SE's ... two-page resumes?

[Thanks for comin' out]

I'm sure this probably gets posted with some regularity, but here goes...

Yes, I understand that most people MUCH more qualified than I can fit everything on one page. But as someone trying to land their first job... with multiple internships, EIC of school paper and stringing opportunities starting in high school, leaving anything out seems like it defeats the purpose of doing any of that to begin with. Obviously, as you get full-time positions, those things do become less relevant.
So besides the normal quality snide remarks that come with any topic ever posted on this board, I was hoping some SE's could give me an opinion on receiving two-page resumes.

Thanks.

 

[Alma]

Not an SE, but, believe me, I know jobs. Not going to elaborate on how, just do.

My advice is this: Relax. Your clips are part of your resume. Those are gonna say: Here's what I've done. What possibly can be put on a resume that's going to take two pages? SEs don't need to have their intelligence insulted. If you've worked at a few places, and you're looking for a reasonably entry level job, that's more or less enough. Contrary to what some people will tell you, most places are not looking for the next Selena Roberts.

Job hunting is really about this: Are you willing to move? Are you willing to get low pay? Are you willing to be flexible? Many of the people on here are great, wonderful folks, but they want to work in a specific area. They toil in that area, maybe get a break, maybe not.

 

[Thanks for comin' out]

Yea, that's a good point.

Although it's probably stupid, It's like your editor asking you to cut 6 inches off your own story. You know what you've done, but it's hard to leave stuff out.

 

[e4]

i'm not an SE, but resumes should highlight your experience, not detail it ... people want to see where you've been and what you've done at a glance, so don't confuse them, and don't make them search... your resume should be a snapshot of your experience, the hook that gets editors reading your clips

i faced this problem recently because i'm barely out of school but have nearly six years experience so i broke my experience down two ways:

editorial newsroom experience....

under this heading i listed my internships, my entry level job(s), the leadership role on the school newspaper; anything of substance that deserved a two-line description; it's the kind of stuff where i was getting a lot of hands-on experience and guidance from other people

then there was freelance/writing experience.....

i just listed the publications and a very, very brief description. it's important to have this kind of work, but it's not the golden ticket to your dream job; it just means you have a headstart on everyone else who wants the same thing; plus editors know what freelancing entails, so call it what it is and you'll look more professional and knowledgeable about the profession.

mess around with the spacing between lines if necessary, and use 10 point font; there's no reason you shouldn't be able to fit it on one page one way or another

 

[Thanks for comin' out]

I'm the exact same way.. I'm in my last year of school with six years experience so the way you break those down helps... Right now, i had it broken into internships, freelance... then really nowhere for school paper stuff...

b

 

[Chi City 81]

I broke mine down like this (in this order): Professional experience, Awards, Education and Skills (what types of programs I know how to use). It's a page-and-a-half.

 

[awriter]

I'm sure this probably gets posted with some regularity, but here goes...

Yes, I understand that most people MUCH more qualified than I can fit everything on one page. But as someone trying to land their first job... with multiple internships, EIC of school paper and stringing opportunities starting in high school, leaving anything out seems like it defeats the purpose of doing any of that to begin with. Obviously, as you get full-time positions, those things do become less relevant.
So besides the normal quality snide remarks that come with any topic ever posted on this board, I was hoping some SE's could give me an opinion on receiving two-page resumes.

Thanks.

A resume is like an info box highlighting your experience, not a takeout. It needs to be tight, and that means keeping it to a page. If you were an editor, would you want to wade through a long resume in addition to a cover letter and clips? Or would you think this person doesn't know how to self-edit?

 

[Dessens71]

This might sound like a rhetorical question, but it's probably not.
What kind of an asshole sports editor says, "This resume is a page and half. I can't wade through all this crap. Screw this guy?"

 

[MC Sports Guy]

I'm an SE, and it really doesn't matter how long the resume is. I had a resume that was two pages, but this person listed every job he'd ever had, including shit like McDonald's. Who cares about that?

The clips are really the most important thing. Obviously the content of the resume is crucial, but clips have a way of separating good applicants from subpar ones.

 

[awriter]

This might sound like a rhetorical question, but it's probably not.
What kind of an asshole sports editor says, "This resume is a page and half. I can't wade through all this crap. Screw this guy?"

I would guess more than a few "asshole" editors. If you're listing every job, including shit like McDonald's, then it may raise questions about your judgment and ability to self-edit. Are you going to stretch what should be 20-inch stories into 40-inch opuses because you can't decipher what is and isn't important?

 

[Gold]

I'm not an SE, but you need to be able to fit things on one page. If the most important reasons for hiring you aren't on the top half of the first page, whomever gets the resume isn't going to read to the bottom of the first page or the second page.

The resume is probably the third-most important thing in a job application. I would say the cover letter would be the most important, and then the clips. The cover letter has to be specific to the individual situation. That might be the most important thing because an editor can make clips look better and resumes can be done according to a format. If there were spelling or grammatical errors, it would most likely be in the cover letter.

 

[brettwatson]

I am an SE who receives lots of resumes. One page is ample. I rarely make it to the second page, particularly if I am not specifically looking to fill an opening. And the number of mass mailings I get is large enough to prevent me from scouring through each of them all the way to tne end.
Two or three clips is ample too on a cold call; more are certainly welcome if you are actually applying for a real opening.
And I'll let a little secret out of the SE bag. Some of us keep resumes filed by group; one for white males, one for minority males (if it can be discerned) and another for females.
I'll let you guess which one we keep on top.