Forget photos on resumes. How about journalists who put their photos on their postings? Thanks for the irony Alison, love your work....
Jamesof CA11:39PM March 05, 2009
The photos on resumes are extremely common in other countries, and in many cases are required. I have done a lot of international travel for work and was surprised the first time I saw a stack of resumes, all with photos attached. It was explained to me that thats the way things are done over there.
Chrisof NY10:43PM March 05, 2009
What to include in your resume depends on the job you are applying for and the generally accepted requirements’ for the position. While I generally agree with all the given advice, I have had occasions when I included almost all of the "things to leave off" on this list. For example; my current area of employment requires a photo included. A current photo is specifically requested as is a list of non-job related activities. Writing samples are almost always requested if the job is a professional editor or writer. I guess the best advice is fit the resume to the job.
Rick Coilaof LA10:13PM March 05, 2009
An attorney by trade, I worked with animals during high school, college and law school. I am very proud to put "Dog Handler" on my resume, partly as a tribute to my favorite GI Joe action figure, and partly because it means I can get my hands dirty and I'm not going to sue or quit if I get bit every now and then.
So when I'm applying for in-house legal positions, do I put on dog handler or not?
How about pot dealing experience? Professional gambling? Good on the resume or bad?
How about my firearms skills and martial arts training?
No, but serious on the dog handler stuff.
In California, do you need to put speaks English on your resume? It is assumed everyone speaks at least street Spanish, buey.
joe blowof CA7:11PM March 05, 2009
Care should be taken with regard to any all encompassing advice. I agree it is old school for anyone who has been in the workforce for any length of time. However, a recent college graduate should have an objective statement.
JustMyOpinionof NJ6:21PM March 05, 2009
Regarding photos on resumes, this practice might stem from academia where photos are often included in professional school applications and CVs such that a candidate can be clearly remembered after their interview.
Eric Kingof CA5:12PM March 05, 2009
This is not an easy answer. Reading articles by experts the opinion seems to be about 40% "always have one", 40% "never have one", and 20% "If you can make one just for the specific job, do it."
My head hurts from all the conflicting advice. I'm sure you can go on for pages about why I shouldn't have one, but I can easily find someone else to tell me why they throw out resumes that don't have them.
Mooseof MI4:33PM March 05, 2009
So much of the "strategy" involved with writing an effective resume is related to surviving the first glance of the hiring manager. This is a shame, and it's pure laziness. A hiring manager should spend enough time and effort to understand the content of the resume, and the qualification of the person behind the resume. To immediately cast out any resume that has a photo, an incorrect objective statement, or a smudge is reckless. Find a more effective way of sorting through the volume.
Nathan Leeof OH3:35PM March 05, 2009
Are you crazy? Your resume is your first (and possibly only) chance to essentially toot your own horn. It could perhaps be argued that you don't want to use subjective descriptions about yourself, a la "I have great leadership skills" or "I am a creative innovator", as the article mentioned, but you should ABSOLUTELY use strong, subjective action verbs to describe your past projects.
For example: "Demonstrated strong leadership skills by managing [X number] of [Y type of people], and developed innovative solutions to solve [X problem] for [y clients].
In this economy, assume that a recruiter, hiring manager or whomever is reading your resume is going through a stack of over 100 candidates (I've seen this happen), and is actively looking for reasons to get rid of them. Assume that they are only going to see the first line of each description, so make sure it's a good one. Use strong, descriptive verbiage and include quantifiable numbers in your resume, as shown above, so that the person reading it can see that you accomplished some specific tasks. Saying things like "Managed multiple projects" can simply mean more than one, and any of your colleagues could have written it. Write your descriptions so they don't look like anyone could have done what you did.
Ezra Ekmanof CA2:47PM March 05, 2009
As an HR Pro and professional Recruiter for more than 15 years, this is dead on advice. I can't tell you how many times I've given a very similar list of tips to friends and family. The biggest one really is you have about 20 seconds to make a good impression. Use it well.
And that photo thing, it may be done other countries, but it's just really creepy. I've received two resumes over the years that had photos and they only served to hurt the candidate.
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James of CA 11:39PM March 05, 2009
Chris of NY 10:43PM March 05, 2009
Rick Coila of LA 10:13PM March 05, 2009
joe blow of CA 7:11PM March 05, 2009
JustMyOpinion of NJ 6:21PM March 05, 2009
Eric King of CA 5:12PM March 05, 2009
Moose of MI 4:33PM March 05, 2009
Nathan Lee of OH 3:35PM March 05, 2009
Ezra Ekman of CA 2:47PM March 05, 2009
Dawna of NC 2:46PM March 05, 2009