How to write a resume`

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LT72884

Head Chef
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
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I dont have a resume` because my ex brother in law hired me right after i quit my other job. I have really no idea how to write/build a resume`.

I have some really BIG decessions to make in the next 6 months for work. One of them is; Do i get a new job before i get my certification from CISCO or do i wait till i have a cert behind me before i switch jobs.

That one is the biggest on my plate right now. So i need to write a resume` and i could use DC's help.

Thanx
 
Boy, your thread came at the perfect time for me! I'm wondering the same thing.

In my case, I was a credit manager for 30 years, and that's what my resume' reflects. I don't even know if tinkers have ever constructed a resume' to dsiplay their talents.

About five years ago, I met most of my restaurant clients setting up to sharpen in a local sporting goods store. I would meet them virtually by accident or word of mouth. However, that sporting goods store closed.

But there's a strange dichotomy. I made very little money sharpening hunting and pocket knives. But the exposure to chefs and sous-chefs paid the bills.

Now that I've decided to work exclusively on chefs' knives (and those of long term clients) I was wondering if a "pre-approach" letter should be sent out to the best restaurants in Madison--at least until buzz is established.

However, I still have no resume' to include!

When you find an idea that works, post your ideas here. I'll bet lots of us are in the same boat. They say baby-boomers have at least six careers in their lives. I agree.
 
LT:

I'd check out resume prep. sites for resume assistance. The resume is an important part of the introduction to a prospective employer and can make or break you.


Chico:

If you are preparing a resume' as a tinker, you can omit any info on your previous career(s). If you have any references, use them. Get permission from local restaurant staffs to use them as references.
 
There are resume programs out there.... one of my old PCs even came equipped with a resume program. If you could find the form you like, the rest is just filling it out.
One thing that's always nice for a prospective employer to see, at least IMO, is for your references NOT to all have the same last name as you. If you could list a former employer rather than just family or friends, that's always nice.
 
Being self-employed most of my life I've never written a resume. But if I had to write one today I would follow the simple standard format samples which I assume are available on-line. One thing I know is to keep your resume simple without irrelevant info about yourself which do not pertain to the position you're seeking.
 
Should i mention that in the last 2 years i have buitl over 150 PC's and along with a few of my own Firewalls, antennas and water proof access points? I dont know what to really put in it.
 
Word used to have resume (I call them Curriculum Vitaes) templates. The thing is to be honest and positive. Look at several different styles and pick one that suits you. Keep it short 2/3 pages - any more, the recruitment personnel will not read them.

As some one who has done a couple of stints sorting through applications:
spell correctly
use correct grammar (including punctuation)

Your CV (resume) needs to stand out in some way to catch the eye of the perosn who may be sifting through up to a hundred.

You may find it worth talking to your friends and asking to see their ones and think about your first impressions of them. If you want I can dig mine out (its a few years old) and pm it to you - but it is more designed for the English market.
 
Word used to have resume (I call them Curriculum Vitaes) templates. The thing is to be honest and positive. Look at several different styles and pick one that suits you. Keep it short 2/3 pages - any more, the recruitment personnel will not read them.

As some one who has done a couple of stints sorting through applications:
spell correctly
use correct grammar (including punctuation)

Your CV (resume) needs to stand out in some way to catch the eye of the perosn who may be sifting through up to a hundred.

You may find it worth talking to your friends and asking to see their ones and think about your first impressions of them. If you want I can dig mine out (its a few years old) and pm it to you - but it is more designed for the English market.
go for it. i think if i see one that has nothing to do with my area of schooling and one that does i can get a good idea what i need to do.

I use open Office so hopefully it will be bale to open word docs, it should but you never know..
 
Try to keep your resume to one page. Most employers won't read more than that. You want to keep your job experience to specific skills you used in each position whether that is supervising others or specific tasks that fell to you to complete. If the computer building was a part of your job description then include it there. If it was "just for fun" then you can list it at the bottom as additional skills you have that may not have been used in your previous jobs. I always included stuff like when I was treasurer or president of the band boosters since that showed leadership and fiscal skills that may not have been used in my job. I also put down what computer programs I was familiar with using. You want to be sure to list your current most recent job first and work backwards and get less detailed the farther in the past you go. References should be co-workers or supervisors who have actually observed your work ethic as well as friends. Try not to use family members. As far as whether to wait for certification before looking for another job, my question would be, Is certification something necessary for the job you want? You also don't state why you want to look for a new job. Could you stay there for a while and be content? The thing about staying long enough for the certification them splitting will make the company think twice about offering to help others get certified.
 
Chico: If you are preparing a resume' as a tinker, you can omit any info on your previous career(s). If you have any references, use them. Get permission from local.

This is the same problem as the OP faces. We were in the workforce, but at a differing career.

Obviously, I have gray hair. If a resume' begins, "College graduate 1972, Sharpener 1997," the guy might wonder where I was. And it happens.

I broke my neck in a car accident in 1987. I was laid up for a few months, and one HR guy noted the "hole" in my assignment dates. Now granted, he was the only one, but lots of HR people want to know where you were, assume you may have been fired and want explanations as why you did a lateral or lower transfer.

*sigh* to most folks, a tinker is not a skilled position. Not even in Japan.

The OP worked for family. It could appear that it was not a "real" job and they were just helping out mom and dad. As the job market tightens and displaces workers, these appear like minor twists and turns, that is, unless you're the one out of work.

I'd only have to do two or three fugu knives per week to buttress my bike riding. To my knowledge, they don't serve blowfish in Madison.

And it's going to get worse. I agree, a first rate resume' is going to be key here for the OP.
 
I think you need just to list the previous employment & events just so you don't holes but it just is a one liner as it is irrelevant. Your personal statement would pick up on the career change and what you are doing.
 
Your resume should be tailored very directly toward the job you are trying to get.

It should stress skills/education/experience you have that are relevant to the job you are trying to get.

It's not uncommon to have 2 or 3 resumes, each directed at a different position.
 
Chico, you can make reference to your previous career to explain the silver threads. No details necessary. You became a tinker to pursue your passion, leaving your first career behind. No one who is interested in hiring you to sharpen knives will care where you worked as a credit manager or for how long. I would not give employer names or start and end dates for different employers. A simple statement that you worked in the credit field until 200? then switched should be sufficient. If anyone should ask, be prepared to respond with more detail.
 
I used to work for Monster.com. I know back then they had a lot of information on the site about how to write a resume. You might want to check them out as well as the other resume sites like Careerbuilder.com and any of the others.

Go to the library and get a current book on writing resumes. What makes a good resume has changed a lot even since I wrote my first one. What used to be acceptable may no longer be the best idea and what once was not acceptable now could be perfectly common. For instance, when I first learned to write a resume it was extremely important to keep your resume to one page. That is not the case anymore. Recruiters are more than happy to look at a resume that is multiple pages as long as it is relevant to the job you are going after.
 
Try to keep your resume to one page. Most employers won't read more than that. You want to keep your job experience to specific skills you used in each position whether that is supervising others or specific tasks that fell to you to complete. If the computer building was a part of your job description then include it there. If it was "just for fun" then you can list it at the bottom as additional skills you have that may not have been used in your previous jobs. I always included stuff like when I was treasurer or president of the band boosters since that showed leadership and fiscal skills that may not have been used in my job. I also put down what computer programs I was familiar with using. You want to be sure to list your current most recent job first and work backwards and get less detailed the farther in the past you go. References should be co-workers or supervisors who have actually observed your work ethic as well as friends. Try not to use family members. As far as whether to wait for certification before looking for another job, my question would be, Is certification something necessary for the job you want? You also don't state why you want to look for a new job. Could you stay there for a while and be content? The thing about staying long enough for the certification them splitting will make the company think twice about offering to help others get certified.

There are a few reasons for a new job.

1. I feel that i have learned as much as i can being here and that in the next 3 or 4 months i will have learned as much as needed.
2. 11$ an hour doing what im doing and have not had a raise in over a year is ridiculous especially when my friends who have no school behind them are making 13.50$ an hour and they dont even build the PC's, they are just tech over the phone.
3. Building PC's is not my forte, i am a network engineer and its time for me to get hands on experience with hardcore equipment.
4. i cant seem to find my plastic spoons for my soup and its pissin me off, so therefor i must quit this job or find my spoons..
5. I have been here 3 years and i feel there is no future here for me due to the fact of no raises and its not in my area of study BUT building PC's does help me out in my resume.
 
Andy M, yes, I believe in every word you said. In fact, I would recommend much the same action in drafting materials for interviews.

A common thread and problem here for the professionals at Discuss Cooking is that we are essentially doing a service, not creating consumer goods, like a house or an automobile.

The chefs and sous-chefs here make their livings by pleasing your palate. For me it's the 'edge.' (BTW, that's why a chef pays 200 bucks to put an edge on a 50 dollar knife. He cares spit about the blade, he is buying performance.)

And that's the rub. Before a chef (*ahem* who can at times be a bit testy) hands over a 2,000 dollar Hattori or worse yet, a one-of-kind custom from Hiroo Itou) he wants to know you won't drag it on a rough sidewalk.

In the past, sometimes I acually bought a Japanese knife and just carried it with me.
 
Chico - perhaps you should get those you have worked for write a short note of recommendation that you can include in a brochure. You could also give them a discount if they recommend you to someone else who uses your services.
 
Andy M, yes, I believe in every word you said. In fact, I would recommend much the same action in drafting materials for interviews.

A common thread and problem here for the professionals at Discuss Cooking is that we are essentially doing a service, not creating consumer goods, like a house or an automobile.

The chefs and sous-chefs here make their livings by pleasing your palate. For me it's the 'edge.' (BTW, that's why a chef pays 200 bucks to put an edge on a 50 dollar knife. He cares spit about the blade, he is buying performance.)

And that's the rub. Before a chef (*ahem* who can at times be a bit testy) hands over a 2,000 dollar Hattori or worse yet, a one-of-kind custom from Hiroo Itou) he wants to know you won't drag it on a rough sidewalk.

In the past, sometimes I acually bought a Japanese knife and just carried it with me.


Are you expecting to do your business via mail or in person?
 
Are you expecting to do your business via mail or in person?

My wife and I don't know yet, we just made the switch to 24/7 kitchen knife sharpening. In fact, I still have some sport knives to finish.

Miniman, recommendations are always welcomed. But I once loaned out my personal butakiri to a sous-chef who was breaking down a large leg of beef--removing the silver and all.

When I next saw the knife, the head chef had it. It was making the rounds.

These stories are what struck me about the OP's concerns. So much of what we do is better experienced that read about on a dry sheet of paper.

 
I used to work for Monster.com. I know back then they had a lot of information on the site about how to write a resume. You might want to check them out as well as the other resume sites like Careerbuilder.com and any of the others.

Go to the library and get a current book on writing resumes. What makes a good resume has changed a lot even since I wrote my first one. What used to be acceptable may no longer be the best idea and what once was not acceptable now could be perfectly common. For instance, when I first learned to write a resume it was extremely important to keep your resume to one page. That is not the case anymore. Recruiters are more than happy to look at a resume that is multiple pages as long as it is relevant to the job you are going after.

i went there today for some tips and i also found this site.
How to Write a Resume | Free Resume Builder

not sure how well up to date it is.
 
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