Well, tis been a while since I was last here...so lets get started on my job search strategy.

Here is where we will go:

1. Resume - Style, format and other ideas
2. Where to look for the right job
3. How to contact the right person

If there is any interest (and let me know by an email) I can also go into the interview process, and post some interviewing hints from a recruiter's perspective.


The Resume

Your resume is a very powerful document, so spend the time to write a good one, keep it fresh (updated) and send it out only when and where it serve you.

Style - I am a traditionalist with resumes. Managers read a resume looking for key information to evaluate if they will spend the time to call you. So, give them the information they need to make an honest evaluation of you.

What needs to be there - Your name, contact information (phone & email) and city/state/Zip. I now recommend that you do not put your street address down to decrease any exposure to identity theft. This is for emailed resumes.

A brief summary - Write up a one paragraph (four sentences max) of you. Sort of a 20 - 30 second reading of you. This will actually be written last.

Experience. Use month and year for each start and end of each job. I have seen way too many resumes that only say years on them and this can really be misleading. As an example, a resume might say XYZ company, 2000 - 2002. A manager doesn't really know how long you worked at this company. I will explain:

if you worked from Jan 1, 2000 to Dec 31, 2002 at that company you were there for 36 months. Very good, 3 years is enough time to get a few projects done, get a promotion or two, etc.

Likewise, if you actually were there from December 31, 2000 - January 1, 2002, your tenure was significantly less at 12 months. Not enough time to make an impact on the company.

So, even though 2000 - 2002 is technically correct, it is not enough information for a manager to make an informed decision. Confusion will get your resume passed over.

So after you have dates, name the company & state your title. Then in a short paragraph give the briefest summary of the role & responsibilities of the position. Below that paragraph give 3 - 5 KEY accomplishments in this role. Think of accomplishments as measurable and remarkable. The stuff that makes it to an annual review.

For each position, or job repeat the above for your entire career.

Now some people say a resume should be no more than one page --- Others (primarily those from across the pond) use a CV that can be up to 10 pages. I say keep it to two pages, and you should do just fine.

Education

An education is very important and gets it own section of a resume. Don't bury it, even if your education isn't in your field of work. Make sure the person reading your resume understands your education.

Skills

For technical personnel, list all the tools you use in your work. I do caution to only those items that you feel 100% comfortable in being able to demonstrate at an interview. Many companies will simply ask a programmer to write some code in the interview without the benefits of a reference guide. The "white board" technical screen holds true for hardware designers, architects, civil engineers, etc. You need to be able to code/answer the question, so make sure they don't ask you to do it in FORTRAN, if you haven't touched the language for the past 10 years.

So, that is about it. Keep it simple, keep it clean.