People always want to know how to write a resume for a job. The problem is, you shouldn't be writing a resume for ALL jobs. You should be writing a resume for EACH job you apply for. That may seem like a lot of work, but you can develop a template that you can then adjust for each job you are applying for.
NO GENERIC RESUMES
You MUST adjust your resume for each job you
apply for. Otherwise you end up sending "generic" resumes. Generic
resumes usually list all the jobs you've ever had with a long listing
of all the responsibilities you've had in those jobs. These require the
potential employer to sift through your resume to see if there might be
anything there that matches what they are looking for.
Employers won't do this.
They will scan the top half of the resume
to see if there is anything there that catches their eye, then they will
flip through the other pages and, in less than 30 seconds if they haven't
seen something that really catches their eye, your resume ends up in the
slush pile.
You need to tell the employer just how well you fit into their job requirement
in the first 5 seconds they look at your resume. How can you do this?
Here's how….
STEP ONE:
Build your pool of qualifications.
To do this, sit down and make a list of all the things you've done in
your professional life that you are proud of.
Yes.. all of 'em.
Look at your old resume, the one with your
job history and start at the oldest job. List 5-10 specific things you
did at each job that you are proud of. If you have trouble thinking of
these things, think of what you would say if someone asked you did at
that job. The list may look like this.
Sylvia's Casuals dress shop
1.Top sales recognition
2. Won Christmas sales competition
3. Employee of the month
Now go back and look at the list. If there is a number and or a date you can associate with each bullet point, add it. If there is an award name, or certificate title, add it. Keep it to one sentence if possible, two short sentences at the VERY longest.
So from the example above:
Sylvia's Casual dress shop
1. Top sales recognition for fiscal quarter 1998 with $8500.00 in sales
2. Won top sales competition for Christmas 1998 season with $9200.00 in
sales and a customer service rating of 9.8
3. Received "Employee of the Month" award for Sept 1999. Award
given based upon customer approval reports combined with sales figures.
Now you have developed your qualification
pool to draw from and are ready to go on and build your resume.
TOP LINE:
Name and contact information
This is SOOO important. I can't tell you how many times I've received
resumes that had NO contact information on it!
FIRST SECTION: Summary
This should be bullet points that call out your specific traits that you
feel make you the best candidate for the job you are applying for. Here's
mine from my resume:
o Department and Studio management
o Project management, planning and scheduling
o Award winning design skills
o Team building/leadership skills
o External resource management
o Outstanding public speaking/communication skills
SECOND SECTION: Selected Accomplishments
OK..THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART AND
IT'S THE PART YOU WILL CUSTOMIZE FOR EACH JOB YOU APPLY FOR!!!!!
And here's why...
It is HIGHLY likely this is the ONLY thing
the resume reviewer will ever actually read!!!!
So.. this is where the list of all the things
you've done that you are proud of in your career comes into play. Look
at the job you are applying for. Then pick out the top five things from
your accomplishment list that would apply to the job you are applying
for.
Put those five accomplishments in this section.
If you have trouble figuring out which ones to put there.. think which five things you'd like them to ask you about in the interview...which five things that, if you talked about 'em, would show how qualified you are for the job.... Because it is highly likely they will ask you about them! Think of it as stacking the deck in your favor. You are priming the interviewer with the questions to ask you!
THIRD SECTION: WORK HISTORY
Now comes the work history. This is the hardest part for most people.
KEEP IT SHORT. Frankly.. the potential employer very likely WON"T
READ this stuff, other than to get an idea of what companies you've worked
for and what positions you held.
KEEP IT THAT SIMPLE.
List the company you worked for and where
it was, your position, what dates you worked there (month and year or
years only is fine) and then a VERY VERY VERY short description of what
you did. (did I mention keep it very short??) Here's an example from my
resume (and it's my LONGEST listing because it's my current position)
Sony Online Entertainment
Austin, TX
Senior Designer
May 2003 - December 2005
o Served as Content Lead for Star Wars Galaxies, overseeing team of 7
designers.
o Served as lead designer on an innovative, original IP MMO. Took design
from concept to first four milestones of production
Do not go back more than 10 years... and only
that far if it pertains to the industry.
DO NOT LEAVE HOLES IN THE RESUME.
Make sure all time is accounted for. If you
were unemployed, you can list "self employed" and mention volunteer
work you did. Make sure time is covered.
FOURTH SECTION: Titles
If you are not applying for a game industry job, skip this.
If you are applying for a game industry job, this should just be a list
of the titles you have worked on and the platform they were released on.
That's all.
FIFTH SECTION: Tools
If you use any specific tools that are normally used/required for your
job, list them here.
SIXTH SECTION: Education
If you have any higher education or certifications, they go here. List
institution and date and any specific focus.
SEVENTH SECTION: Interests
Now... this one is controversial, but I will mention it because it has
done me well in interviews. I always list that I show dogs. I can't tell
you how many times that has served as a great ice breaker. "Sheri,
you're the one that shows dogs, aren't you? Cool! What breed?" or
'Oh yes… Sheri.. you do the high performance driving! What kind of
car do you drive?"
So, don't put this in if you are just going to list "reading science
fiction" or something.
The only caveat to this is, I think it's important to list that you play
games, if you are applying for a game job.
EIGHTH SECTION:
This really isn't a section, it just says, "References Available
Upon Request" don't put anyone's name.. or you risk looking like
a name dropper.
However, when you go for an interview, take a sheet that you can hand
out that has your references and their contact information on it.
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