Re: Resume ...

Bill,

Remember that a resume is simply an advertisement ... whose sole
purpose is to get you an interview.  You don't have to tell your life
story there ... simply enough to get an interview.

The fact that you have 17 years of experience with one company speaks
volumes in itself ... you have had to live with your work rather than
do something and let others clean it up (you're NOT a "2 year
wonder")!

As a change to the "standard resume formats" that you might see
elsewhere, replacing the "Objective" section with a "Summary" could be
an effective way to differentiate yourself.  It would state your job
objective and provide enough supporting detail to get you an
interview.

As a one-person IT department, you probably had to be everything to
everyone.  What is most important is to know what type of position you
are seeking ... and have a customized resume for each potential type
of position that you might be seeking.  A senior programmer resume (a
do-er position) should look different than a IT manager resume (a
leader) which should look different than a CIO resume (a businessman).

If you feel that you have a LOT of information that you want to
present in writing, do it on a separate sheet and distribute it at
your interview to a technology manager (if it is appropriate).  One of
the dangers of loading up your resume with lots of "I can do this"
type of knowledge is that you might appear to be somewhat of a geek
... when they are looking for a normal person with a good blend of
business and technical skills ... and you never get the interview in
the first place.

HTH ... contact me off-list if you want to discuss this in more detail.

John

On 12/22/05, Bill Francis <bill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Question... I've been working as the only RPG programmer for the same
> company nearly 17 years now. I live in the Baltimore area and would like to
> research my job options but first need a resume.
>
> Does anyone know of a good resume format or where I could look at like
> resumes?
> I did some Google searches but it only gave me a few ideas.
>
> I've been out of the job-hunt market for so long that I'm not exactly sure
> the best way to tackle this but I did take the time to write down all my
> skills.
>
> It was shocking to see on paper just how much I know.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> -Bill