Rant: Generation Y: Please stop lying on your resumes

[Ns1]

I will swear up and down this is half the fault of the career counseling offices in colleges. They teach that the way to write a resume is this:

(Approximating content here, not resume headers)
Page 1

Page 2

my college would never, ever teach someone to write a 2 page resume.


(not saying they aren't used, but if you're in college you probably don't need a 2 page resume)

 

[Saint Nick]

Thats funny you mention that. I thought long and hard about why I wasn't getting interviews, and I think you're right because I thought the exact same thing. After applying for jobs, and getting no interviews, I decided my resume need a major, major overhaul.

I spent about two hours reworking it completely. I emphasized my responsibilities and experience much more. I put a little bit more quantitative information on there, as well (how many people a system impacts, how many people use it, how much something cost, etc) as well as adding more qualitative information.

That was the resume that got me into my recent interviews.

I have also noticed a huge trend in what you describe...employers looking to hire someone with tons of specialized IT work, management work, and then paying horrible salary This is in the midwest.

 

[Cstefan]

[1] Companies have to post the job publicly so anyone can apply. I suspect a lot of jobs posted have already been decided who's going to fill the spot [internally within the company]

The company I used to work for did this ALL OF THE TIME. The person had already started, usually a friends or relative of a manager/exec(and usually useless). Then they posted the job publicly to satisfy regulations, ignoring all applicants. The rest of us had to pick up the slack.

 

[Beev]

Also, it is ok if you didn't go to college. I actually prefer people with real world experience.

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I just wanted to quote this and say "THANK YOU." Finally, a smart person that does the hiring.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I am a network manager and I basic question I ask of entry level network techs is "What is the CIDR mask of /22 when represented as a subnet mask?"

Kind of funny, but I never remember most /xx and subnet numbers....I never have to recall them very often. Guess i'd fail, at least I know what CIDR is.

 

[ShawnD1]

Another tip is to maintain different versions of resumes. If you're applying to be a programmer, for example, emphasize programming experience, projects, etc. If you're planning on applying for a management position, emphasize projects you've led and your experience.

Another one is to send out specialized cover letters. The absolute worst thing you could do is have a cover letter that is generic and doesn't seem to directly address the wanted ad. If I see a job for a draftsman and I can do that because drafting is a big part of engineering, I'm not going to have a cover letter that talks about how good I am with electronics or how good my world of warcraft equipment is. They want a drafter; explain why you are a good drafter. If they're looking for a manager, explain how your job involved management rather than explaining every single thing your job involved.

It also helps when it's readable. Lots of posts in ATOT get the "tl;dr" treatment because it's a giant wall of text, all size 10 font, no caps, no punctuation, confusing wording, etc.

 

[Cstefan]

Kind of funny, but I never remember most /xx and subnet numbers....I never have to recall them very often. Guess i'd fail, at least I know what CIDR is.

I ain't what you call book smart, I am more of a DO SMART. I won't be able to recall all the OSI layers, but I will fix yo shit. And as a result, I work for one of the best companies in the world, fixing shit.

 

[Red Dawn]

I guess by some definitions GenX goes to 1980? Still, blaming Gen X for the raising of GenY kids in the work force is a huge stretch unless GenX had alarming teen pregnancy rates. We all know most of the blame for this, along with almost everything else, belongs to the baby boomers.

Yeah who would have thought degrees in CS would be a dime a dozen..

Look I know we didn't do a good job of raising you, trying to make you feel that you were special when in reality you weren't and instilling in you the self confidence (or is it entitlement) that makes you believe that when you fail it's someone elses fault.

I guess it's up to you to do something about it..or you can just continue to whine about how you got a raw deal. Your choice.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I ain't what you call book smart, I am more of a DO SMART. I won't be able to recall all the OSI layers, but I will fix yo shit. And as a result, I work for one of the best companies in the world, fixing shit.

What shit do you fix? Does it have shit in it, or around it?

 

[MarkXIX]

I ain't what you call book smart, I am more of a DO SMART. I won't be able to recall all the OSI layers, but I will fix yo shit. And as a result, I work for one of the best companies in the world, fixing shit.

I know that most people don't have this memorized, the question is intended to force them to seek out the answer and "self educate" if you will. It also places initiative on them to contact me back with the answer.

 

[ViviTheMage]

http://www.subnet-calculator.com/ is my tool

 

[AreaCode707]

my college would never, ever teach someone to write a 2 page resume.


(not saying they aren't used, but if you're in college you probably don't need a 2 page resume)

Page 2 on my description wasn't actually resume but references, which you never provide in the real world until you're asked for them. Every college teaches 1 page resume, which is usually a good idea for college students.

However, career offices are WAY too married to the 1 page idea. They'll force an experienced person down to 1 page (I saw this recently for a friend who went back to law school with 6 years of SAP consulting under his belt) and they drill 1 page so far into their students that later after they have experience, people still trim all the relevant content out of their resume to stay on 1 page.

 

[Regs]

People who ask me to do web pages for the sake of the grace of my heart (pro-bono), please remember to unzip my pants and blow me.

 

[evident]

I would be successful in all of the positions I've applied for but I never get an interview.

Perhaps I should start lying just to at least get to talk to a human being.

Fuck HR.

this x1000. its why most people put buzzwords in their resume. blame HR and poor filtering.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

However, career offices are WAY too married to the 1 page idea. They'll force an experienced person down to 1 page (I saw this recently for a friend who went back to law school with 6 years of SAP consulting under his belt) and they drill 1 page so far into their students that later after they have experience, people still trim all the relevant content out of their resume to stay on 1 page.

I think it depends on the experience and job you are applying for. If you have <10 years of experience and all your jobs are as an accountant and you are applying for an accountant position then I can see your resume being a single page. In my case I had a two page resume before I left college. All my jobs have been related to those I am applying for, but the jobs I apply for are not in a field like accounting.

When I have compressed it down to one page there really is not much in the way of useful information. Sure, you can see a couple sentence job description and the dates, but it does not tell you what I actually did on a regular basis. For example, in several of my jobs I have used SharePoint pretty extensively (the person in charge of it for a group or department). Having that in there went a long ways towards helping me get my current job. If I was forced to leave those details out...

 

[gophins72]

You'd think that with the current computerization and buzzword filtering, that the "one page" rule no longer applies. After all, most times you are entering the resume into a webpage or it is being scanned anyways, not grabbed off a stack and quickly glanced.

 

[Ns1]

You'd think that with the current computerization and buzzword filtering, that the "one page" rule no longer applies. After all, most times you are entering the resume into a webpage or it is being scanned anyways, not grabbed off a stack and quickly glanced.

it's scanned into a computer and quickly glanced by HR - no real difference.

 

[arcenite]

Way to generalize, OP

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Another one is to send out specialized cover letters. The absolute worst thing you could do is have a cover letter that is generic and doesn't seem to directly address the wanted ad. If I see a job for a draftsman and I can do that because drafting is a big part of engineering, I'm not going to have a cover letter that talks about how good I am with electronics or how good my world of warcraft equipment is. They want a drafter; explain why you are a good drafter. If they're looking for a manager, explain how your job involved management rather than explaining every single thing your job involved.

Exactly. I have a standard format I use and when I send it out, I plug in the job title and then I use the second paragraph to tell how I would fit into the role.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I feel sorry for anyone that is in a position to hire Generation Y'ers that knows what a Generation Y'er is. What the F is a Generation Y'er? How old are you? 25, 30? You should not be in a position to hire anyone. Maybe be the lunchtime interview guy but that is it.

OK, I can figure it out, but it is stupid.

 

[Rage187]

I feel sorry for anyone that is in a position to hire Generation Y'ers that knows what a Generation Y'er is. What the F is a Generation Y'er? How old are you? 25, 30? You should not be in a position to hire anyone. Maybe be the lunchtime interview guy but that is it.

OK, I can figure it out, but it is stupid.

Me, mid 30s.

People I interview are typically 22-28.


Alright, a few more things.

I like resumes on 2 pages. One with all the details and the 2nd page should be used for references.



I interviewed someone who had a BS in international business; specifically, Mandarin Chinese. To drive home the point he spoke mandarin, he staged a call in the middle of the interview and proceeded talk to other person on the phone, in what I suspect was very poor Chinese.

Two things:
1. He embarrassed himself when he stuttered through his fake call
2. He thought taking a call in the middle of his interview was a good idea

I then took pity on him, as this was obviously his first interview after college. I spent the next hour helping him rewrite his resume and giving him tips for any future interviews he might have. He unfortunately, didn't have a chance at this position.

Right now, I have 3 gen Y'ers reporting to me. All 3 of them are rockstars. They do get frustrated easy though, if any of the feedback they get is even remotely negative. Here is the thing, if you are getting feedback, it is a good thing. It means we see something in you and are coaching you through any rough patches. It is when you stop receiving feedback that you should start being concerned.

 

[Red Dawn]

Way to generalize, OP

Well you're probably the exception to the rule. You know, worked hard, paid his way through college and understands that his life and career is what he makes of it. There's a lot of you like this out there. It just seems as the generations go on including mine more and more think they are entitled to success just because as is demonstrated in this forum daily. For every Anand there are hundreds of Tridents.

 

[soccerballtux]

If you say you design webpages, be prepared to show pages you have designed.
If you say you type 100 WPM, you will get a typing test just for my amusement.
If you say you code, great get ready to code during the interview.
If you bring code samples, don't look like a deer in the headlights when I wipe the comments out of your code and ask you what the code is written to do.

I don't know what it is with this generation, but outright lying on resumes and looking surprised when you get called to the mat; it's ridiculous.

Oh yeah, I don't care about your GPA. And running a guild in WoW is not something you should put as a "skill".

Also, don't ask me if I play fantasy football. I don't and I now know what you will be doing most of your day if hired.

/rant

yawn, just be happy you've got a massive pool of applicants thanks to the recession.

edit: also, GenX, quit complaining about how you raised us. Karma, dude, it's come around.

Uhhhhh, GenX did not raise us. Gen X = born late 60s and 1970s.

I guess by some definitions GenX goes to 1980? Still, blaming Gen X for the raising of GenY kids in the work force is a huge stretch unless GenX had alarming teen pregnancy rates. We all know most of the blame for this, along with almost everything else, belongs to the baby boomers.

Isn't Gen X up to 1979 and Gen Y 1980-> ? IIRC my brother and I are only 3 years apart in age yet members of different "generations".

I just picked the first one that came to mind that was before Gen Y. Whether or not mom is a Gen X, no idea.

 

[Saint Nick]

How did you multiquote like that? Manually?

 

[shortylickens]

I was born in 79 and multiple times was told I was the end of generation X.

Theres no official ruling but its supposed to be kids born between 69 and 79. Interestingly that means the youngest of us is now 31 and the oldest are 41. We are certainly not kiddies any more. Weird. People spent so much time telling us (as kids) that we were lost and hopeless and a major embarrassment to America. We've been in the workforce for many years trying to unfuck everything all the lazy, selfish baby-boomers fucked up. And America is gonna look really different by the time we retire.
Well, I've been in the workforce doing that. I have to admit most of my generation is pretty lost. We didnt even have a cause to get upset about. We were pissed because we were young, and the boomers taught us that young people have a right to be pissed. In fact they were the ones who started that bullshit. Then they tell us we're fucked up and lost and useless.
Assholes. They were handed a perfectly wonderful country by the war generation and they messed it all up.