DH needs help with creating resume. Where to go?

[Just Kate]

Dh is at a point in his career where he could make a jump to the next level. This next position would be as an independent contractor, but if it works out for him, the money is there to make the move worthwhile. He works out of town, so he is only home periodically (he works two weeks and comes home for a week). The next time he is home, he plans to sit down and work on his resume and put a plan together for what to do next.

 

My question is...it has been a long time since either of us has done a resume. I know things have changed. Is there a company or person you can hire to help with a resume? Any good websites with tips and tricks? I've been looking, but not sure what is good and what is not. Would love some input from those of you who have dealt with this recently.

[Just Kate]

Yeah...I know. Resumes are boring!!! Lol

 

Anyone with any fabulous resume-writing experience? Maybe a cool website that helped or even someone you hired to help you out? Dh has so little time off work and we really need to get this going quickly.

[Lanny]

You did not mention what kind of work he does.  That would help with my reply.  I went from being a salaried ("permanent") employee to being a Contractor, where I was paid for every hour I worked and did not put in unpaid overtime.  I was a Software Engineer. What follows works for Software Engineers, but if your DH does something else, you may need to modify my suggestions:

 

(1)  Keep the resume as short as is possible.  Unless he is in Upper Management or has a Ph.D. (kiss of death for Engineers working in industry) I would suggest a maximum length of 2 pages. When someone is looking at resumes, they might receive 50 or 500.  Each resume is looked at (assume a human is doing this screening) for approximately 60 seconds.  The first step is to get past that step...

 

(2) Never put references on your resume.  I tried to minimize the number of times that my references were contacted.   If a client (not a "Recruiter" or "Head Hunter) wanted my references, I only released them if and when there was an interview, either in person (rare) or by phone (common) with the Hiring Manager or Hiring Supervisor of the client corporation.

 

(3( The resume should have all Keywords and buzz words that apply to him on it.  It will be scanned into computer data bases and the Recruiters/Head Hunters, scan for keywords.

 

(4) In step 2, I suggested the resume be kept very short.  If a Recruiter/Head Hunter or potential client want amplified information, they can request it and your DH can give it to them.  

 

(5) After his new resume is ready, he should spend several hours, on each web site, registering on Monster.com and on CareerBuilder.com Depending on what he does, there may be several other web sites he should register on. It is time consuming.

 

(6) If he is an Engineer, he should join CJHunter.com    I used their services for many years. 

 

(7) Do not bore Recruiters/Head Hunters/ HR people, with details they probably do not have a clue as to the meaning. They are looking for Keywords.

 

(8) The task is to get one's resume in the hands of the Hiring Manager or the Hiring Supervisor.

 

I cannot recommend any resume writing services or books to your DH, but would suggest that he does it himself and that he checks every letter and punctuation mark on his resume, carefully, to be sure there are no typos or words that are not spelled correctly. That will quickly, get one's resume put into the wastebasket.  

 

If he is a U.S. Citizen, that should be on his resume. If he has a DoD or DoE clearance that is now active, or was recently active, that should be on his resume.   HTH

[Storygirl]

Where I used to live, the public library had a department that provided career counseling, including resume help and practicing interview skills. It was a great resource for those who knew about it. Most public libraries don't have that, but a reference librarian should be able to steer you toward some resources in your community that may be able to help. So I would call the reference department of your largest nearby library system and ask them where to go.

 

They should also have books available and/or be able to point him toward websites with up to date information, if he would rather research and figure it out on his own.

[Just Kate]

Thanks Lanny and Storygirl. Your tips are great!

 

Lanny, dh is in the oil and gas industry. Currently he is working as an engineer, but he doesn't have an engineering degree so he is at the end of the line with that position. He took this position for the experience to help him to eventually gain a consulting role.

 

I think I will have him send me as much info as possible and I will start piecing together a resume for him. That way, when he has his week at home, he will have something to start with.

 

Any other tips appreciated. Thank you!

Edited July 13, 2016 by Just Kate

[SparklyUnicorn]

I help my DH with his.  Personally, I think you can do a better job yourself than hiring someone because nobody cares as much about having it be really good than you guys.  Start by researching typical resume types and samples for the field he works in.  You'll find tons and tons of stuff on-line.  I highly recommend that you come up with a solid base resume, but that you customize it for every single position you send it for.  That isn't as bad as it sounds.  You basically emphasize using key words in the job description because every job is slightly different and their job descriptions will have slightly different things they emphasize.  So basically he always comes across as being specifically good for the specific job rather than just being some general person to consider if the more specific people don't pan out.  KWIM?

 

If he isn't on something like LinkIn get on LinkIn.  This is really a good way of keeping your resume up to date continuously once you have it done. It's also good for networking.  That's what my DH does so really at any point he can tweak his resume and it is good to go if needed. 

 

 

[Lanny]

Cool.  I have a similar background.  I do not have a degree.   I was paid as much or more as people who had a B.S. or M.S. degree.   Oil & Gas can be problematic at this time, because of low energy prices.     I would keep his resume very short.  2 pages max.  If he is a member of a professional organization (I was a "Member" of IEEE for many years) he should include that on his resume.    Check out CJHunter.com for temporary contract assignments.  I think you can sign up for a free membership and get an idea, but it only costs about USD$20 (?) per year to be a member.  

[MomatHWTK]

There are lots of freelancers who will do resumes. I have someone that I use for editing who also does resumes. She is at: http://www.signejorgenson.com/resume/ You can also hire her through People Per Hour or Upwork. If you hire someone else, be sure to check their reviews!

 

ETA: You can also find her on LinkedIn.  

Edited July 13, 2016 by MomatHWTK

[Liz CA]

"Resume Magic" available as an ebook (I think) and in print very inexpensively at Amazon.

[RootAnn]

[NM - moved recommendation links to PM.]

 

I would definitely try to find someone who does oil & gas resumes as they will be familiar with the lingo & what type of buzzwords to include.

Edited July 13, 2016 by RootAnn

[mommymonster]

Ditto the recommendation on getting on LinkedIn. If he is going to be a consultant, he's going to need to network like mad, and LinkedIn is a good place to get it done (he may know of an oil and gas specific resource that would be better, but LinkedIn is where many professionals are hanging out).

 

Here's an article written specifically to oil and gas resume writers: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tips-writing-oil-gas-resume-cv-robert-berry -- I can't say that the author is "THE GUY" for oil and gas resumes, but it's a start and it has an example. There has to be more out there. (Also, nod to the author for getting his resume out there without just putting it out there...).

 

 

 

[Just Kate]

Thank you all SO MUCH! I feel like we have a starting point now. Great suggestions!!!