Maximum PC

Well, I recently got rid of all my craptastic quality P2P music, and all my terribly ripped movie collection. Hell, I reformatted my harddrive too. Unfortunately, I forgot to back-up my resume. It sucked anyhow.

Needless to say, I'm working on a new one as we speak, but I'm absolutely clueless as to how to go about it. Here are my questions.

I'm a HS dropout, but I got my GED. Do I make mention of this?

I'm planning on starting college soon, but I'm not sure which one. I don't need help deciding. I'm moving and I'm not totally positive which place yet. Yes, still in Michigan (sigh).

I'm looking for IT work, but I have no professional experience. I've done the on-site PC tech thing on the side while I've been making a living working nights at a grocery store. I've heard it's not good to mention irrelevant jobs. Should I tell an IT manager I'm working at VG's Food Center?

I don't have any certs, but I'm working on a CCNA. Do I mention that I'm working on it?

I've also heard that students shouldn't put an objective in their resume since it's assumed that they have little-to-no work expereince anyhow. What parts should or shouldn't be included in my resume?

Lastly, should I just wait until I have more to add to a resume? I'm much better in person

does that make you look better to an emlpoyer? yes? then it goes on your resume. try not to exceed 1-2 pages, 'cause managers don't like reading long-winded resumees about your life. and yes, you should say that you are in fact working, and have been since blah time (the fact that you're currently working looks good)

and if you've held jobs for a while also looks good.

remember, you're selling yourself to an employer, so look as good as you can. "will this guy be a good investment? or will he just waste my time? is this guy gunna be fired 2 weeks after i hire him?"

I disagree with Denis. Don't put things that you haven't achieved yet on your resume ... it looks silly. However, by all means, put this in your cover letter.

An objective is a good idea ... IF your objective matches the job. Saying that you are interested in a career in database administration will not help you land a job as a graphic designer and it will tell the employer that you aren't interested in staying there a long time.

You should mention your highest level of education ... high school, in this case ... provided it doesn't make you seem underqualified. They don't need to know that you got your GED rather than getting through HS the 'normal' way, but don't lie if asked. You will be caught and you will be fired. Not fun.

Finally .. and most importantly .. do not create 'A' single resume. That is, your resume can and should be different for every job. I have a 12-page document that lists all of my education, work experience, scholarships, publications, awards, patents, etc. ... I create a new resume from this huge source file that is tailored to the job to which I am applying.

Since you're just starting, your resume won't be nearly as big .. but it important to start the process of collecting all of the information that you can use to sell yourself to an employer.

Finally .. don't overlook your cover letter. It is as important in attracting an employer's attention as your resume.

Thanks for correcting me, Jip. I really don't wanna give wrong information on something this important. that sounds like good advise...

Not so much a correction as a disagreement / differing opinion.

Different employers have different standards, so what works for one job may not work for another. Makes life difficult.

That's some great info Jip, thank you. I definitely like the info about tailoring the resume for the job. That's a good tip. Prior to losing my resume, I had one that I would give for non-IT jobs, like when I was applying at Waste Management (horrible job, but they pay pretty well for getting dirty). I also had one that was for DST/Helpdesk type jobs, and another for Jr. SysAdmin positions. Too bad it hasn't helped yet.

Thanks for your input Denis and Jip. I'm kinda looking for a job now, but I'll definitely be passing my resume(s) around after some college time, and my CCNA. I'm sure that should make me much more marketable.

The basic rules of thumb are put only relevant jobs on your resume. For example, there is no need to put down you work at a grocery store unless you are setting up their network while packing bags or working as a butcher.

What I would put is a freelance Technical Support Specialist; just a regular resume list the years (e.g.) 1988 - 2006. You will also want to list what you have been doing. If the employer asks whom you worked for make sure you can supply some sort of client list. For example your resume may want to look like this:

*Diagnose and resolved hardware, software, network issues for a multitude of clients.
*Troubleshoot XP, Vista, MAC, and Linux for system conflicts.

If you have not worked any other positions relating to IT that is ok as long as it does not look like a large gap in employment history.

1-2 pages is best. If you have been working for 25 years I guess 2-3 pages but employers really don't want to read a book where learning about you.

Another rule of thumb: don't resurrect threads that have been dead and buried for 2 months.

Hey, sometimes you're just going through the list of messages and don't notice how old they are.

Yep .. I know .. especially in the less trafficked folders like this one.