Critique my resume

In My Humble Opinion
1

Arrrgh, I hate these threads, because they’re generally populated by people who don’t know anything about your industry, and I seriously help people with their resumes all day, but the Perfect Job has come up and I’m feeling very nervous. So I want some quick input on my resume. (I’m submitting tomorrow.)

I’m very torn about length. I was taught that a resume IS ONE PAGE. But I’m getting to the point where I just can’t cram everything onto one page without losing some of it. (Yes, I work in a field where we still do paper resumes.) So I’m considering a two page resume, with a “skills” list. The thing is, I’m trying out for a job way above my current one. I’m a lowly librarian and I want to be a branch manager. I’m trying to point out my strengths and minimize my weaknesses, which are 1) lack of experience (I’m only 28, what do you expect?) and 2) lack of experience at the branches (I work at Main, which for some people is a mark against you.) I’ll be competing with people twice and almost three times my age, with decades of experience.

Specific issues - does my education really matter? I also have to submit a standard application which has all that, and obviously I have the masters’ degree or I wouldn’t have my current job, and everybody knows that.

Is a skills section a good idea? I wanted to point out specific things that I feel I specifically have to offer (I’m not scared to death of computers like a lot of my competition) but it looks a little, I don’t know, amateurish. (Should I add that I’m learning the guitar?)

Without “skills” I could choose between “education” and “professional associations”, axe “objective” and fit all on one page if I went to 10 point. Good idea? (There is no place on the official application for professional associations.) References are on that application, so I have not included them here, but I can.

Also, I know with job experience specific numbers are good… but they’re not really thick on the ground with what I do.

Here’s what I have:

Name, contact, blah blah

Objective
To gain managerial experience and expanded responsibilities while assisting patrons in a branch setting.

Experience
2005 - present
Periodicals Librarian, Place

  • Assist patrons with periodicals research using print and electronic resources
  • Help patrons with a wide variety of skill levels to use computers and develop computer fluency
  • Function as “go to” technology librarian in department with 19 patron computers
  • Develop materials and teach classes to hundreds of (Program Name) school children annually
  • Supervise department in absence of manager
  • Assist in staff training and development of training materials
  • Handle disruptive patrons with assistance of library security
  • Index local magazines in accordance with Library of Congress standards
    = Participate in materials selection and newsstand purchases

2005
Librarian, Place
 Assisted patrons with research and entertainment needs
 Supervised library in absence of manager
 Assisted patrons with computer use and computer literacy
 Handled difficult patrons and resolved difficult circulation situations amicably

2004-2005
Librarian, Place
 Had sole responsibility for extensive art library
 Cataloged incoming materials and maintained card catalog
 Assisted museum staff and students with art research

2004-2005
Substitute, Place (This job is here because it’s in the same system)
 Substituted at Main Library and several branches
 Assisted patrons in finding materials and using library resources
 Performed circulation functions

Education
MLIS, Place
BA, Place

Professional Associations
 REFORMA (National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking)
 South Carolina Library Association
 American Library Association
 Public Library Association

Skills
 Excellent user-level knowledge of Microsoft Office, Windows, and other PAC software
 Extensive experience and knowledge of research databases and methods
 Some reading and speaking knowledge of French, Japanese, Latin and Spanish
 Very comfortable with technology
 Flexible, service oriented librarian

2

IMHO, your work history still puts you in the one-page range. Most advice I have gotten over the years has been that for resumes for careers like yours and mine, two pages isn’t fully justified until you get over 10 years of experience or management experience at multiple levels.

As to your experience and work history working against you, the important thing the first time you apply for a branch manager position is to know that you’re putting your name in front of the people upstairs that you are looking to move up.

A resume, I’ve always been told, should always be written as though there were no other paperwork involved.

For a branch manager position in your system, I’d leave off the guitar thing. If you were applying for a children’s manager position, maybe but not branch manager. The think about “skills” is, being a manager isn’t about skills like that: it’s about problem-solving, getting disputes resolved, and keeping things from escalating.

Don’t go to 10 points. If they can’t read the resume easily, they won’t bother to read it at all. Axe whatever else you have to: 12 points should be the absolute minimum. Cut your oldest job to make room for at least Education. Only list Professional Associations if you are something more than a member. Honestly, nobody cares if you’re a member of the XYZ roundtable. If you’re an officer, though, that matters. consider joining education and associations together to save room on the headers.

I’d look for some other way to word this. “To gain managerial experience” sounds like you’re looking to do the job for a couple of years then move to Charlotte. :slight_smile:

Move anything that you would start with “supervise” those other manager-sounding words to the top. Word things like “Handle disruptive patrons” to sound more managerial (“Resolve conflicts …,” “Defuse problem situations …,” stuff like that)

I would consider either dropping the substitute or combining the two librarian positions.

Addressed most of this above.

Your resume looks like most librarians’ at your age and work experience level, I’d bet. It’s hard making a jump straight to branch manager, though. Good luck, Zsofia!

3

Edit window expired before I could add:

Disclaimer: IANAManager, in your system or any other, nor do I have plans to be. :slight_smile: I worked in your system from 1989-1993 in 4 paraprofessional positions, though, so I have some (admittedly dated) experience with getting hired and promoted there.

4

Well, I don’t want to drop the “little” librarian position, as it’s a branch job. I can dump “substitute” if necessary, but that’s also a job at my current place of work where I worked with extension services. (Although never at this particular branch.)

And I was going to stick guitar in there because I have no, zip, zero experience in children’s programming, and branch people wear all hats. :slight_smile:

5

I have a fair amount of HR experience and once worked in HR at an academic library. My take is that once you have a Master’s degree, which of course you do as a librarian, you can go to 2 pages. I would encourage you to go to 2 pages and make good use of white space to keep the resume readable. Most of the librarian resumes I saw were for more senior librarians who submitted multi-page CVs, but IIRC the one-page resume was rare even at entry level. Of course, that was an academic library.

Yes, education definitely matters. Did you win any awards, have any funded scholarships? Did you write a thesis? Take any especially relevant electives? Even if not, document your education clearly because the ALA-accredited MLS is a key requirement, and they do get applicants without one.

Objective: Honestly, you can leave this off. You are looking to advance within the same field. That doesn’t require an explanation. An objective is most helpful for field-switchers, new grads, and people with a skill that is not evident from their education and experience. You might try an objective like “opportunity to apply my project management and technology skills to transform service delivery in a branch library.”

I understand the feeling that specific numbers aren’t readily available, but IMHO finding the relevant numbers is a skill that you may still be developing. I bet dollars to doughnuts the relevant numbers are there. It took me a while to find relevant numbers for myself as an HR person, too. Start with the size & circulation of the periodicals collection. Supervise department of how many in absence of the manager? What size budget do you have for purchasing? How extensive were the materials you developed? How many staff did you train, and on what?

As a manager you would be expected to be very cognizant of budgets and metrics, so communicating an awareness of this in your resume is important. Also, it is not just that you should communicate the numbers, but communicate benefits of your work, not just tasks. You do this some, but should do more. Where have you increased usage? Saved money? Cultivated donations?

Don’t put references on the resume unless that is specifically requested in the ad. As you note, they are on the application. It’s good to have a single, separate sheet with your references in case someone asks.

I’d leave the professional associations on, but it is good advice to become on officer or active committee member. As you move into management, these will be resources for you to network, so it’s good to show you are engaged.

Under skills, for these 3, (Extensive experience and knowledge of research databases and methods, Very comfortable with technology, Flexible, service oriented librarian), don’t tell them, show them. List tangible evidence: certifications, awards, commendations, projects, continuing education completed. Your self-assessment of strengths is not something that holds much sway on a resume, although you could work that into a cover letter.

Good luck!

6

Why do American resumés always include an objective? Surely that’s something for the covering letter?

7

Here slew I a dupe.

8

Personal preference thing, I think. Personally I don’t use one as my objective is, obviously, to get the job I’m applying for, but I do have a professional development goals section towards the end of my vita.

I’m a librarian also. After going into my library jobs, I have a pre-librarian experience where I just synopsize it (8 years in hotels, 3 years in the mental health field, etc.- a little more detail than that but I don’t list individual employers). This is particularly useful if you have a customer service background as that’s very important if you’re going to be working the reference desk.

I would list the place you work (X City County Library System) and include the substitute activity in the description of duties rather than as a separate entry to avoid it looking like job hopping. On my own CV I list one of the jobs as

PLACE COLLEGE AND STATE UNIVERSITY

Coordinator of Reference and Instruction- December 2003-December 2004
Duties
Duties
Duties

Reference Librarian- Education Specialist- June 2001-December 2003
Duties
Duties
Duties

(spacing may go wacky when I post of course)

The above shows that I did not switch employers during that time, just titles.

9

A lot of resume books and advisors suggest using an objective, so it gets used. Sometimes resumes aren’t accompanied by letters, and sometimes letters aren’t read.

As I mentioned above, I think it works OK in a couple of situations. Remember that undergraduate college education here is often much less specialized. If someone has degree in history or English or psychology or communications, it is quite likely that they are not going to work in that field. As a new grad, the objective gives a person like that a chance to express the fact that they’ve given some thought to what they actually want to do, now that they realize there are no jobs related to their degree (joking, sort of). This works well if they need to bring a bunch of resumes to a job fair, or post to a website. It does not work as well for applying for a specific position. As noted, the objective in those cases is to get the job you’re applying for.

An objective can also help someone switching careers. After 10 years as a librarian, why does someone want to become a radio disk jockey? Putting it on the resume is helpful since the cover letter might not be seen. In a case like that, I might put it in both places. “To apply my encyclopedic knowledge of music in a fast-paced environment that makes greater use of my theater background.”

Another place an objective can help is if you are applying for a lateral or backwards move for personal reasons. “I am seeking a new position in insurance while relocating to New York for my husband’s career.”

There are two cases when the objective really hurts the applicant. First, when the objective is in conflict with what the position offers and second, when the objective states what the candidate wants from the job. What?! you say. Like everything on the resume and in the cover letter, the real message should be why the employer should hire the candidate for the job. Sometimes that can be phrased in the form of an objective.

For most full-grown adults applying for better jobs in the same field, the objective is not a good idea.

10

Um…yeah…that’s about the worst objective you could posibly put on a resume. First of all, as a hiring manager, I don’t care about your husband’s career. All I see from this is “hmmm…housewife”. A better way to phrase this is as follows:

“Seeking a position as a _________ with an insurance company in the New York area.”

Objectives are important because unless it’s obvious from your resume or the nature of my company, I have no idea what you want to do. And if I work for a company that does a lot of different things, I don’t have the time or inclination to farm your resume around to a dozen different practice areas. At my last job I would get calls from students through the alumni network interested in working at my firm because it was “consulting”. Well, what aspect of what we do are you interested in? Technology? Accounting? Bankruptcy? Public Relations? Some sort of supporting function like marketing, HR, etc?
Zsofia, your objective is a bit vague as well. Also, your resume should say what you can do for the company, not what the company can do for you. I’m not a librarian, but since I have stayed in a Holiday Inn, I would rephrase it as follows (excuse me if I misuse any of your industry jargon):

Objective
“To work directly with library branch management in a position directly servicing patrons.”

or

“Assistant Library Branch Manager”

The rest of your resume should also be more acomplishment focused than activity focused. For example:
OK

  • Assist patrons with periodicals research using print and electronic resources

BETTER

  • Improved patrons research speed through the use of electronic resources

BEST

  • Developed electronic research resources that resulted in recognition as one of the top 10 research branches in the state
11

Well, I mean, the whole department lands us as top in the South, not just me - I’d feel a little odd claiming all the credit, because, and this hooks up to what Sampiro said, all my jobs besides the art librarian job are in the same system. Which is the same system these jobs I’m applying for are in.

12

If someone is ambitious and looking to move up, I agree with you. The reality is when someone is a trailing spouse, and they’re applying for something a step or two down from what they did before, that type of objective sometimes gets the resume looked at rather than in the “overqualified” pile. Not everyone is you. That type of objective does label someone as looking for a job, not a career, but that is some people’s reality.

13

It doesn’t matter. It’s still unprofessional to put down personal lifestyle information (marriage status, religeon, physical attributes, etc), even if you are just looking for a jobby-job. Chances are you still won’t be the only candidate and you should do everything possible to stand out. You want a potential employer to look at your resume and think “wow, this person is just what I’m looking for” not “here’s someone just looking to kill time while their husband is working”.

Or think of it a different way. A manager doesn’t need to know that this is a “step down” for you. You might just want to come across as an expert in a particular job, not as someone looking for a management position. When I used to do hiring, I welcomed people who just wanted to come on and be staff level employees who actually do something. I realize many people want to appear ambitious, but we have enough chiefs and not enough Indians.

Set your objective defining what you actually want to do and tailor the rest of the resume to support that. I think you’ll find that employer responses will be more in line with your goals.

14

I would suggest replacing any vagueness with specifics. For example:

“Supervise department in absence of manager” says nothing about how many employees are in the department or what they are doing that requires supervision. “Supervised library” sounds like you were telling the building what to do. Managers want to know how many people, did you hire and fire, did you perform counseling, etc.

Rather than “assist in developing training materials”, how about "perform extensive research in a team effort for the development of x, y, and z training programs.

15

Well, that’s kind of the problem - I don’t have any real management experience. When I’m in charge of the department at night I’m in charge of two people. I don’t hire and fire. I don’t evaluate. I don’t have any managerial responsibilities.

I considered adding, for example, “in Emerging Technologies Committee, developed training materials for Tech Challenge, which introduced more than 200 participants to 2.0 technologies”… but I hear there’s still lingering resentment over the Tech Challenge. Even though I was there and KNOW it was a fair drawing at the end. :slight_smile:

I had a dream last night about getting, not the amazing awesome job, but the other job that’s open (that I’m also applying for) - the one way out in the country, only in the dream it was so cool - there was the most awesome slide that you had to ride to get to work! And they were touring a bunch of us around and it was a group interview with a lot of people for a lot of jobs, and one of the interviewers kindly asked me what high school I go to. :frowning:

16

Two people or twenty, it’s still a management position, even if temporarily.

Did you administer the program? I’m guessing not, and you weren’t responsible for people being unhappy with it. The point is that you did the research and development for it.

17

How many things are too many things for one job? I mean, I did that, I do Ten Minute Tutorials, blah blah blah - it’s hard to winnow stuff because it’s all pretty important for a managerial jack-of-all-trades job.

18

If you’re intent on keeping your resume to one page at this point, then do a cover letter that expands on the resume and shows your writing style.

19

I got the interview, for both jobs at once.

I may throw up.

20

w00t! Dopers rejoice!