Resume Advice: I Worked as a Taxi Driver - Do I Write That in My Resume?

Recently I have been taken to work by a taxi driver who started asking me questions about the company I work for when hearing about my destination. I didn't mind and I replied and when he heard that I work in the Human Resources Department he was so happy and asked for advice about building his resume.

His question was - if I apply for the position of Help-desk Analyst should I mention that I was a taxi driver in the UK for a few months or it affects me in a negative manner? My reply was - write in your resume relevant information for the position you are applying for.

In his case, he was applying for a position requiring fluent English. I told him to mention the taxi driver position, but the emphasis should be on "UK", not on "taxi driver". We hire people speaking great English and if he mentions that he has been working in the UK, this obviously shows that he knows some English, the level needs to be determined later on, but this information will at least convince us to call him for an interview.

So, write in your resume all the information relevant for the position. If the position is that of Gardener, you have never worked before as professional gardener, but are passionate about gardening and your own garden, mention that and put less emphasis on your other positions as bartender, flight attendant or whatever. Mention those to avoid questions like "What did you do during these two years that don't appear in your resume?", but don't offer too many details.

Focus on the position requirements and offer as many details as you can on those.

For example, if you are Computer Science Graduate, work currently in Finance, but hope for a position of Software Tester, mention your studies, offer some details relevant to the position you want, and also mention all the extra training that you have done by yourself or the books you read, anything relevant showing that you are preparing for the position you want. Mention your current position only by name, time frame and compress your current responsibilities if not relevant in 1, maximum 2 lines, just to show that you are working, but that's it. They will ask if they want more information.

The purpose of the resume is to buy you an interview. If you give too much irrelevant information, chances are they won't even bother to read it. Don't lie in your resume (NEVER!!), because information can be verified, but limit the volume of irrelevant information.

Good luck and take care,
Geo

I've seen an interesting job posting on a portal, but it's 2 months old. Should I still apply?

Most job postings are valid for one month. Companies expect to find a good candidate within that time frame. If the company decided to post a two-month ad, they might have been planning their recruitment long time in advance or it's a difficult position to fill and they posted it for longer to receive as many CVs as possible.

The chances for the position to be still open are very small, but you may never know. My advice is to apply. What's the worst thing that can happen? The position being filled and the company not calling you.

Go ahead and apply. Even if the position is no longer open, they will put your CV in their database and call you first the next time they have something similar.

Good luck,
Geo

Recruitment and Selection Strategy: What Should a Resume/CV Include Mandatorily?

First of all, if you have no idea how a resume should look like, you can try this link:
http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae

It's the link to the European Euro pass resume that most employers in Europe prefer. It's a clear, easy to use file that I personally recommend.

The main information to start a resume is:
- your name (full name, no nicknames);
- your address and contact information (be careful about emails - use a professional one, not foxylady21foryou@....com unless you are applying for video chat or something); recruiters check this;
- your nationality;
- your marital status;

The last two are not mandatory, but employers may ask about nationality to see if you need a work permit.
Marital status, children, religion, sexual orientation are not mandatory to offer and the employer is forbidden by law to reject you because of any of these. It's your choice to give them this information or not. Also, they are not allowed if you are female to ask if you are pregnant or if you plan to have any children in the near future. Pregnancy tests are also forbidden.

The next section of your resume should be the Professional experience. Some resumes have the section Professional objective before that and sometimes area in which you are interested to work in, but all those are not mandatory.

Coming back to the professional experience, you should specify the name of the employer, your position, the hiring date and ending of contract date. If you still work there, you should mention only hiring date. Besides all the above you should mention your responsibilities and achievements on the job. Try to be specific and adapt them to the specifications of the position you are applying for.

All your positions should be entered in reverse chronological order - meaning your current one first, not last.

If you don't have any experience, try to find something to put there - an internship, a volunteer campaign, a project you did in a team at the University. Try not to leave this section empty. Try to show that you tried to do something.

The next section is the studies section. Please enter all your studies in reverse chronological order mentioning the name of the studies provider, the time frames and the specialty/major you graduated or you are still following.

After long term studies, enter short term courses you had - all relevant courses in reverse chronological order. Don't offer too much detail and don't insert here courses that are not relevant to the position. An employer looking for a sales agent for example can't care less that you did a landscaping course unless you are selling landscaping products. Always think about how relevant the detail you are giving is for the position you are applying for.

A large CV is not ok. No recruiter will have the time to read. Keep it under 4 pages if you have a lot of experience and under 2 if you are fresh graduate or student. The largest CV I have ever received had 14 pages, it was for an Operations Manager position, it was relevant, but huge and I read below a quarter of it. I was desperately looking for CVs for such a position. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wasted my time. So be careful.

Additional skills: write here your technical skills - software you use, foreign languages that you speak (include only Advanced and Medium level not all languages that you know how to say "Hello" in), social skills, artistic skills only if relevant. Be careful that all you write here can be tested. If you say you speak advanced French and you don't, your CV will be rejected and you may never get another chance. Be honest and evaluate yourself correctly.

Other sections in the CV:
- prizes - keep it simple if you have to add it and write ONLY relevant information. Nobody cares that you had a first price in acting in kindergarten or in pottery class;
- Driver's license or other licenses - add only if relevant to the job;
- Hobbies - include in the CV. Some recruiters consider it relevant. However, keep it simple.

Please write to me if you have any questions. I am open for discussion.
Geo