them all the time." The practice is widespread and can be found in such mainstream publications as the Christian Science Monitor, Discover, and the Washington Post. The usage is so common in speech that it generally passes unnoticed.·However, despite the convenience of third-person plural forms as substitutes for generic he and for structurally awkward coordinate forms like his/her, many people avoid using they to refer to a singular antecedent out of respect for the traditional grammatical rule concerning pronoun agreement. Most of the Usage Panelists reject the use of they with singular antecedents. Eighty-two percent find the sentence The typical student in the program takes about six years to complete their course work unacceptable. Thus, the writer who chooses to use they in similar contexts in writing should do so only if assured that the usage will be read as a conscious choice rather than an error.·Interestingly, Panel members do seem to distinguish between singular nouns, such as the typical student, and pronouns that are grammatically singular but semantically plural, such as anyone and everyone. Sixty-four percent of panel members accept the sentence No one is willing to work for those wages anymore, are they? in informal speech.

[ScottT]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Someone is a singular noun; their is the adjective form of the plural pronoun they.

From they - definition of they by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Did you happen to vote "Very Strict" in the Technical Forum or English class poll?


But very helpful information. Thank you VegasLites

[lieperjp]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Someone is a singular noun; their is the adjective form of the plural pronoun they.

However, in A Writer's Resource, by Maimon, et. al. (McGraw Hill Publishing Company, 2007) they recommend the use of "they" on page 506 in favor of the pronoun "one" which sounds pompous...

Plus, Webster's dictionary (the second definition) defines it as a singular pronoun with third person antecedent.

This use of the word "Their" is colloquialism, of course, and I would expect the future to soon bring complete recognition of the singular "their" as well as the plural "their."

It is perfectly acceptable to use the word their as a singular pronoun, though some few and far between circles would point out your mistake.

If your mistake is pointed out, be careful using a combination of the words he/she. It is better just to pick one than type the phrase he/she, he or she, and especially the EVIL (s)he. Of course, be fair and use this evenly throughout your writing. Typing the phrase he/she is acceptable a few times in a paper, but typing it throughout the paper is just ridiculous.

[cprted]

Vegas' points are fantastic. I'm in the middle of sending out a round of resumes and thought I would add to the objective line comment.

Originally Posted by VegasLites

7. We all know the objective portion of a resume is silly, please don't use it to editorialize. Delete it if you think it's silly. It really doesn't make a difference in getting your name put on an interview list.

The objective line really doesn't fit well with theatrical resumes. So here is what I do. Instead of having an objective line, I simply state what I do under my name at the top of the page. Thus is looks something like this:

TED SOANDSO
Stage Manager / Technician
Home: 555-5555 Cell: 555-5555 Email:

Its clean and clear. Which is what you want.

[lieperjp]

More about the He/She/They thing... trying not to beat this to death... but this post made me die a little inside. (OK, maybe not.)

Originally Posted by Anonymous

(her)himself... (s)he... (s)he...

Oxford Dictionaries - Ask Oxford

General Advice seems to be the right forum to post this in...

[avkid]