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This resume was submitted by an actual jobseeker and is reprinted with
permission. Names and other identifiers have been changed. The critique is
provided by myjobsearch.com, publishers of the largest directory of online
career resources and experts in online job-search. The resume is printed in
text format; comments on the resume are separated by two lines of asterisks.
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Thomas E. Ford
1984 Truman Ave.
Nixon, Washington
(425)555-1212
Education
Hoboken High School
Hoboken, NJ- Graduated in the Top 100 in a class of 1200 GPA 3.4 - 1958-1960
University of Miami
Coral Gabels, Fl.- Graduated 15th in a class of 645, BA in Business Admin,
Accounting Major, GPA 3.6 - 1960-1964
Pennsylvania Teacher College
Pittsburgh, Pa.- Graduated 7th in a class of 60, MA in Business Admin, GPA
3.7- 1975-1977
Accreditations
Certified as a Certified Public Accountant in 1969- New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Delaware and Florida
Continued Education
Continued education in Business Strategies at Seattle State College
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Tom is an accountant and he looks at his resume in straight columns and
rows. He is under the mistaken assumption that since his education came
before his experience that he should list it first. Tom has a great deal of
experience that should be listed before his education. The first rule of
effective resumes is to put the most important information first. What Tom
has done here has caused a few problems. First, he lacks a stated position
he is seeking. This should not be an "objective statement". It should be a
specific title like "Chief Financial Officer". Second, by indicating dates
of his education Tom is showing his age and opening himself up to immediate
age discrimination. Third, education should be listed in reverse
chronological order with the highest attainment listed first. It is not
necessary to list high school if college has been completed. Fourth, Tom's
"continued education" should be included with his other academic references.
Finally, notice that Tom is a CPA in 4 states. This information is buried in
his education but is highly relevant to his target. He needs to make it more
prominent.
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Professional Experience
Madison Foods
Seattle, Washington
8/97 to present
CFO- Fiduciary responsibility of the financial condition of the company.
Monthly financials for 5 businesses, comparative analysis of arenas and
combined finances. Financial analysis for cost control, income tax
responsibility for auditors, contract negotiations.
Salary- 50K
The Great Widget Corporation
Spokane-Tacoma, Washington
6/96-7/97
CFO- Duties consisted of financial operations, federal and state reporting,
banking relations, computer modeling, project planning, budget analysis.
Salary- 43K
Tower Drug Company
Kent, Washington
7/93-6/96
General Manager- Duties consisted of all accounting controls, general
ledger, bank relations, financial statements, GAAP reporting, budget
analysis, security measures, project control monitoring.
Salary- 37K
We-B-Studs Construction Company
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4/89-6/93
Controller- Duties consisted of all accounting controls in a construction
business, percent of completion analysis, general ledger, bank relations,
financial statements, budget analysis, project cost monitoring
Salary- 30K+
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Tom has made some critical errors in listing his experience:
-What he did is far more impressive than the companies for whom he worked.
Why list the companies first? Tom's job titles should be a headline
statement about what Tom has accomplished and what he can do. Tom did a good
job in describing his job duties but failed to mention any accomplishments.
Employers are not interested in knowing about past job requirements. They
are most interested in what kind of results that were obtained. The use of
numbers, awards and special recognition highlight success behind the job
titles.
-Tom obviously has an employment history greater than what he shows on this
resume. It is perfectly acceptable to go back only ten years, especially if
his experience and accomplishments in that time frame are relevant to his
job target.
-Tom has made a major mistake in listing previous salaries on his resume.
NEVER list a salary on a resume. All that can do is hurt you. What were your
initial impressions about Tom when you saw how much he made at his last job?
His salary seems a bit low for the typical CFO and that causes one to
question Tom's competency. The result of putting a salary on a resume is
usually raised doubts and lower salaried job offers.
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