I don’t have any special knowledge. Seems like you’ve done your homework. How much better could a $200 resume be?

I wish you well on your job search and hope you find something you really like.

Awe, I’m sorry and I hope you’re able to find something fairly soon. Before investing any money into it, why not see what you can find online as far as trends go, styles, key words, you know, the normal do’s and don’t’s. There’s so much information out there that it seems silly to pay someone. Besides, you have lots of folks here who can help if you have questions.

I say write it yourself. This is my take: 1) ONE page no more on good paper, not typewriter paper, with your name & address in the header 2) Provide an introductory cover letter 3) Attach references 4) Highlight the 1st line in bold black for each job mentioned. 1 line for place of employment, 1 line for job description, 1 line for reason your leaving(keep it to 3 lines) 5) If there are any time lapses between jobs provide the reason in the cover letter. ie: Elder care for mom for 2 yrs.

When IBM sold us & shut us down...they had resume writing classes & counseling/likened losing a job to a death in the family.

Working in high tech I went through 4 plant closures/buy outs. You'll be fine, I know your a quality individual and you may find this change is a blessing.

Also.....for most people, this is "not" a good time to spend money. It may take a month to find a job & 2 weeks to get your 1st pay check.

PK, do you live anywhere near a college or university? Their libraries would be a wealth of information, but so would almost any library. Of course, you will find a great deal of modern information on line with the right kind of search.

The format of successful resume writing has changed. For example, that old one page rule is a thing of the past.....unless a person simply has very little experience.

You should be able to find lots of examples on line so that you can look at how others have expressed their personality while sticking to the important stuff. Of course, expect to be asked to submit a digital resume.

I would never pay to have someone write my resume.

So sorry, to hear this.

Just my opinion, watching my youngest send out hers. Elmer, I politely disagree.

There are certain words to include, and each is specific to your field. An expert can help you rewrite in a way that it will at least be seen and reviewed, not passed over and totally ignored..

What to include, how long it is etc. is different in each field.

I wouldn't use an online service.

Start asking around for recommendations for an actual person.

I'm rooting for you.

PK don’t pay a service. Ask your company if they will pay for outplacement counseling. They usually have somebody to help you write/rewrite resume. I agree w/Elmer that one page full of action words is best. Remember that HR people read resumes day in and day out so storybook resumes are no bueno.

Avoid “In the beginning....” type statements. And exclude jobs back in 1965 when you managed an ice cream parlor. Who cares.

also action words. I created, I directed, I built, I supervised, I negotiated, i developed, etc. instead of I was head of or I was in charge of—too nebulous

PS: not too many I, I, I. Include “Organized a team to find solution to XYZ” so they recognize you as team player.

Good suggestions, Bossy. My friend worked for several years as a contractor to help laid off people find jobs.

Once you get it written, PK--have a couple other people read it for consistency in formatting, spelling, etc.

Thank you all for your suggestions!

The resume is long (3 pages) and includes relevant employment but I've been in the industry for a long time, so there are 5 jobs over a 25 year span (including one brief mistake of 6 months where office politics cost me my job). I need to weed out some of the proficiencies that are no longer used, old software and operating systems. I do need to focus on positive action words and shorten it a bit.

I have to admit that because of my age (60), I am nervous about competing with the young ones fresh out of school.Hopefully my maturity and proven track record will make up for my darned neck wrinkles.

My manager and I will be critiquing each other's resumes over lunches. We are both in the same boat except we are seeking different sorts of jobs and are both looking to spiff up the old resume. We are quite close so we support each other in this new chapter. For that, I am very fortunate.

PK dont be nervous. Good companies are DESPERATE for good workers and experienced, mature is a Godsend.

Shorten the resume. in the age of tweets, short is a must. exclude your proficiency W/Commodore 64 (ha)

best of luck

I'd be happy to review it if you'd like. I've written a lot of resumes and they work well for me.

I just may take you up on that offer Chi! I haven't begun to work on it yet though.

Depends on your career path how short resumes should be. In the sciences, they appreciate more in depth competencies. I was on the interview panel a few times, and none of the resumes were shorter than two pages (unless the person was just out of college). Most averaged about two pages, with perhaps, if the person published a lot, a list of peer-reviewed journal articles that might go on a couple more pages.

Maybe science or medical people don't bother with Twitter.

But yes, cut the outdated software expertise, streamline how you word things, just give the basics for your college years. Skip the high school all together, even if you were valedictorian. Emphasize both teamwork and initiative, and avoid the passive voice.

Resumes now are typically submitted electronically and weeded out by a software tool before they even get to a human. Therefore, you must use certain words to get it through that software. Also, make sure that your resume is formatted correctly for electronic submission (NOT just that it looks good to you when you print it or send it to yourself), otherwise it could turn to gobble-d-goop when it's received into their system.

These things are imperative in order to even have your resume considered.

Since I've basically only had two employers since 1985, I combined all my jobs into paragraphs, showing how I worked my way up the ranks. To shorten it. It also shows that I'll stick to it, since the initial heading will show a long time span. Like this:

GardenWeb 2004-present, with the body of the paragraph showing the breakdown: Composed and proofread posts (thread poster 2004-2007), scrolled posts and went to other pages (page seeker 2007-2012), etc.

If that helps any?

Suzi... interesting about that software tool... it blows. We'd get resumes that had no bearing whatsoever on the job at hand, and miss out on things we'd wanted to get, that we only found out about later because someone knew someone who knew someone....

This brings me to another point.

Don't rely on references UNLESS your reference knows, or works for, or directly interacts with the company (or position person) you are applying to. References otherwise will only be checked at the end, maybe. Do include them as it is expected, but... your references in this litigatious society are not going to say anything bad... and companies hiring know this. They'll probably check, but at the end. However, having a reference with their foot already in the door is a positive. (They WILL check to see if your college degree really happened, and that it is not a paper mill, and if you were really employed everywhere you said you were.)

But once your resume gets through the software tool or tools (follow any application formats requested), humans will read your resume. They really do want to fill that position! You may even be looking at a small-enough company that they don't spend the wads of moolah on bringing on the software tool that pre-sorts resumes, ineffectively. Some have gotten savvy to the weaknesses inherent in those tools.

But be aware that at the very least, many or most of your resumes will be sent electronically, so make sure that it is Word-presentable, too. Most places will require PDFs so that the document is not easily altered.

(BTW, the software I referred to is referred to as ATS, Applicant Tracking Software ... or System .... can't remember). It's not a brand name, it's a type of software.

Definitely update, and I think Nicole has some good points. Make it to the point. List your specialties. Only more recent and relevant past job history.

Best of luck to you! And glad to see you again!

Raven, this is an old thread that got bounced back up by the comment above yours.