Resume / Curriculum Vitae

[chenchow]

This is a pretty important aspect of any job application, or applying for anything from conference to other opportunities... So, may be we can have a thread dedicated to it.. where we can talk about how a resume/ CV is good or poor...

I saw this article :-
Click here (http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Custom/MSN/CareerAdvice/CLR_ResumeBlunders.htm?siteid=CBMSNHP4028&sc_extcmp=JS_clr06_dec03_home1&GT1=3266&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=9dcc713f303648fc8e6469deaf82c0fe-138749774-xc-2)

[jacLC]

A resume n vitae can oso b faked. So actually all of those stuff r juz a way of showing u didn eat, study ,& sleep all day long.

Academic performance is still de most crucial part in everything.

[wccstudent]

A resume n vitae can oso b faked. So actually all of those stuff r juz a way of showing u didn eat, study ,& sleep all day long.

Academic performance is still de most crucial part in everything.

This is not quite true. Yes, grades are important. But you can't really tell how technically competent a person really is through his/her grades. I am not familiar with other fields, but most companies these days do not want to hire fresh grads because of their lack of experience. Getting some experience is probably more important than getting all A's.

That's why doing internships related to your field of study during your undergrad and grad years can be very beneficial. Doing internships will also get your foot in the door with the companies, making it easier to get a job with the companies that you interned with upon graduation.

[iQing]

Chenchow,
can you please post your CV as an example for us? :D

[masdie]

Chenchow,
can you please post your CV as an example for us? :D

you can go to chenchow's homepage. his cv is there. but beware, his cv is loooooooong. if i'm not mistaken, the last update was in jan 2005.

[pandaboy]

Chenchow,
can you please post your CV as an example for us? :D

you can go to chenchow's homepage. his cv is there. but beware, his cv is loooooooong. if i'm not mistaken, the last update was in jan 2005.

CV is not supposed to be more than 2 pages long, isn't it?

[DecentMerson]

Chenchow,
can you please post your CV as an example for us? :D

you can go to chenchow's homepage. his cv is there. but beware, his cv is loooooooong. if i'm not mistaken, the last update was in jan 2005.

CV is not supposed to be more than 2 pages long, isn't it?

well... there's no cold and hard rules on CV... u just list what u deem as important... and if it is long, let it be... but if some employers do specify a limit for it, then, u'll have to keep to that limit...

[windy_city]

Well there is a convention on resume, for undergrad in US, a resume more than 1 page is asking for your own funeral.

[bunny]

think a resume/cv should not be too long. The HR dept will not spend a lot of time reading through your resume and weeding out the important information.

I think the key idea is not to have everything, but to include only your experiences that you think are valuable to your potential employer and design the structure of your CV/resume such that when your future employer reads it, they will not get a jumble of information, but a coherent idea of what you want your employer to think you are good in and what you will be like as a person and an employee.

[misled_youth]

My thoughts:

- Different countries have different standards of resume's

- Cookie-cutter resume's don't make the cut

[pandaboy]

Well there is a convention on resume, for undergrad in US, a resume more than 1 page is asking for your own funeral.

I'm such an inactive student, and I can barely fit my CV in 3 pages.....I wonder how active students (eg Chen Chow) can fit their CVs in only 1 page??? :?

[chenchow]

I have a 1-page CV, or rather called as resume. If anyone wants to take a look, please feel free to shoot me an email, or leave me a pm through ReCom and I will email it to you as a reference.

The one online is just a listing, and it is not updated, as of right now, I have graduated from Cornell, and very soon, Cornell would take down my page already.

[Randomphantom]

They are really 2 different things.

Resumes and C.V.s -- What's the Difference? (http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/CareerBytes/hints0600.htm?ch=co)

According to the dictionary, a resume is "a summary, as of one's employment, education, etc., used in applying for a new position." Conversely, a curriculum vitae (C.V.) is noted as "a regular or particular course of study of or pertaining to education and life."

In other words, a RESUME is a career and educational summary meant to highlight your skills and experience and a C.V. is a list meant to document every job and degree you've ever received in your life.

[windy_city]

They are really 2 different things.

Resumes and C.V.s -- What's the Difference? (http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/CareerBytes/hints0600.htm?ch=co)

According to the dictionary, a resume is "a summary, as of one's employment, education, etc., used in applying for a new position." Conversely, a curriculum vitae (C.V.) is noted as "a regular or particular course of study of or pertaining to education and life."

In other words, a RESUME is a career and educational summary meant to highlight your skills and experience and a C.V. is a list meant to document every job and degree you've ever received in your life.


Yup, resume is mainly for your future employers. It should be one page (at least for US student). If you cannot succinctly summarize your accomplishments and experience in 1 page how can you be competitive in the job market. A CV is not required for most job application in US. A resume exceeding one page is asking for trouble, your future employer will definitely put the resume in the paper shredder when it is >1 page long. There are tones of template for resume, find one that suits you best, stick with it and continue to improve it (by putting in your most recent working experience and other relevant info, and please no more secondary school info, for those who are in University already) because there is no perfect format for resume.
I have edited resumes before and I can only say that usually we Malaysian students do not really know how to prioritize and put in a lot of impressive but irrelevant info. You future employer is not interested to know what competition you participate during your high school, even if they are very impressive, it is too old already. Put in recent stuff, succinct and relevant to the job that you are applying to, that the most important thing.

[masdie]

I envy you all. You all are having trouble editing your CV to contain only the best stuff. But I'm having trouble to fill up the empty spaces in my CV. Sigh. :?

[yuckfou]

I've just graduated from a US university with masters in EE and did my thesis. I funded my own research and it is my own research idea. I'm not an honor's student and do not have a very high CGPA. In fact, I was having fun during my maters degree program. I do not have any internship experience or any work experience.

I've just graduated in May of 2005 and now working for ISE labs in Fremont, CA (near San Jose - Bay Area). I am an RF Test Engineer there. ISE is subsidary of ASE which is also in Penang, Malaysia. HQ is in Taiwan. I have a couple of good advice that might help you guys in a job search for those who's going to graduate and have graduated.


1. Your resume should be 1 page long but this is not a must. My resume/CV is 3 pages long. Any resume that is longer than a page is considered to be a CV. CV is fine although you do not have any working or internship experience. In fact, CV might even be better than resumes. It really doesn't matter how long your resume is because everything you submit is online now. People read it online, not hardcopy unless the employer is interested in your resume. Then, they'll make a print out of it.


2. Not sure what to put in your resume/CV? School projects and class projects. Provide a point form brief description of what you do in your project. Once you do this, might as well do a CV than a resume.

3. Employers search resumes/CV by keywords. No one in the right mind would look through every single resume. It'll take forever for the employer to find the perfect candidates for interview. You have to observe the job description and construct your resume based on the job description. It's just Googling. Type in the keywords and everything pops up. That simple. Do not put into too much stuff in your resume. Make it short, sweet and simple. You don't have to put down 10 or 20 awards that you've achieved in college. Just put in one or two that are significant. Put in the relevant courses that matches the job description.

4. Where and how to look for jobs? Easy. Online! So many people out there feel that online job searching is useless and worthless. True and not true. I found my job online and started working 2 weeks after graduation. What's the recipe? Very easy. It's all about TECHNIQUE and METHOD. But I'm not going to elaborate here because there's a lot to cover. Email me if interested. There are a few effective methods to look for jobs and ways to get you to an interview.

5. Be prepared for an interview. There are a few techniques and methods to answer interview questions, even though u don't know the answers to it. Obviously, getting dressed up for an interview is a must, but don't over do it. Oh, watch out for the weed out questions...

How do I know all these? Simple. I've been to a couple of interviews and I know what interviewers expect from the candidates. Always learn from previous interviews and use the information for your next interview. I know some interviewers too who shared their opinions.

As an entry level job searcher, you are more easily trained in the industry compared to others who has work eperience. That is a plus for yourself.

For more info on resume/CV and inteviews, feel free to contact me at yuckfou2u2 [at] hotmail [dot] com. I'll gladly share with you my experience and hopefully I can help you guys find a job (no guarantee though).

Moderator Note: Email Changed to [dot] form. Please don't post full email address to prevent spam.

[hafidz]

this is funny one, i just got it from a good buddy of mine:

say i have a mediocre GPA, one that if given an opportunity, i'd rather hide on my CV/Resume. but since i can't do that, i also list my Uni's rankings (for sake of argument, let's say top 10 in US) to essentially say "well, the reason i suck is because my college is super-tough".

i think this is NOT ADVISABLE, but i know some people who do it. i think it's bad because it shows you admit your poor grades, but defensive about it --> not your fault, university's fault for being too damn tough.

what you guys think? like seriously, i dislike the idea of someone doing this, and i am just curious to what you guys think...

[wenzy]

can i have chen chow's homepage's address please..
just want to have a look on his resume.
thanks!

[ck]

Whether it's a CV or Resume, for a fresh graduate -> it really does not make much difference besides your grades. MNC (mutinationals), always have a keen lookout for the all rounder graduates (not just excell in studies but also sports or activities). Keeping your resume as simple as possible is a plus point. HR personnel just do not have the time to read everything.

What makes your resume interesting is the cover letter itself. Technically, when a HR person receives the resume of a fresh graduate, it is roughly about the same. Grades, age and interest. But a cover letter makes your resume or CV much for better.

With the advance of e-mails, a lot of graduate take the easy way by attaching the document and just click "send". Or best still,
"Herewith attached my resume for your reference".

Wrong move. This just shows that the candidate are not motivated enough to apply for the positions. Always elaborate your interest and your career objectives in cover letter or e-mail. It gives an indication to what you are seeking to your prospective employer.

Though a lot of candidate do sometimes lie or exaggerated in resume or CV, you should be smart in doing that. Never over do it as you are digging your own grave.

I have done numerous phone interview for a client, only for them to comment about that the candidates have insufficient skill and knowledge. So, my advice: "Never dig your grave too deep, you will never be able to climb out of it".

I hope this will give some insight to fresh graduate that is applying for job.

[chenchow]

I agree with hafidz on the notion. In my opinion, it seems that the person is finding excuses, when he/she tries to defend the poorer grades by stating that the universities they are in are from top universities. I would suggest that, if you are in the above scenario, try to highlight your other advantages, but do not focus on finding reasons why you do not do well academically, unless it is really something beyond your means of control.

In terms of submitting cv or resume, try to get them submitted by someone who knows the person who would be reading the resume or cv. This would typically obtain more weightage in terms of getting your resume noticed. However, eventually, it is still your ability that would ensure your eventual being hired, and managed to stay on long in a company.