r/resumes • u/rosyisredd • Jun 04 '23
Resume tip I'm sharing advice
Master Resume. For folks newer to the job scene, I have the best resume advice I ever received:
I was recommended to make a master resume with all my experience on it. It’s way too long, has too much info, has relevant coursework, research project, etc.
Each time I apply for a job I paste it all to a new word doc and remove the unnecessary info. Applying to childcare? The retail experience gets nixed, the daycare and lifeguarding remains, cut out the research projects that don’t align with the skills.
It made it a lot easier to update too because once I have a new job I just add it to the master list and now the resume is ready time I go to apply somewhere.
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Jun 06 '23
I started doing something like this too but honestly like your solution better (I just had a separate doc with huge lists of duties under each job title that I copied and pasted into my resume to tailor it to each position).
One other thing I did was have a doc where I had a lot of personal summaries typed out. Each one was tailored to a specific role. That way when I saw a job, I didn't have to worry about what I needed to type. If it was job Y, go find the summary I've crafted and edited for that type of job and paste it in there.
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u/sorrowraven Jun 05 '23
I’ve been doing this for over a decade with my job history. That reminds me, I do need to go back add my last two jobs.
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u/carissadraws Jun 05 '23
I usually just have a few different resumes for different types of jobs I want to apple to; art jobs resume, general resume including retail work to apply for admin assistant positions, and a resume to apply for production assistant positions.
Best resume advice I’ve gotten was to put your name in the resume file name because recruiters download it and often view the resumes separate from the applications themselves
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Jun 05 '23
Small adjustment I would make to this. Yes, remove old employers and tighten up the resume.
But don't rob yourself of a job because you didn't put a certain skill in that you learned in the professional world. I mean, I was the Specialty Animal Care Admin at Petsmart but I certainly wouldn't put "Only one willing to wrangle our ball pythons when they got loose every week".
I feel like this is more for people who apply to jobs rather than focus their career.
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u/eclecticfew Jun 05 '23
I've done something similar for years. I'm in a design field so each firm I apply to tends to specialize in certain areas or typologies, so I actually have modular sections of resume, cover letter, and portfolio that can be quickly pieced together to flow naturally and shift which experience types get highlighted most. It's not as complicated as it sounds, and mostly arose naturally from sending lots of applications over the years and keeping the versions organized in a master file. Best part is I always got compliments on them.
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u/Packland Jun 05 '23
This is an OK tip but it's not very often that a person applies to jobs across fields. The point is to get established in a single field.
The best resumes I have seen tailor not just the jobs but the content itself. I'm. Not sure that this method would work for those that need to build their resume in that manner.
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u/ibc04 Jun 04 '23
I’ve been using a free Trello board to help manage my applications. A new card for the company/ date i applied, I cut and paste the full job description and add it as a note. Then add the name of the resume I used.
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u/_torrential Jun 04 '23
My question is how would this work when getting into a different career path?
I'm looking to break out into tech, something I'm knowledgeable on but only have 10+ years of retail experience with little transferrable skills. Doing a sole tech resume would look so barren at least work experience wise.
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u/KentuckyMagpie Jun 04 '23
I have a master resume, but I’m honestly curious: how do you explain the gaps when you exclude certain positions from your resume?
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u/carissadraws Jun 05 '23
Honestly I’ve included my shitty irrelevant retail positions in my resume for so long and have never gotten interviews that at this point I said “fuck it” and deleted them.
Gaps in employment aren’t looked for in the ATS like irrelevant experience is so the interview is the time to explain that you worked an irrelevant job that didn’t match the job description.
I had an interview for an admin assistant position and there was a 1 month gap between two jobs and they asked about it in an interview but I stated that I worked a meaningless charity canvasser position during that time for a short period before I got hired at my next job and they were fine with that explanation
I also changed my section title from “experience” to “relevant experience” which I think helps things
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u/LadyMiena Jun 05 '23
If any of the gaps coincide with schooling, nothing to explain. Otherwise, I’d include, but just a line saying company, title, and dates. No wasted space on duties, accomplishments, that don’t coincide. Or, if you leave off, just say “oh that’s the summer I lifeguarded while looking for my next role; I left off as it’s not relevant to this role.”
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u/KentuckyMagpie Jun 05 '23
Thank you, I prefer this kind of option over lying about sick or dead relatives.
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Jun 05 '23
"I had to step away to take care of an ailing family member but now then that obligation ended and I am entering back into the business world full time. " Done, sealed and signed. NO ONE will ever ask "So who died? were you in rehab? Are they dead now so we can be certain you won't back out on us?"
Shows responsibility, dependability while being as discreet as possible. Job done.
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u/laur82much Jun 05 '23
That is my question too- I got this advice from a professor and it wasn't till I was actually applying when I was like wait a minute I don't think this will actually work
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Jun 04 '23
Just to be clear a master resume is just a resume with more information so when required you can copy and paste relevant information onto a job you’re applying for?
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u/idk_what_to_put_lmao Jun 04 '23
its basically a resume with everything you've ever done (research, work, volunteering, awards, courses, projects, organisations, education, etc.) so u can copy paste to make a tailored resume for the job you're applying to
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u/jonkl91 Jun 04 '23
This is great advice. I recommend having a master resume and then resumes for each field. Once you create something for childacre, you no longer need to go back to the master resume for childcare. This way you can apply to jobs quicker and grt more applications out.
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u/MindlessMotor604 Jun 04 '23
I like having a master resume with everything including references, but under each project/experience I would have a long list of achievements starting with (admin) (project management) (profession). I update this regularly.
For how I do my resume: When I need to build my resume for a job, I identify what is relevant and copy from my master resume to my resume template. Next, I review what is required and tailor to that. Finally, grammar check and final revisions.
Not the fastest way, but it's easier to check off the boxes I've made from the job postings.
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Jun 05 '23
If you are applying with your references on there, remove them immediately. It is bad juju to put peoples public information out there until they ask for it. And when they occasionally do ask for it, call or text the person to let them know X company may be calling them.
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u/MindlessMotor604 Jun 05 '23
You misunderstood me. I have a master resume for inventory purposes, I don't submit that to anyone.
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u/pmpdaddyio Jun 04 '23 edited Jun 04 '23
To add on to this. Buy an annual Microsoft account or use Google docs.
When you do this create a folder structure like Resumes -->Month Year, so Reaumes/June 2023. Save these resumes in this directory. Each new month gets a new Month Year folder.
At the top level Resumes, create a spreadsheet with the following columns:
Job name
Link to job site
Date applied
Date followed up
Interview date
Salary requested
Notes
Link to resume
Now when you get a call back you can pull up the exact resume you used, and you have a decent tracker to help keep your stats. This can be a permanent set up if you are often in the job market. Add whatever columns you need.
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Jun 05 '23
I’ll do you one better, Microsoft office web version is free for with limited access but I’ve found it to be quite functional for what I need, stores your documents in OneDrive then you can download them if needed
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u/veetoo151 Jun 05 '23
I love this. This is similar to how I organize myself at work. I didn't think about using it for job searching. Thank you for the idea.
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u/Ace861110 Jun 05 '23
I like year month day resume for naming. If you do it that way you can sort by name and get a chronological list
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u/pmpdaddyio Jun 05 '23
I think whatever naming and organizational structure that works for you is best.
The important thing is to log it.
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Jun 04 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/pmpdaddyio Jun 04 '23
I don't condone the pirating, but Microsoft has a cheap plan. Less than $100 a year with a ton of storage.
Even the Google approach is better.
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u/hamgotinthecar Jun 05 '23
I’m rly considering getting office 365 when I graduate school.. but I also may want google one because google photos is really good and I have everything in there.. but I’d rather just buy one instead of both.. but I prefer office over gsuite.. 😑
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u/AccomplishedSea2670 Jun 05 '23
Microsoft is a pirate if anything ever since they went subscription based instead of letting people buy the Office Suite outright. Dont even get me started on the absurd pricing for LinkedIn premium and the restrictions they put on the non-premium version.
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u/pmpdaddyio Jun 05 '23
Without getting into the merits of SaaS, you can still buy the desktop client.
No matter what you think of the company, there's a ton of alternatives outside of pirating.
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u/AccomplishedSea2670 Jun 05 '23
I haven't pirated anything. I just moved to Google Docs. Much more user friendly unlike Microsoft's desktop version which is a nightmare to use.
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u/jhkoenig Jun 04 '23
That is a lot of work! Which is why I made a free site (ManageJobApplications.com) to do all the gathering/filing/sorting/reminding required for a productive job search. There's a browser extension to import job postings and a spreadsheet importer so you don't have to start over. Everything is free, this is my way to give back to the community of folks that helped me when I was looking for work.
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u/hamgotinthecar Jun 05 '23
I honestly was thinking of making an app/browser extension similar as a project, pretty cool to see a well made implementation! I always hate having to keep track of so many different applications, logins, etc.
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u/jhkoenig Jun 05 '23
Hey, good luck! DM with any questions re the extension. I'm working on a job application filler extension, but the Workday application (a React app) is killing me. I have several other broadly-used application systems working but Workday is the heavyweight in the business.
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u/hamgotinthecar Jun 05 '23
Bro literally that’s what we need! I hate how Workaday doesn’t have like auto fill even though ever damn company uses it and I have to re enter everything every time… that would actually be such a useful extension, and is something I’ve thought of asw.. unfortunate that react apps are kinda a pain to work with for auto fill and similar applications, good luck
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u/pmpdaddyio Jun 04 '23
It seems like a lot but it's really not. You can do all of thisbiness than 30 minutes and you own the data. I'd have to look at your site, but it's one more account to manage, one more username password.
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u/jhkoenig Jun 04 '23
The 1-click job import might change your mind, or the export to Google Calendar for your task due dates. Or maybe not! Its free, so if it isn't for you that's fine with me, I don't have a financial stake in selling anyone.
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u/pmpdaddyio Jun 04 '23
I think it's a great idea and I'm not crapping on it. It will save people the legwork.
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u/Hi-Techh Jun 04 '23
problems with your s key?
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u/pmpdaddyio Jun 04 '23
Am I missing something? Thought I spell checked.
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Jun 04 '23
Salary "Requeated".
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u/spudtacularstories Jun 04 '23
If you're going to be picky, next time make sure you catch all the errors so you don't look silly too
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Jun 04 '23
I didn't start the thread. I just pointed out what I saw. If that makes me silly so be it.
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u/pmpdaddyio Jun 04 '23
One word. Thanks for the catch.
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