# Resume help



## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Keep in mind that it will only be looked at very quickly! 

Anything brag-worthy right at the top (high grades, etc.) 

Be concise, be businesslike, 
Well written, easy to read, avoid abbreviations, no spelling or grammatical errors, etc. 

Include other work experience, even if it is not directly relevant, it has value.


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

What did you do in school?

Any hands on training, maybe add wording like proficient with....



If you paid/paying for this training, do they not have job placement?

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## Tonedeaf (Nov 26, 2012)

Empathize your looking for an entry level position...and are looking to gain experience.

don't be too selective...you really need experience so you may have grin and bear a few terrible jobs before you land somewhere long term. Look at the terrible jobs as building your resume.

Make sure you pee is clean....our biggest issue when hiring is the drug test....we actually had to stop testing....we were firing too many people.....we switched to don't ask don't tell.


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## eddy current (Feb 28, 2009)

Any construction experience? No worries if not. Any work experience will look good. Now a days getting a young person to show up every day is difficult so if you had any job for a decent amount of time it will be good on your resume.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Just using your apprenticeship schooling should be all you need.
Be honest and get to the point. As someone already said. Make it short and accurate.

Good luck. Make sure to let us know how it goes.


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## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

trentonmakes said:


> What did you do in school?
> 
> Any hands on training, maybe add wording like proficient with....
> 
> ...


they have references but no, no job placement. There's a ton of employers looking, I'm just trying to get an edge up to have the best chance I can :smile:


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## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

John Valdes said:


> Just using your apprenticeship schooling should be all you need.
> Be honest and get to the point. As someone already said. Make it short and accurate.
> 
> Good luck. Make sure to let us know how it goes.


I sent over my resume tonight after an employer asked, they're a big company doing industrial work in a lot of big buildings, I'll let you guys know if I hear back :smile:


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## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

Tonedeaf said:


> Empathize your looking for an entry level position...and are looking to gain experience.
> 
> don't be too selective...you really need experience so you may have grin and bear a few terrible jobs before you land somewhere long term. Look at the terrible jobs as building your resume.
> 
> Make sure you pee is clean....our biggest issue when hiring is the drug test....we actually had to stop testing....we were firing too many people.....we switched to don't ask don't tell.


I don't drink at all (maybe twice a year) and don't do drugs at all, so I'm not worried on that front at all. The whole drug policy is a bit more lax now since weed is legal, but as I said, I'm not worried either way.


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## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

eddy current said:


> Any construction experience? No worries if not. Any work experience will look good. Now a days getting a young person to show up every day is difficult so if you had any job for a decent amount of time it will be good on your resume.


Yeah my last job before school which I still work for a bit was for 5 years, and my current one is going on two years now, so as for reliability my job history shows it. 

I don't have any construction experience other than school.
I posted in a Quebec Electrician facebook group and I surprisingly got A LOT of people asking for a resume or for me to call them, so this should actually be quite a bit more straight forward than I thought it was going to be.


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## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

splatz said:


> Keep in mind that it will only be looked at very quickly!
> 
> Anything brag-worthy right at the top (high grades, etc.)
> 
> ...


I sadly can't even include high grades, there's a few tests I know I got 100% or nearly, but they actually can't give us our grade directly, it's either a pass or a fail and that's all we know (wacky, I know)


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## jelhill (Nov 11, 2018)

splatz said:


> Keep in mind that it will only be looked at very quickly!
> 
> Anything brag-worthy right at the top (high grades, etc.)
> 
> ...


Be persistent with your follow ups. In the past when I had a big pile of resumes and was tired of reading them I would call the ones in for an interview who bugged me the most because they showed initiative and moxie.


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## SummitElectric1 (Aug 8, 2016)

I agree with the advice offered by many others here...

Keep your resume concise. Nobody with a stack of resumes on their desk wants to read a novel. Stick with the highlights and save the details for an interview.

Include a cover letter even if it's not requested. This should be brief and tailored to the specific job that you are applying for. A few sentences of what you have to offer in that position, what your goals would be with that company, and that you are eager to proceed to the next step in the interview process.

List your work experience even if it is not construction-related. A prospective candidate that has actually held a job for 5 years and another job for 2 years would merit a closer look no matter what kind of jobs those were. 

Be persistent and follow up at every step. If you know the name (and email address) of the person who will be reading your resume send them a brief note to thank them for taking the time to review your resume. 

After an interview (either in person or telephone) be sure to follow up with another thank you note. A handwritten thank you letter will stand apart from the crowd at this point.

Best of luck with your job search!


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Hobbies and interests are at the bottom of a lot of entry level resumes, most people remove that by the time they get something else to fill the page. 

For a woman entering the trades, I don't think it would hurt if you could put something down there that shows you're not a stranger to physical work and getting their hands dirty - backpacking, lifting weights, anything like that.


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

I culled through >100 resumes in the past 45 days and probably 3,000 resumes in my life.

I agree with a cover letter. It stands out.

Say nice things but don't blow smoke. Last thing I want is to start reading the same canned opening 90% of people find on the internet "I want to work for a glorious company such as yours where my full potential can ..."

I'd rather read how it's been your lifetime dream to work for my company and now the opportunity presents. Mention everything you've done to make it happen starting way back, getting into school at the first opportunity, early to school and staying late, doing extra work above and beyond the minimum required, all those things every employer wants in their workforce, helping others (list some volunteer work).

AND IF YOUR PARENTS WERE ON DRUGS AND NAMED YOU SOMETHING NOBODY CAN PRONOUNCE, CHANGE YOUR NAME. IF I CAN'T PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME IN MY HEAD, THAT RESUME IS DONE (unless something else stands out, but I don't know if that's ever happened).

The name "Martine" is very nice BTW. I typed that previous paragraph for the benefit of someone else who may come along. Many people I have discussed this matter with agree. In business it is paramount to get someone's name correct. A typo or mispronounciation is insulting. I don't want to hire someone who's going to bring problems to the job before they even start. Give me 100 resumes with 15 named Sally Jones and 85 named Horokorokakakakasomaka Trinkledinkadorkentail-Smith and which ones do you think I want to give more consideration to?


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## jelhill (Nov 11, 2018)

SummitElectric1 said:


> I agree with the advice offered by many others here...
> 
> Keep your resume concise. Nobody with a stack of resumes on their desk wants to read a novel. Stick with the highlights and save the details for an interview.
> 
> ...



Excellent advice!


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## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

SummitElectric1 said:


> I agree with the advice offered by many others here...
> 
> Keep your resume concise. Nobody with a stack of resumes on their desk wants to read a novel. Stick with the highlights and save the details for an interview.
> 
> ...


This is fantastic advice, thank you!

I'll include a cover letter for the future resumes I'm going to be sending out, you're absolutely right!


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## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

splatz said:


> Hobbies and interests are at the bottom of a lot of entry level resumes, most people remove that by the time they get something else to fill the page.
> 
> For a woman entering the trades, I don't think it would hurt if you could put something down there that shows you're not a stranger to physical work and getting their hands dirty - backpacking, lifting weights, anything like that.


I just wasn't sure if the whole hobbies line in the resume thing was for highschool students. My hobbies actually are weightlifting, fishing and hiking so that works out well.:glasses:


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

splatz said:


> Hobbies and interests are at the bottom of a lot of entry level resumes, most people remove that by the time they get something else to fill the page.
> 
> *For a woman entering the trades, I don't think it would hurt if you could put something down there that shows you're not a stranger to physical work and getting their hands dirty - *backpacking, lifting weights, anything like that.


She can build the bestest double decker sandwich and mixes her meatloaf withput those silly latex gloves!

Lol



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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

On a serious note...

Read what they are asking for in thier ad and try to apply that to your resume.

Nomenclature is also good.

If you wired an outlet in school, maybe throw in,
Proficient with terminating fixtures and devices....

Words you use are almost as important as your experience.

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