here is my revise resume Can anyone please check out my resume and give me your 2 cents? thanks

Objective: Seeking an entry level accounting position that involving Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payrolls, Collections and other related areas of works. Would welcome assignments in a fast-paced environment with considerable client contact and follow-up.

Education: Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL
B.S Finance, graduated: December 2008

SKILLS / KNOWLEDGE
• Office Applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Proficient in Building Spreadsheets
• Windows O/S Vista, XP, 2000 Pro
• Operate Macintosh and PC
• Analytical Thinking / Problem Solving

• Used spreadsheet applications such as Excel extensively to model financial statements such as the income statement and balance sheet.
• Class Project that involving analyzing business needs, developing business and functional requirements, and implementing project deliverables.
• Languages: English: Fluent
Vietnamese: Proficient: speaking
Intermediate: Reading

RELATED COURSEWORK

• Corporate Finance
• Security Analysis
• Strategic Management
• Federal Income Tax: Individual and Corporate

EXPERIENCE:
Harris Bank
311 W. Monroe
Chicago, IL 60606

• Worked together as a team or as an individual to mail out customer bank information.
• Provide high quality in a fast-pace environment
• Meet deadlines with accuracy and efficiency

Better focus in your "Objective" section. Much improved from your first version on the other thread. Now I know what position you seek.

Your "Objective" section should begin with the word capitalized, as you began the other sections of your resume. Same for your "Education" section. Your "Related Coursework" section would fit better under "Education."

I think you should put your Vietnamese language abilities high. Any kind of foreign language proficiency is an advantage. You could put it in your "Education" section, or why not give it its own section. Call it "Languages."

You should put down your years of employment (not months and years) with the bank. "Provide" should be "Provided" and "Meet" should be "Met" so that tenses agree. What kind of information did you mail out from the bank? Can you be more specific?

Once again, any academic honors you could list on your resume? High GPA? High class ranking? Employers are evaluating your potential to succeed, so help them out. You need to toot your horn

All in all, this draft is MUCH better than your first draft, but IMO it still needs polishing.

Your "Objective" section should begin with the word in ALL CAPS, as you began the other sections of your resume. Same for your "Education" section. Your "Related Coursework" section would fit better under "Education."

(clarified)

I thought of something further. List your accounting courses under "Relevant Coursework" if you're seeking an accounting position. You will appear much stronger by demonstrating actual accounting knowledge. The only accounting course you listed was Taxes.

Of course, you can customize resumes for various jobs by adding and deleting items. Your "Relevant Coursework" section is fine for finance and banking positions.

Once again, good luck with your job search.

In your objective section "works" should not be pluralized. It should just be "work." Also "B.S" should be "B.S." or "BS" (without periods. You could also use BSBA (Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration). If your school is accredited, list that. List your GPA if its pretty good.

ALWAYS double check for punctuation and grammar errors. Sometimes Word is not your friend.

Make sure you always send a personalized cover letter with your resume and make sure your headings and fonts (don't use hard-to-read fonts) match.

Good luck in your job search.

This is how your resume should appear, with corrections:

OBJECTIVE

Entry level accounting position involving accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, collections or related areas. Would welcome assignments in a fast-paced environment with client contact and followup.

EDUCATION

Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois
Bachelor of Science in Finance
Graduated December, 2008

LANGUAGES

English: Full fluency
Vietnamese: Speaking: Fluent; Reading: Intermediate

SKILLS / KNOWLEDGE

• Microsoft Office Applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Proficient in Building Spreadsheets
• Windows O/S Vista, XP, 2000 Pro
• Macintosh and PC
• Analytical Thinking / Problem Solving

• Prepared income statements, balance sheets and other financial statements with Excel and other spreadsheet software.
• Participated in class project that involved analyzing business needs, developing business and functional requirements, and implementing project deliverables.

RELATED COURSEWORK

• Elementary and Intermediate Accounting
• Federal Income Taxes: Individual and Corporate
• Corporate Finance
• Security Analysis
• Strategic Management

RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE

[Set forth actual position and from-and-to years of employment]
Harris Bank
311 West Monroe
Chicago, Illinois 60606

• Used earnings to help pay for college
• Worked with the team and individually to mail out customer bank information
• Provided high quality [High quality what? Service?] in a fast-paced environment
• Met deadlines with accuracy and efficiency

Use concrete terms and statements. Vague terms and statements are hard to understand and say nothing.

Finally, HR, etc. spends only about thirty seconds per resume. Your resume has to stand out to warrant a more thorough review.

btmt in Chicago, Illinois said: Objective: Seeking an entry level accounting position that involving Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payrolls, Collections and other related areas of works. Would welcome assignments in a fast-paced environment with considerable client contact and follow-up.

Just curious but how is the job market looking for finance and accounting? Have you gotten any interviews...I am graduating with a finance degree next may..

thanks

Dear Friend, I would begin with a description of the job you did. For instance, for AP it could be:
"Accounts Payable Responsibilities – full cycle:
Compare Vendor Invoices with Purchase Orders and Receiving Reports; verify, approve, assign codes, analyze, enter, file Vendor Invoices; maintain Vendor discounts schedule; maintain Master Vendor File; maintain Vendors and other Accounts Payable files; prepare 1099
Maintain Monthly Payment Schedule for recurring payments {payroll liabilities, utilities, leases, taxes, fees, contracts, notes payable, credit cards and other liabilities}
Verify, process and file Expense Reports; assist in Petty Cash transactions
Prepare, approve and register Vouchers; prepare accounts payable checks for payments
Analyze Vendor Accounts; Contact with Vendors: negotiate payment terms and discounts, resolve receiving and other issues
Print Accounts Payable Schedules and Reports {Accounting software} and maintain Schedules and Cash Reports {Excel, Word} for Accounting Department.
Assist in Bank reconciliation" and so on.
Employers search resume database by key words. Also, Yahoo!Hotjobs site has great tips for resume formatting and job search. Good luck!

Here is a blog article I found with resume tips that may help you out. I think it had some great advice and may help you like it did me

toptenresumetips.blogspot.com

btmt in Chicago, Illinois said: Objective: Seeking an entry level accounting position that involving Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payrolls, Collections and other related areas of works. Would welcome assignments in a fast-paced environment with considerable client contact and follow-up.

Education: Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL
B.S Finance, graduated: December 2008

SKILLS / KNOWLEDGE
• Office Applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Proficient in Building Spreadsheets
• Windows O/S Vista, XP, 2000 Pro
• Operate Macintosh and PC
• Analytical Thinking / Problem Solving

• Used spreadsheet applications such as Excel extensively to model financial statements such as the income statement and balance sheet.
• Class Project that involving analyzing business needs, developing business and functional requirements, and implementing project deliverables.
• Languages: English: Fluent
Vietnamese: Proficient: speaking
Intermediate: Reading

RELATED COURSEWORK

• Corporate Finance
• Security Analysis
• Strategic Management
• Federal Income Tax: Individual and Corporate

EXPERIENCE:
Harris Bank
311 W. Monroe
Chicago, IL 60606

• Worked together as a team or as an individual to mail out customer bank information.
• Provide high quality in a fast-pace environment
• Meet deadlines with accuracy and efficiency

Justme in Austell, Georgia said: Just curious but how is the job market looking for finance and accounting? Have you gotten any interviews...I am graduating with a finance degree next may..

thanks

Good luck. I graduated with my Finance Degree this past May. I graduated with honors and a 3.51 GPA. I have applied to several jobs and have not even gotten a call besides from annoying people wanting me to do insurance sales. Other jobs are not paying what I think is acceptable.

My best advice would be to be involved with student groups and/or do an internship. I didn't do either and am regretting it now.

johnnyboy in Youngstown, Ohio said: Good luck. I graduated with my Finance Degree this past May. I graduated with honors and a 3.51 GPA. I have applied to several jobs and have not even gotten a call besides from annoying people wanting me to do insurance sales. Other jobs are not paying what I think is acceptable.

My best advice would be to be involved with student groups and/or do an internship. I didn't do either and am regretting it now.

Hey yea I have an internship in Accounting for almost two years now so it's pretty steady...My only problem is my gpa..probably going to graduate with a 2.8 in Finance...But thanks for the feedback...I have seen many postings for financial analysts and such so I am shocked to hear that..check out indeed.com if you haven't already..and good luck :)

wait this is Indeed.com LOL

Openly Anonymous in Ramsey, New Jersey said: Don't use an objective because employers really don't care about what you want, they just care about what you bring to the table.

Incorrect. HR won't know what position you're seeking unless you set forth that position. Without setting forth an objective, your resume, and you, will appear unfocused.

In the meantime, you shouldn't shill your website on these free fora to the detriment of Indeed's paid sponsors.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Incorrect. HR won't know what position you're seeking unless you set forth that position.

You must have missed the beginning of this sentence: Replace the objective with a Resume Title such as "Accounting Professional" and... In addition, they should already know which job you are applying for from the cover letter. Actually, the argument is a straw man since the objective never states the specific job anyway.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Without setting forth an objective, your resume, and you, will appear unfocused.

That is dangerous advice. The first thing HR needs to know is why they should hire you. Focusing on anything else is a waste of the resume reader's time and will not survive the typical 10-20 second initial scan. Most often resumes are in a stack of 20-50+ and in these tough times stacks of several hundred. The reader has zero time to waste on unhelpful information.

Don't take my word for it, Google this: resume profile or objective? This result is typical: easyjob.net/resume/resume-outline-objective.html

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: In the meantime, you shouldn't shill your website on these free fora to the detriment of Indeed's paid sponsors.

Mentioning a web site in the context of giving appropriate and helpful feedback is common on this and other forums. Otherwise, all too often forums do not attract critical mass or contributors that know what they are talking about. More content improves search engine placement and attracts more traffic, and quality content keeps readers on the site. Consequently ads are viewed and clicked through more often, which creates more revenue. That's part of how the web ecosystem works.

Openly Anonymous in Ramsey, New Jersey said: You must have missed the beginning of this sentence: Replace the objective with a Resume Title such as "Accounting Professional" and... In addition, they should already know which job you are applying for from the cover letter. Actually, the argument is a straw man since the objective never states the specific job anyway.

I read your entire comment. If you want to use debate terms, let's say your argument is a red herring. Cover letters and not resumes are at issue. Moreover, cover letters aren't always read or are separated from their resumes.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Without setting forth an objective, your resume, and you, will appear unfocused.

Openly Anonymous in Ramsey, New Jersey said: That is dangerous advice. The first thing HR needs to know is why they should hire you.....

No. The first thing HR needs to know is what position for which you are applying. Then you can prove up why you should be hired.

Openly Anonymous in Ramsey, New Jersey said: Mentioning a web site in the context of giving appropriate and helpful feedback is common on this and other forums. Otherwise, all too often forums do not attract critical mass or contributors that know what they are talking about.

Such as you?? If you have something to contribute, please contribute it here instead of trying to generate traffic for your personal website. Indeed's Terms of Service permits personal use, only, of the fora.

I read your entire comment. If you want to use debate terms, your argument is a red herring. Resumes and not cover letters are at issue. Moreover, cover letters aren't always read or can be separated from their resumes. Therefore, one should put an objective on a resume.

One can try a Profile section describing one's attributes, but the position objective must appear at the beginning and not be buried.

(corrected)

[Quote="Displaced Legal Professional"][Quote="Openly Anonymous"]Mentioning a web site in the context of giving appropriate and helpful feedback is common on this and other forums. Otherwise, all too often forums do not attract critical mass or contributors that know what they are talking about.Such as you??Exactly like me. I have deep knowledge and considerable professional experience with the subject matter (on both the hiring and resume writing sides), I write thoughtful posts, I sometimes have an interesting spin and I maintain a positive tone even under trying circumstances.

[quote="Displaced Legal Professional"]I read your entire comment. If you want to use debate terms, let's say your argument is a red herring. Cover letters and not resumes are at issue. Moreover, cover letters aren't always read or are separated from their resumes.
Displaced Legal Professional said: Without setting forth an objective, your resume, and you, will appear unfocused.

No. The first thing HR needs to know is what position for which you are applying. Then you can prove up why you should be hired.

One can try a Profile section describing one's attributes, but the position objective must appear at the beginning and not be buried.

I don’t see how the use of a title doesn’t meet your stated goals. Are you suggesting that the actual job ad should be put on the resume?

Over 99% of the time, just by the nature of the workflow in most offices, the resume reader already knows which position you want. Cover letters not being read or being separated is rare and displaced resumes are usually easy to match with the relevant job from the headline and other content. On the other hand, resumes that don’t start with why you are valuable are almost guaranteed to be discarded without a fair reading. A strategy with such a tiny upside is akin to drawing to an inside straight under all circumstances.

I ran up against the 2000 character limit, so I split the post in two. Please forgive the odd quotes in the previous post. Apparently this forum can't handle nested quotes.

Resumes are like marketing pieces. They are the ad that sells you. Accordingly, they cannot be about what you want, but why someone should want you. Would you respond to an ad that asks you to buy so the seller can make money?

Don’t take my word for it. Post the objective vs profile question at the Career Realism Twitter Advice Project (www.careerealism.com/category/twitter/) where you’ll get an answer from a variety of career experts.

Thanks for inspiring my latest Resume Tip of the Day at twitter.com/ResumeRemodel.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Over 99% of the time, just by the nature of the workflow in most offices, the resume reader already knows which position you want.

Wow. Ninety-nine percent. Can you document that figure?

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: [R]esumes that don’t start with why you are valuable are almost guaranteed to be discarded without a fair reading. A strategy with such a tiny upside is akin to drawing to an inside straight under all circumstances.

One has to help the HR conehead. One has to orient the individual by setting forth the position desired. Then you build your case for why you should be considered.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Are you suggesting that the actual job ad should be put on the resume?

No, I am not, and you know I am not. But I would state under "Objective" something like "Accounting position, as advertised in the July 23, 2009 Chicago Sun-Times Classifieds," and add "where solid accounting experience, etc. would be valuable." Yes, for good measure, I would use a similar statement as an opening in my cover letter, followed by a statement that the employer should find my quals of interest. Etc.

Continued, below....

Continued....

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: I have deep knowledge and considerable professional experience with the subject matter (on both the hiring and resume writing sides), I write thoughtful posts, I sometimes have an interesting spin and I maintain a positive tone even under trying circumstances.

Trying the old "appeal to authority" debate ploy? Whatever. I have been writing my own resumes for nearly forty years. I have been employed in three unrelated industries. Until recently and except for a year off to return to school, I was employed more or less continuously since I graduated from college - a period of thirty-three years. Evidently, my methodology for writing resumes worked for me. Thus, I, too, feel I know what I am talking about regarding resume writing.

I stand by my comments and advice.

Displaced Legal Professional said: I would state under "Objective" something like "Accounting position, as advertised in the July 23, 2009 Chicago Sun-Times Classifieds," and add "where solid accounting experience, etc. would be valuable."

To add one more point, I have prepared resumes that simply say, e.g., OBJECTIVE: PARALEGAL POSITION. Period. No added baloney.

I put a "Summary" section underneath the Objective that bullet-pointed my primary quals. Underneath that section I set forth employers, duties, responsibilities, etc. followed by sections for education and training. I received many responses from those resumes - far more, probably, than ones I've tried that set forth long tomes about my wonderful attributes and experience.

quote=”Displaced Legal Professional”] Trying the old "appeal to authority" debate ploy? Not exactly. First I provided a reasoned explanation that stands on its own. Then I tried the get-opinions-from-many-authorities-that-are-not-me debate ploy. Surprisingly, after making the accusation, you go on to set yourself up as an authority based on a limited amount of experience. Of course, all of our personal experience is limited. If you consider related experience relevant, than you’d want to consider that my related experience is more extensive in terms of longevity, number of industries and most importantly - geometrically more extensive in terms of depth of experience with these issues.

I've worked on the HR front-lines and management, and as hiring manager in a few other areas. I've too often looked at stacks of over a hundred resumes while having 10 hours to complete 14 hours worth of other work. Under those circumstances, I rarely scanned resumes that started with an objective beyond the Objective heading. When there were less resumes and more time, I'd look further, but I almost never read the text in an objective section on the first pass because it didn't help me.

Also, I’ve rewritten many other resumes that had not been working. They usually began with objectives and my rewrites usually resulted in interviews very quickly.
(continued in next post due to 2000 character limit)

Can I point to statistics to back up the 99%? No. can you point to statistics to back up 1% or greater? I doubt it. Even if you could back up 1% or a higher number, you are still drawing to an inside straight given the downside.

Again, what I can offer is based on my experience. I’m a student of career related issues. In my extensive readings and discussions, I do not recall resumes separated from cover letters being an issue. Additionally, I’ve participated in many seminar and other group situations on resumes as both attendee and presenter, and not once has the issue come-up. Also, during my many years as an operations and process improvement consultant in small company to Fortune 100 environments, which included analyzing and re-engineering HR related processes, the issue never came-up.

It is within the realm of possibility that this thread is the only documentable place where the issue has been considered. I can’t back that up because it’s impossible to prove a negative. However, please feel free to point me to other sources.

[quote=”Displaced Legal Professional”]One has to help the HR conehead.That’s unfair to people in HR. They are all too often challenged by overwork and inadequate training. Yes, there are HR coneheads, but no more than in any other department. In my experience, most coneheads are people that assume that they possess expertise or training without sufficient basis for that assumption. Of course, the impact can be more profound in HR than other departments due to the relation to career issues and potential life altering consequences.

If you really want to help them, put the information that they need up front.

[quote=”Displaced Legal Professional”]One has to orient the individual by setting forth the position desired. In the typical workflow, the first pass on reading resumes are done in groups, so they are already know the position before they look at the resume.
(cont. in next post due to 2000 char limit)

I’m correcting the last two posts. My quote syntax was incorrect so they are confusing to read.

[quote who=”Displaced Legal Professional”] Trying the old "appeal to authority" debate ploy? Not exactly. First I provided a reasoned explanation that stands on its own. Then I tried the get-opinions-from-many-authorities-that-are-not-me debate ploy. Surprisingly, after making the accusation, you go on to set yourself up as an authority based on a limited amount of experience. Of course, all of our personal experience is limited. If you consider related experience relevant, than you’d want to consider that my related experience is more extensive in terms of longevity, number of industries and most importantly - geometrically more extensive in terms of depth of experience with these issues.

I've worked on the HR front-lines and management, and as hiring manager in a few other areas. I've too often looked at stacks of over a hundred resumes while having 10 hours to complete 14 hours worth of other work. Under those circumstances, I rarely scanned resumes that started with an objective beyond the Objective heading. When there were less resumes and more time, I'd look further, but I almost never read the text in an objective section on the first pass because it didn't help me.

Also, I’ve rewritten many other resumes that had not been working. They usually began with objectives and my rewrites usually resulted in interviews very quickly.
(continued in next post due to 2000 character limit)

I’m trying again. My end quotes were once again stripped. If it doesn't work this time I'll just skip to the last post.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Trying the old "appeal to authority" debate ploy?

Not exactly. First I provided a reasoned explanation that stands on its own. Then I tried the get-opinions-from-many-authorities-that-are-not-me debate ploy. Surprisingly, after making the accusation, you go on to set yourself up as an authority based on a limited amount of experience. Of course, all of our personal experience is limited. If you consider related experience relevant, than you’d want to consider that my related experience is more extensive in terms of longevity, number of industries and most importantly - geometrically more extensive in terms of depth of experience with these issues.

I've worked on the HR front-lines and management, and as hiring manager in a few other areas. I've too often looked at stacks of over a hundred resumes while having 10 hours to complete 14 hours worth of other work. Under those circumstances, I rarely scanned resumes that started with an objective beyond the Objective heading. When there were less resumes and more time, I'd look further, but I almost never read the text in an objective section on the first pass because it didn't help me.

Also, I’ve rewritten many other resumes that had not been working. They usually began with objectives and my rewrites usually resulted in interviews very quickly.
(continued in next post due to 2000 character limit)

Can I point to statistics to back up the 99%? No. can you point to statistics to back up 1% or greater? I doubt it. Even if you could back up 1% or a higher number, you are still drawing to an inside straight given the downside.

Again, what I can offer is based on my experience. I’m a student of career related issues. In my extensive readings and discussions, I do not recall resumes separated from cover letters being an issue. Additionally, I’ve participated in many seminar and other group situations on resumes as both attendee and presenter, and not once has the issue come-up. Also, during my many years as an operations and process improvement consultant in small company to Fortune 100 environments, which included analyzing and re-engineering HR related processes, the issue never came-up.

It is possible that this thread is the only documentable place where the issue has been considered. I can’t back that up because it’s impossible to prove a negative. However, please feel free to point me to other sources.

[QUOTE who=”Displaced Legal Professional”]One has to help the HR conehead.That’s unfair to people in HR. They are all too often challenged by overwork and inadequate training. Yes, there are HR coneheads, but no more than in any other department. In my experience, most coneheads are people that assume that they possess expertise or training without sufficient basis for that assumption. Of course, the impact can be more profound in HR than other departments due to the relation to career issues and potential life altering consequences.

If you really want to help them, put the information that they need up front.

[QUOTE who=”Displaced Legal Professional”]One has to orient the individual by setting forth the position desired. In the typical workflow, the first pass on reading resumes are done in groups, so they are already know the position before they look at the resume.
(continued in next post due to 2000 character limit)

[QUOTE who=”Displaced Legal Professional”]To add one more point, I have prepared resumes that simply say, e.g., OBJECTIVE: PARALEGAL POSITION. Period. No added baloney.

I put a "Summary" section underneath the Objective that bullet-pointed my primary quals. Underneath that section I set forth employers, duties, responsibilities, etc. followed by sections for education and training. I received many responses from those resumes - far more, probably, than ones I've tried that set forth long tomes about my wonderful attributes and experience. That’s very similar to what I’ve been suggesting all along. However, the word “OBJECTIVE” is unnecessary because the rest of the headline stands by itself and is easier to read. “PARALEGAL PROFESSIONAL” would be more effective because it provides a stronger image.

“Summary” is a synonym for my terminology of “Profile”. Once again, the heading is unnecessary and could be a waste of real estate if it occupies its own line.

I never suggested “long tomes” (another straw man?). Brevity and clear writing is essential. The one way to make what you outline stronger is to highlight some of those qualifications, duties and responsibilities as accomplishments so that you appear effective.

Very touchy syntax. :( I don't know why the first worked and the last two didn't.

To make sense of what I wrote in the last two posts, the quotes end my text starts with the following:

Yes, there are HR coneheads...

In the typical workflow...

That’s very similar to what I’ve been suggesting all along.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Can I point to statistics to back up the 99%? No.

So why write it if you cannot back it? Can you not argue facts and information? No.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: [W]hat I can offer is based on my experience.

Which what I, too, offer. I'll come right to the point. My experience includes obtaining employment in three separate industries. Writing resumes for myself that require a format endemic to that industry. And, bottom line, my efforts working.[QUOTE who=”Displaced Legal Professional”]One has to help the HR conehead.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: That’s unfair to people in HR.

Is it? Some of these individuals wouldn't know a strong candidate if they saw one. They are so used to fitting round pegs in round holes. They could encounter a candidate(s) who is not completely round but is exceptionally strong in other areas. If you don't lead these individuals by the nose, they'll pass on you.

For these reasons I agree with you, "Anonymous," wholeheartedly. So many of these coneheads are not trained adequately.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Of course, the impact can be more profound in HR than other departments due to the relation to career issues and potential life altering consequences.

I agree with you again. Therefore,

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: If you really want to help them, put the information that they need up front.

You bet. That's why one has to be crystal clear up front. One does that by stating WHAT JOB YOU WANT UP FRONT as an Objective.

'Nuff said for now. I stand by my advice. "Long tome" was my comment and not a straw man.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Can I point to statistics to back up the 99%? No.

So why write it if you cannot back it? Can you not argue facts and information? No.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: [W]hat I can offer is based on my experience.

Which what I, too, offer. I'll come right to the point. My experience includes obtaining employment in three separate industries. Writing resumes for myself that require a format endemic to that industry. And, bottom line, my efforts working.

[QUOTE who=”Displaced Legal Professional”]One has to help the HR conehead.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: That’s unfair to people in HR.

Is it? Some of these individuals wouldn't know a strong candidate if they saw one. They are so used to fitting round pegs in round holes. They could encounter a candidate(s) who is not completely round but is exceptionally strong in other areas. If you don't lead these individuals by the nose, they'll pass on you.

For these reasons I agree with you, "Anonymous," wholeheartedly. So many of these coneheads are not trained adequately.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Of course, the impact can be more profound in HR than other departments due to the relation to career issues and potential life altering consequences.

I agree with you again. Therefore,

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: If you really want to help them, put the information that they need up front.

You bet. That's why one has to be crystal clear up front. One does that by stating WHAT JOB YOU WANT UP FRONT as an Objective.

'Nuff said for now. I stand by my advice. "Long tome" was my comment and not a straw man.

Last try....

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Can I point to statistics to back up the 99%? No.

So why write it if you cannot back it? Can you not argue facts and information? No.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: [W]hat I can offer is based on my experience.

Which what I, too, offer. I'll come right to the point. My experience includes obtaining employment in three separate industries. Writing resumes for myself that require a format endemic to that industry. And, bottom line, my efforts working.

Displaced Legal Professional said: One has to help the HR conehead.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: That’s unfair to people in HR.

Is it? Some of these individuals wouldn't know a strong candidate if they saw one. They are so used to fitting round pegs in round holes. They could encounter a candidate(s) who is not completely round but is exceptionally strong in other areas. If you don't lead these individuals by the nose, they'll pass on you.

For these reasons I agree with you, "Anonymous," wholeheartedly. So many of these coneheads are not trained adequately.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Of course, the impact can be more profound in HR than other departments due to the relation to career issues and potential life altering consequences.

I agree with you again. Therefore,

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: If you really want to help them, put the information that they need up front.

You bet. That's why one has to be crystal clear up front. One does that by stating WHAT JOB YOU WANT UP FRONT as an Objective.

'Nuff said for now. I stand by my advice. "Long tome" was my comment and not a straw man.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: PARALEGAL PROFESSIONAL” would be more effective because it provides a stronger image.

You don't see that term used in the legal industry. "Paralegal" is the term.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Openly Anonymous said: Can I point to statistics to back up the 99%? No.
So why write it if you cannot back it? Can you not argue facts and information? No

I was obviously talking about the realm of my experience, which is more than adequate to use the number. I could have said 99.9%.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Is it? Some of these individuals wouldn't know a strong candidate if they saw one. They are so used to fitting round pegs in round holes. They could encounter a candidate(s) who is not completely round but is exceptionally strong in other areas. If you don't lead these individuals by the nose, they'll pass on you.

Part of my point was that their hands are often tied by policy. You're blaming them when they have no choice.

Displaced Legal Professional said: That's why one has to be crystal clear up front. One does that by stating WHAT JOB YOU WANT UP FRONT as an Objective.

Even after admitting that your resumes that worked had an objective that is actually more like a headline? The kind of objective in the resume in this thread is a different animal and will rarely be read. There is no point to being "crystal clear" if no one is going to read it.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Openly Anonymous said: PARALEGAL PROFESSIONAL” would be more effective because it provides a stronger image.
You don't see that term used in the legal industry. "Paralegal" is the term.

I googled the phrase "Paralegal Professional" and received 94,800 results.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: I was obviously talking about the realm of my experience, which is more than adequate to use the number. I could have said 99.9%.

Another appeal to authority. Still not a documentable statistic and invalid for this discussion. You are really grasping at straws if you must concoct a "fact" to support your notions. Very pathetic.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Part of my point was that [coneheads'] hands are often tied by policy.

Hence, my observation, "round pegs in round holes."

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: You're blaming them when they have no choice.

Baloney. Their job is to deliver good candidates to hiring managers. You said you were a hiring manager, didn't you? I'd bet you gave your coneheads discretion to choose good candidates. Or did you?

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: Even after admitting that your resumes that worked had an objective that is actually more like a headline?

Not what I had written. Here is what I had written, above:

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: To add one more point, I have prepared resumes that simply say, e.g., OBJECTIVE: PARALEGAL POSITION. Period. No added baloney.

Those resumes got me more responses than the ones with a lengthy (and self-serving BS) "Profile" section.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: I googled the phrase "Paralegal Professional" and received 94,800 results.

That proves nothing, and you know it doesn't. Google anything and one is returned thousands of hits. Something like the "biased sample" logical fallacy.

Don't make statements about things you don't know. In this case, I am the authority and you are not. I worked in the legal industry. I know my job title.

Continued, below....

Continued....

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: I've too often looked at stacks of over a hundred resumes while having 10 hours to complete 14 hours worth of other work. Under those circumstances, I rarely scanned resumes that started with an objective beyond the Objective heading....

In other words, you ignored resumes because their format didn't comport with your resume formatting notions? In other words, you chose form over substance? Not very fair to candidates, was that? No, that is not a straw man. It is the impression you give from your statements.

Just for fun, I googled the phrase, "paralegal professional." I got 950,000 hits without quotes; 22,600 with quotes. I wasn't about to review each hit. Many of the hits were for a book, "The Paralegal Professional." To make it clear, this "Paralegal Professional" is a book title. Otherwise, the words, "paralegal" and "professional" came up in context or in phrases. I saw no hits dealing specifically with resumes or job titles.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Another appeal to authority. Still not a documentable statistic and invalid for this discussion. You are really grasping at straws if you must concoct a "fact" to support your notions.

It’s okay to use stats encountered in my own experience, especially since my experience is so vast. The only manufactured fact in this discussion is your assertion that separated cover letters is a significant enough issue to warrant your advice. You manufactured the fact without backing it up and in spite of your limited experience.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Openly Anonymous said: You're blaming them when they have no choice.
Displaced Legal Professional said: Baloney. Their job is to deliver good candidates to hiring managers. You said you were a hiring manager, didn't you? I'd bet you gave your coneheads discretion to choose good candidates. Or did you?

You ignored “policy”. You're still blaming them when they have no choice. When procedures allowed, I did the first screen since HR rarely had the background to understand the job nuances.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Openly Anonymous said: Even after admitting that your resumes that worked had an objective that is actually more like a headline?
Displaced Legal Professional said: Not what I had written. Here is what I had written, above: To add one more point, I have prepared resumes that simply say, e.g., OBJECTIVE: PARALEGAL POSITION. Period. No added baloney.

Again, you ignored what I said. That is the same as a headline with the unnecessarily added "OBJECTIVE:". In this context, the unnecessary word does no harm.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Those resumes got me more responses than the ones with a lengthy (and self-serving BS) "Profile" section.

You also said that you used a Summary, which I explained is a synonym for Profile. I never said “lengthy”, which is just another straw man. The point of a resume is to be self-serving.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: I googled the phrase "Paralegal Professional" and received 94,800 results.

Displaced Legal Professional: That proves nothing, and you know it doesn't. Google anything and one is returned thousands of hits.

Don't make statements about things you don't know. In this case, I am the authority and you are not. I worked in the legal industry. I know my job title.

To make it clear, this "Paralegal Professional" is a book title. Otherwise, the words, "paralegal" and "professional" came up in context or in phrases. I saw no hits dealing specifically with resumes or job titles.

Your original statement was “You don't see that term used in the legal industry. "Paralegal" is the term.” This is the first mention of the job title issue. The search makes it very clear that the term is used.

Since I never called it a “job title”, it’s yet another straw man. I said to use the phrase as a stronger headline, similarly to the usage in the search results. The term also comes up a couple of times in Monster.com searches.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Openly Anonymous said: I've too often looked at stacks of over a hundred resumes while having 10 hours to complete 14 hours worth of other work. Under those circumstances, I rarely scanned resumes that started with an objective beyond the Objective heading....
Displaced Legal Professional said: In other words, you ignored resumes because their format didn't comport with your resume formatting notions? In other words, you chose form over substance? Not very fair to candidates, was that?

Again, you ignored half of my point. There was no time. Resumes typically get a 10-20 second scan on the first shot and that scan is to find reasons to discard resumes. If you did the least amount of homework on resumes, you’d know that.

Even so, your moral outrage is misplaced. With that many resumes, many extremely worthy candidates do not get the job. Candidates that have not taken the trouble to learn how to write a resume properly give me a reason to weed them out immediately. I already know that they may not be careful.

Displaced Legal Professional said: Very pathetic.

That kind of language seems to be against forum rules. You have become increasingly hostile and your last set of posts is extremely antagonistic.

You’ve frequently disparaged the value of my extensive experience and the value of anyone else with significant relevant experience. On the flip side, you’ve overstated the value of your experience when you’ve been clear that your experience is extremely limited and that you have not done any research on the topic.

You’ve also ignored much of what I said when convenient and engaged in other unfair debate tactics such as your frequent use of straw men. You’ve done this in support of terrible advice that could have life changing consequences.

In light of all this, I’m not going to respond to any more posts unless you offer something to say that resembles honest debate.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: In light of all this, I’m not going to respond to any more posts unless you offer something to say that resembles honest debate.

Honest debate? Your use of a made-up statistic based on your "extensive experience" is honest debate? No, my friend, it's an appeal to authority. Your use of a google that proves nothing except running two words, "paralegal" and "professional," returns hundreds of thousands of hits is honest debate? Your thousands of hits proves nothing. Sounds something like a "biased sample" logically fallacy.

Actually, "inept" is a better word for your debate "tactics."

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: You’ve frequently disparaged the value of my extensive experience and the value of anyone else with significant relevant experience.

Wow! Playing the old "extensive experience" card again. No one else except you, "Anonymous," has asserted any "significant relevant experience" during this discussion. If anything, "Anonymous," you have exhibited significant self-aggrandizement.

Openly Anonymous in New Jersey said: On the flip side, you’ve overstated the value of your experience when you’ve been clear that your experience is extremely limited and that you have not done any research on the topic.

Until recently and except for a year off to go to school, more or less continuous employment for thirty-three years in three separate industries is extremely limited experience? I...don't...think....so, "Anonymous." I haven't "overstated" my experience. In the meantime, you have indulged yourself in self-promotion here significantly and vigorously.

I have researched and written resumes for nearly forty years. I needn't brag about or defend my knowledge as vehemently as you apparently do. You obviously feel you have to prove yourself to demonstrate your credibility via your diatribes. In the meantime, I stand behind my suggestions to the OP.

Continued, below.

Continued.....

You don't have to "debate" me if you don't want to, "Anonymous." These are open discussions. As a practical matter, Indeed fora are intended to help people. You've neither reviewed the OP's resume nor offered help or a critique. So how 'bout helping her, "Anonymous"? I have.

To be clear about what I mean by helping the OP, "Anonymous," please rewrite her resume and post it on this thread.