i haven't written a resume in 5 years and don't have all the dates,will that matter & any general resume tips?

Answer 1

You don't need exact dates, but you should have the years. Come as close as you can, because the time periods are important. If they're not on there, the interviewer will ask and you'll be stumped over something silly in the interview.

Effective resumes convey a good deal of quality information in an abbreviated space - one to two pages. The prospective employer can and will scrutinize everything because it's not a lot of information to process.

Be sure you know what you want the resume to say about you, and stay on track. In other words, don't write a resume suitable for a Business Analyst if you're after a position as an Accountant.

Never lie on your resume - getting caught or any doubt on the part of the interviewer is equivalent to throwing away the opportunity to get hired with both hands. Place emphasis on the skills and experience that are in line with your career objectives, but do not lie - under any circumstances.

Arrange your resume with the most significant and/or relevant components up top and gradually work your way down to the less important or relevant stuff. Students with litle-to-no work experience should put education up top, while professionals who are mid-career should begin with thei skills and experience or accomplishments.

No personal information on your resume. They don't care if you have a hobby, and you should not volunteer any personal details about yourself. It's not even legal to inquire about a candidates personal beliefs, marital status, etc., so do not put it on your resume.

Ensure the information you provide is meaningful and conveys something to its reader, but stay away from filler. Use quantitative terms wherever you can - sounds better than vague, ambiguous or relative terms.

Of course, make sure all your preferred contact information is on the resume somewhere, and I prefer not to include references on the resume. They can ask me for references if the resume piques their interest.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I fyou can remember the general months, and even just the years, it shouldn't matter that much. A resume is a sales tool, not a legal document. It really only needs to highlight your skills and experience.

That said, you might need to have better info to fill out a job application, but your resume has gotten you through the door at that point, and if the jobs are sufficiently in the past (more than 10 years) they understand the dates may be fuzzy.

Answer 3

Go to the library and check out a recent book on resume writing. Things have changed in 5 years...

Answer 4

Employers don't give a lick about that kind of resume. It doesn't catch thier attentions. You need to write your resume as if you're giving them a short to-the-point autobiography; in other words, tell them what you know that interests them and offer some contacts they can use to back up your story. After that it's up to how convincing you are in the interview. Just don't worry about all the dates... well, unless doing so has something to do with what you'll be required to do on the job, of course.

Answer 5

As a contractor i have learnt not to put a date down on CV. This way you only have to put in the relevant jobs and people can't see that there is a date or year missing doing something irrelevant to the job applied for.

Answer 6

The dates you started and finished a job HAVE to be EXACT for your CV/Resume to be taken seriously. If you can NOT provide this information do NOT bother applying for any new jobs.

Answer 7

You need to have a basic idea at least, esp when it comes to any interviews. You can get some pretty pedantic interviewers and if you start umming and ahhing about that you might as well not have bothered turning up - and yes i have been there!

Answer 8

1) Be as accurate as possible
2) Dont lie ever!
3) Show the skills u have learnt in all the jobs u have done :)
4) Be honest and straightforward :)

These are all I cud think of, all the best :)

Answer 9

if you don't have the dates, at least write down the years. if you're sketchy on those then just guess to the best of your knowledge. 5 years shouldn't be that hard to remember. as long as you can get close then it'll be fine.

Answer 10

Happened to me, memory lapse.....I called the previous employers and they were more than happy to provide me with my exact dates of service, even offered to write a letter on my performance.