How much is white space these days?

I remember my boss and I going through applications, and pretty much the ones that did something nice, had excellent typography, good paper etc, were the ones with some spark. Which you have to have as a graphic designer, since presentation IS everything (shiny glint off white teeth)

You should do a cover letter that is general enough so you can change only one paragraph to tailor it to any resume you send.

You want a paragraph that reviews you overall qualifications and sums up your resume in three or four sentences. Hard to do but a lot of people won't and again this saves the reader time who can see that they want to speak with you further or that you meet their initial qualifications.

I included salary history and references at the end of my cover letter. It saves them from a follow up contact asking for it, which for someone busy or lazy, it should be easier to at least give me an interview.

I also make sure it's less than a page.

Also remember what a resume is for, to get you a job interview. A good cover letter should get your resume in the interview stack.
[Edited 1/19/09 12:55pm]

You must have worked with some self-centred assholes

that's a pretty strong statement.

it's simply an industry with it's own rules.
if you can't put together a nice resume, how can you do the job?
you know what we do, right? we make people look professional, we communicate their message and "brand". We have to be able to present ourselves too.

It wasn't meant to be nasty but how can you know if a person is the right person to work with you (not just that they can do the job) if all you are judging them on is presentation alone. I was implying that if you employ people on their ability to do a very specific job only, you are bound to employ a few arseholes (who rightly/or wrongly think that presentation is EVERYTHING).

I realise that
if their creds matched the job, then they got an interview - but if their folio was not up to scratch, doesn't matter how nice they were, what great team players they were - if they can't do the work, they don't get the job.

Steve, I am only speaking for my industry and perhaps a few other creative industries where this is relevant. What you are saying is right for all other jobs, but doesn't apply to this one.
If I saw a resume of a graphic designer, that had no design sense, I would be like why don't they use the resume to give a good first impression - here is a great opportunity to give a taste of their abilities and style.

and WHO can tell from a resume if someone is an arsehole or not that's what the interview is for

I think formatting is everything. Play around with different resume formats and see which receives the most responses. Also, I would suggest leaving educational info off, if you have more relevant job info to include. No need in including the fact that you have a Bachelor's AND a high school diploma They can assume that you ATLEAST have that or a GED.

Also, if you are looking for a position as an Engineer or whatever, don't add the "waitress" gig on you resume. They don't need to know that


Oh, and have great "references upon request"


Smooches;)
[Edited 1/19/09 14:31pm]

In that case, I bet you interviewed some self-centred arseholes then.

I am way out of my workplace comfort zone but isn't what you are describing a protfolio, wouldn't that acompany an resume?

yes you are
these days it would be online probably!
back in the day it was a big black folder with plastic pocket inserts showcasing work, which you showed during the interview.
I wouldn't think there were more arseholes in my industry than yours.

I think I will stick to geeks. I just posted a job ad too, so I have to go through the whole process over the next few weeks. I hate interviewing. I like to short list as few as possible so I have less people to phone and disapoint. Hence, an all singing and dancing (yet concise) CV.

yes you are
these days it would be online probably!
back in the day it was a big black folder with plastic pocket inserts showcasing work, which you showed during the interview.
I wouldn't think there were more arseholes in my industry than yours.

if you are a graphic designer, your resume needs to be pretty goddamn stylish. I bound mine like a square book. I got 4 jobs with it sending it out to places (who weren't seeking any new employees) within 5km of my house, and I only needed one job!

Like one of my old college professors told me, "less is more", "when in doubt, leave it out"..

And for goodness sake, make sure there are no spelling errors. You wouldn't believe some of the shit resumes(and presentations) me & my co-workers saw when looking for new graphic designers. WTF is going on at some of these schools?