Writing a Resume

[andrea t]

I have been asked by my employer to write a resume that they can keep on file. It is to show my experience / expertise in certain areas. Has anyone else ever had to do this? Is the form the same as when you are job searching? Anyone have a website with examples? I haven't written a resume in 30 years! Thanks.

Edit to mention I have found many samples online but they are for people seeking employment. Is there a difference if it is just for an employer's human resource file?

 

[falmouth3]

Go to Monster.com. That site will provide you with help. I'd also suggest ging to the library and take a look at some books that are written to be aids to job hunting.

I think your employer is taking a chance - asking people to write resumes for the files. For some people the biggest stumbling block to looking for a new job is writing/updating a resume. Once that's done, it's all too easy to post it somewhere, like Monster or Careerbuilder.:ignore:

Sue

 

[pjrose]

Mine is on file and updated periodically. It makes sense for the employer to have a summary of your experience that is current, rather than from when you started.

Just leave out the "objective" or "seeking part" (unless you are seeking or have been experiencing advancement in the same organization) and list all the rest - education, positions, projects, skills, and so forth.

Maybe you are being considered for advancement and you don't even know it!

 

[swift]

How long have you been working for this company? What prompted them to ask for this now? Are they looking at your education and experience for the possibility of a promotion? I would challenge their reasoning for this at this point.

 

[ricoba]

How long have you been working for this company? What prompted them to ask for this now? Are they looking at your education and experience for the possibility of a promotion? I would challenge their reasoning for this at this point.

While I wouldn't challenge the employer, I too am curious as to why the employer needs a resume. My concern would be that they are looking at new candidates for your position and they want to compare your resume to the potential new candidates. Call me paranoid, but I have had enough negative job experiences to question why the employer is doing what they are doing.

To answer your question about resume builders, you can find many examples online or use the templates in Word or even buy a software resume builder. I would make my resume the same as someone who is looking for a job. After all that is the normal purpose for a resume.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Use strong action verbs and start your accomplishments with those verbs, and don't use "I."

Instituted a ......

Accomplished..........

Organized..........

Assisted...........

etc.

There are some wonderful books for writing resumes. I sat in a Barnes and Noble to look over several books before choosing one for my son as his graduation present from college.

 

[neash]

Almost everywhere I have worked the employer has kept a recent resume on file.
There are several reasons for that -
1. When your company wants to bid for a job and they need to show the quality of their employees
2. If there is an internal job opening that the company does not want to post to the outside world
3. If someone from another division in the company is looking for a specific skill set for a short time (like borrowed help)

I always update my resume every year. And of course, leave out the objective.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Depending on the size of company you work for, other managers many be looking to move people over to your area or transfer you to theirs. A major corporation I used to work for ROTATED their employees every 18-24 months, as the behavior studies theory the corporation liked found that people who were in new situations worked and delivered more than slugs who had the job down pat (about 15-20% of the professional staff rotated; highly rated moved the more, including to different states/countries).

At another corporation, my manager used resumes to justifiy why his buddies got promotions and raises over majority of the remainder of his staff. He also only hired IVY League graduates who were like him and told me I should live at home til I married and therefore, didn't need more money or a promotion. He had me training his newly hired IVY League graduates, too. It was a very long 3 years of employment under him ... I hope his daughter is following his suggestions.

 

[geekette]

I work for a non-profit and sometimes grants need the info.

 

[andrea t]

The reason for the the resume is because I've been asked by my company to head up a special project and they want the "outside" company I will be working with to see in black and white my experience and why I was chosen for this particular project.

Thank you for all the tips. I've been working on the wording all day and it's coming along.

 

[Big Matt]

Andrea T,
show cause and effect in your resume:

You had a job and did xyz and the results were ABC.

Also, use quantitative examples:

Managed 45 people and a 2 million dollar budget, etc.

Same for number of times you've done things:

Managed 15 projects over the last five years, etc.

Also, have a summary section at the top that includes four or five sentences highlighting your career with emphasis on your major skills and accomplishments.

Many people never read past the summary.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Resist Any Temptation To Pad & Fudge & Inflate With Fakery.

Everything in your resume has got to be 100% factual & honest & true.

Sure, the headhunters know that 30-50 percent of resumes contain fakery.

That doesn't mean yours has to go along.

Honesty. Truth. Integrity. Trustworthiness. Veracity.

Those qualities are worth their weight in gold -- & the rarer they are the more valuable they become.

Good luck & happy job hunting.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​