resume question Forum

[au bon pain]

Should I report all jobs (like the 3 months I worked at H&M one summer several yrs ago) or only the significant ones?

Is there a rule about how many bullet points should go under each? The counseling office at my school suggested 3?

[yinz]

Should I report all jobs (like the 3 months I worked at H&M one summer several yrs ago) or only the significant ones?

Is there a rule about how many bullet points should go under each? The counseling office at my school suggested 3?

Not entirely necessary; if you are worried about the appearance of gaps, you can add a "Relevant Work Experience" section and an "Other Work Experience" section.

And no, there's no need to bullet point your experience H&M unless you were in the corporate office.

[03121202698008]

Only report stuff that is significant but I wouldn't leave a multi-year gap unless you have been in the workforce for a while. No rule on bullets for each job but try to keep resume to one page (two if you have significant work experience).

Ideally, make the bullets specific achievements at that job, not the same old "Prepared correspondence...". You only need to use them if your duties aren't clear or you did something exceptional. (e.g. Grocery store clerk...but you were identified as #1 cashier in 200 store company for your outstanding customer service.)

[IAMGenius]

Question: I have heard that having a two page resume is acceptable for Law School applications. I have read it in like 3 prep books. Is this what everyone else has heard? There is no way i can get a successful resume in 1 page and no I don't have extensive work experience just a lot of relevent information.

[03121202698008]

Question: I have heard that having a two page resume is acceptable for Law School applications. I have read it in like 3 prep books. Is this what everyone else has heard? There is no way i can get a successful resume in 1 page and no I don't have extensive work experience just a lot of relevent information.

I'd make sure it is truly relevant information. Most people think it is...when it's not.

[animalcrkrs]

Question: I have heard that having a two page resume is acceptable for Law School applications. I have read it in like 3 prep books. Is this what everyone else has heard? There is no way i can get a successful resume in 1 page and no I don't have extensive work experience just a lot of relevent information.

I'd make sure it is truly relevant information. Most people think it is...when it's not.

TITCR. Unless you have been out of school for a LONG time (5+ years AT LEAST) your resume should be one page, or you wrote the lyrics to a hit song and a NYT bestseller, cured irritable bowel syndrome and won the world series twice. Then two pages is probably okay.

Nothing is more annoying than seeing someone whose resume does not need to be half a page long strech crap out for no reason.

[animalcrkrs]

Also, what kind of relevant info do you have that has nothing to do with work? Are you extensively academically published or something?

[merichard87]

I would like to know your relevent information also because I have 2 pages worth of work experience but I cut it down to 2 pages since I'm still in UG but some of it I think is worth putting on there.

[IAMGenius]

Also, what kind of relevant info do you have that has nothing to do with work? Are you extensively academically published or something?

LOL! Nope just a couple different internships and a lot of college organizations. I agree with the one page resume but considering what I've read and the fact that my resume has been reviewed by my Pre-law advisor and the Dean of Admissions from a top 20 law school (Long story) I think I'll keep it at two pages.

[animalcrkrs]

I would venture to guess next to no one still in undergrad has enough really RELEVANT info to fill up more than a page.

I am going to be a 2L and things that are still relevant (in my head at least--it was important to me that I worked at a camp for kids with chronic illness after my freshman year of college in part because the hardest job I will probably ever have and because it really made me grow up) have been removed from my resume because at some point you take some things off to add other things. Ususally the oldest stuff gets bumped by newer things.

You can always keep a seperate "lifetime" c.v. if people want to see it, but most employers (and I would guess admissions counselors) will spend VERY LITTLE time looking at your resume and just be annoyed if it is over a page. I was on a resume review team at my old job and everyone noticed the one guy who out of the 300 applications from college seniors thought he was baller enough to warrant two pages. Keep in mind too that you are in college applying alongside some people who HAVE been out of school 5+ years, and for the most part their resumes will only be a page. You can do whatever you want (obv), but sometimes it's better to "blend in" rather than stand out when it comes to resume formatting/length choices.

[IAMGenius]

I would venture to guess next to no one still in undergrad has enough really RELEVANT info to fill up more than a page.

I am going to be a 2L and things that are still relevant (in my head at least--it was important to me that I worked at a camp for kids with chronic illness after my freshman year of college in part because the hardest job I will probably ever have and because it really made me grow up) have been removed from my resume because at some point you take some things off to add other things. Ususally the oldest stuff gets bumped by newer things.

You can always keep a seperate "lifetime" c.v. if people want to see it, but most employers (and I would guess admissions counselors) will spend VERY LITTLE time looking at your resume and just be annoyed if it is over a page. I was on a resume review team at my old job and everyone noticed the one guy who out of the 300 applications from college seniors thought he was baller enough to warrant two pages. Keep in mind too that you are in college applying alongside some people who HAVE been out of school 5+ years, and for the most part their resumes will only be a page. You can do whatever you want (obv), but sometimes it's better to "blend in" rather than stand out when it comes to resume formatting/length choices.

Agreed.

[MrKappus]

Also, what kind of relevant info do you have that has nothing to do with work? Are you extensively academically published or something?

LOL! Nope just a couple different internships and a lot of college organizations. I agree with the one page resume but considering what I've read and the fact that my resume has been reviewed by my Pre-law advisor and the Dean of Admissions from a top 20 law school (Long story) I think I'll keep it at two pages.

A two-page resume from someone straight out of undergrad is hilarious.

[03121202698008]

Also, what kind of relevant info do you have that has nothing to do with work? Are you extensively academically published or something?

LOL! Nope just a couple different internships and a lot of college organizations. I agree with the one page resume but considering what I've read and the fact that my resume has been reviewed by my Pre-law advisor and the Dean of Admissions from a top 20 law school (Long story) I think I'll keep it at two pages.

You can list orgs you belonged to all on one line. Keep in mind, they will be reading your resume after reading thousands of other apps. While I'm sure it looks fine at 2 pages, they may appreciate brevity more.

[03121202698008]

Also, what kind of relevant info do you have that has nothing to do with work? Are you extensively academically published or something?

LOL! Nope just a couple different internships and a lot of college organizations. I agree with the one page resume but considering what I've read and the fact that my resume has been reviewed by my Pre-law advisor and the Dean of Admissions from a top 20 law school (Long story) I think I'll keep it at two pages.

A two-page resume from someone straight out of undergrad is hilarious.

Yeah, I agree. Mine was 2 pages but FULL of actual meaningful work experience...not Sears, Mcdonalds, college orgs.

[MrKappus]

Yeah, I agree. Mine was 2 pages but FULL of actual meaningful work experience...not Sears, Mcdonalds, college orgs.

Exactly. And resumes like that make OP's 3 bullets under some college club even funnier.

[fenway]

I've always thought the best rule of thumb is to think of yourself as the pour soul(s) who has to read 4,000 f*cking bullshit (for the most part) resumes. something clear, brief, spaced (throw some white on that b*tch) would seem to be refreshingly straight-forward among all the synthetic undergrad summer job descriptions like "I was the head management staffer in charge of freight and distribution as well as lead inventory processing associate" aka "I moved boxes." I'm sure that some have more legitimate involvements to cite, but I also think that many of us know exactly what I'm talking about. As it is commonly said, they (the adcoms) have seen it all before.

[fenway]

Also, the 2-3 pages length lacks the attached context of font size and spacing needed in order to make any kind of general assessment of the quality of poster's resume. That said, poster should re-format to fit into 1 page. There's a reason that the widely held standard is known to be 1 pg for undergrads. One "T-20" adcom does not trump the general consensus. If most schools limit their writing samples to 500 words, it would seem unlikely that they'd expect resumes to be of equal page length. Although perhaps that would be proportionate.

[03121202698008]

Also, the 2-3 pages length lacks the attached context of font size and spacing needed in order to make any kind of general assessment of the quality of poster's resume. That said, poster should re-format to fit into 1 page. There's a reason that the widely held standard is known to be 1 pg for undergrads. One "T-20" adcom does not trump the general consensus. If most schools limit their writing samples to 500 words, it would seem unlikely that they'd expect resumes to be of equal page length. Although perhaps that would be proportionate.

Agreed. I thought long and hard about letting mine be 2 pages...and mine was to the caliber that Michigan's admission dean recognized me by name at the ASW and recalled elements off my resume.

In reality, they don't care at all what clubs you were part of unless that speaks to your abilities.

OP/others applying, if you want to see my resume to see what I'm talking about being substantial enough for 2 pages...PM me your e-mail and I'll send it to you.

[dabbadon8]

Only report stuff that is significant but I wouldn't leave a multi-year gap unless you have been in the workforce for a while. No rule on bullets for each job but try to keep resume to one page (two if you have significant work experience).

Ideally, make the bullets specific achievements at that job, not the same old "Prepared correspondence...". You only need to use them if your duties aren't clear or you did something exceptional. (e.g. Grocery store clerk...but you were identified as #1 cashier in 200 store company for your outstanding customer service.)

What about internships, if you at a law firm, would it be useful to say that you wrote memos and did research using westlaw, as opposed to let them possibly assume you where a gopher making copies? Not an achievement necessarily...

[fenway]

Also, the 2-3 pages length lacks the attached context of font size and spacing needed in order to make any kind of general assessment of the quality of poster's resume. That said, poster should re-format to fit into 1 page. There's a reason that the widely held standard is known to be 1 pg for undergrads. One "T-20" adcom does not trump the general consensus. If most schools limit their writing samples to 500 words, it would seem unlikely that they'd expect resumes to be of equal page length. Although perhaps that would be proportionate.

Agreed. I thought long and hard about letting mine be 2 pages...and mine was to the caliber that Michigan's admission dean recognized me by name at the ASW and recalled elements off my resume.

In reality, they don't care at all what clubs you were part of unless that speaks to your abilities.

OP/others applying, if you want to see my resume to see what I'm talking about being substantial enough for 2 pages...PM me your e-mail and I'll send it to you.

*anecdotal validation predicated on said adcom recognizing you in a positive sense ha. just kidding. im sure its baller

[danidancer]

Um, yeah. I've been out of school for 3 years, have held 2 full-time jobs in that time (including a promotion with a completely different set of responsibilities). Meanwhile, I was one of the most involved people in my undergrad - meaningful leadership positions and experiences across several on and off campus activities/organization. My resume is one page.

Your resume isn't supposed to be a catalog of every single thing you've ever done. It's a highlight of the most important bits. Cut stuff out, make the font smaller, whatever. Get it down to a page.

[MrKappus]

Your resume isn't supposed to be a catalog of every single thing you've ever done. It's a highlight of the most important bits. Cut stuff out, make the font smaller, whatever. Get it down to a page.

TITCR.

[fenway]

*exception to military service. condense other stuff on there, but every military commitment deserves its space on a resume--its an overriding distinction--not the same as anything else (i.e last time I went to IFC Exec Board meeting, I wasn't taking sniper fire). to all service men and women, Happy 4th