Should you describe the items in work experience in your resume?

Question

I can never decide how much detail to go into on my relavent exerience type section on a resume. For example if the job title doesn't seem explicit I usually write a sentence describing what i actually did. Is this too verbose usually?

I am working on a resume for a position outside my trained field so I want to make sure the "soft skill" correlations between what I do now and what I want to do come through.

Answer 1

Writing an effective resume can be a daunting task, so I know where you're coming from. The amount of detail to include is a good question, and I hope you find this answer to be helpful.

Luckily, there are some tried-and-true rules to follow that can help you transform your résumé. Use the 10 tips below to help parlay your résumé into a winner:

1. Don't skip the small stuff. Make sure your résumé includes your name, mailing address, phone numbers, and email address — all possible ways you can be contacted. Should your résumé happen to get separated from your cover letter, a potential employer will have no way of getting in touch with you.
2. Use language that sizzles. Use active language and strong, energetic words. Avoid the use of personal pronouns such as “I” and “me.” Steer clear of buzzwords, acronyms, and industry-specific jargon. Avoid the use of phrases such as “responsibilities included” or “duties included” — employers want to hear about your accomplishments, not how well you carried out your assigned duties.
3. Get to the point. It's a smart idea to quickly capture an employer’s attention with easily digestible information. Consider beginning your résumé with a specific, highly condensed summary of your professional background, skills, and attributes. A summary also helps to give your résumé focus.
4. Edit and proofread carefully. The importance of painstakingly proofing your résumé for typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors cannot be stressed enough. Enlist several other pairs of eyes to go over it as well, preferably belonging to friends who are professional writers or editors. Having to review so many résumés can make many employers look for reasons to eliminate applicants; that first typo usually does the trick. Even small mistakes can lead a potential employer to believe that a candidate might not make a very careful or conscientious employee.
5. Customize. If you have a broad range of experience, you may want to consider having more than one résumé, each targeted to a specific industry or job.
6. Be truthful and accurate. Make sure you have not included any misleading or false information on your résumé. Chances are your “inaccuracies” will eventually be discovered, and you’ll lose all credibility with your prospective employer.
7. Name your motivation. It's important to paint a clear picture of your goals and objectives, as well as the industry or position that you are targeting. Don't make an employer guess; he or she should be able to take a quick glance at your résumé and have a good sense of what you want to do.
8. Emphasize achievements. Employers are less interested in titles and duties and more interested in previous accomplishments. The fact that you implemented cost-cutting measures that reduced your department's expenses by 15 percent is far more meaningful than simply stating you oversaw a budget. Quantify your achievements in terms of percentages, dollar amounts, or time frames to make your accomplishments more concrete.
9. Put education in the right place. If you are a recent graduate who does not yet have much work experience, make sure to put the emphasis on your education. In addition to listing the university you attended, include information on degrees earned, majors and minors, grade point average, date of program completion, and any scholarships or honors received. Once you've got several years of work experience under your belt, this education information can move to the end of the résumé.
10. Include references and portfolio. While many résumés promise references “upon request,” sometimes it's a good idea to include a list of references up front. Make sure it's a list of professional acquaintances that you trust to speak well of your skills and past accomplishments to prospective employers. You may also want to attach a portfolio of your professional-quality work to illustrate your abilities.

There are also websites which can guide you through the process:
http://www.resumeedge.com/
http://www.gotthejob.com/

For more tips or advice you can always consult the massive content of allbusiness.com:

Avoid the top 10 resume mistakes: http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/careers-resumes/1598-1.html

The top resume writing secrets:
http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/careers-resumes/1602-1.html

Answer 2

I once recommended a friend for a job. She sent my boss her resume. My boss was angry because according to her resume she couldn't do the job she applied for. But because I had worked with her before I knew that she had the experience and knowledge we were looking for. Talk about bad resume writing.

My resume is very to the point and lists the things I have done and the responsibilities.

For a job I might describe the company (sometimes this is very helpful because it details the type of experience I have had) and some of the responbilities that I had. Describing your job in terms of responsibilities often is the best way to show your true ability.

Finally I write a cover letter which emphasises the skills and abilities that directly relate to the job that I am applying for.

Some recruiters will suggest that you keep your resume short and simple, but from experience it is better to include a lot of information because when you go to interview someone, you are often left guessing about what they actually did or know from their previous jobs. If I have many suitable applicants, I might reject someone who has the right experience but hasn't it clearly.

Better to be well organised than short. If your information is clearly presented the reader will be able to find the information that they want.

Remember, one job could have 100 or more applicants, so you want to make it as easy as possible for the company to give you the job and choose you for an interview.

Answer 3

Ok for one don't write a sentence explaining what you did
I took business for my trade and the was one of the first classes they put me in resumes. My teacher explained to me that a resume should be a page no longer then a page it should also be short sweet and straight to the point. for example here is my very own personal resume::

Objective I am seeking an entry level position where I could put my skills to use.

Experience
Robert Parker

[phone]
12/06 – 02/07 7 Eleven Richmond, VA
Sales Associate
Cashier
Stock & Clean
Customer Service

Alonzo Carter
[phone]
04/06 – 01/07 Burger King Richmond, VA
Crew Member
Cashier
Drive-Thru
Cook

Leon Medley
[phone]
03/05 – 08/05 Waffle House Richmond, VA
Server
Cashier
Customer Service
Clean

Tabitha
[phone]
06/05 – 07/05 Spencer Gifts Glen Allen, VA
Salesperson
Customer Service
Cashier
Stock & Clean

Education Anticipated Graduation June 2007 Virginia Randolph Community High School Glen Allen, VA
GED & Trade
Business Trade


Skills ▪Keyboarding

▪Office Management

▪Word

▪HTML

▪Career Pathways

▪Typing (40 WPM)

▪Word Processing

▪Spreadsheet Applications

▪Data Entry

Well it didn't copy as well as i thought it would but it shows my point keep it short sweet simple and straight to the point

Hope that helps you!
GOOD LUCK ON $JOB$ HUNTING!!!!$$$

Answer 4

You should definetely list it. That is valuable experience. List it as past experience: you could say something like, while you have no past paid work experience , you have done technical support/repairs for friends, built computers and list the web sites you have worked on and the organization involved. You could split it up by 1. Technical experience: troubleshooting and technical support for friends and family - such as installing Windows, software etc... Computer repairs such as - installing hardware etc... (whatever it is you can do) and 2 - Web design: I developped websites for the following non-profit organizations using (whatever tools or skills that you used) You could finish up by saying something to the effect that you are looking forward to being able to putting you practical experience to use by working in a customer service environment blah, blah blah. Good luck to ya!

Answer 5

yes explain away,most employers own their own business because that's there expertise,so outside there realm,they dont know enough about what other jobs do or dont do.maybe half of what you leave out of the resume would have matched you for that job or maybe ten that day.jobs are hard to find,why limit your job finds by 50%.good luck