Resume Length

 My resume does not show the job title Writer or Technical Writer much, but I have been writing as part of my job for over 20 years! One of the first jobs was the Financial Auditor position I held in 2003/2004. I was an auditor who was also responsible for writing reports of my findings. Those reports were "published" by the office much like a research paper is published by a journal. Later, I got into IT. I wrote test plans and test cases and later system requirements (use cases, shall statements), and so on. During my PhD, I wrote papers every week. All this experience makes me qualified for Technical Writer and other writing positions. 

To show the full length of my writing experience, I include my old jobs on my resume. This makes my resume very long, however. I have a 4 page resume! I see the need for long resumes although they are not accepted all over.

Update

My sincere condolences to the families of the "army men" who lost their lives in the accident. Guyana lost some talent.

I am working on the preparation of that audit resume I mentioned. I recall that I planned to move to the big city (away from DC) for a Financial Analyst job over 15 years ago. I was about to move when another opportunity presented itself. The opportunity was the auditor position. I learned a lot at that job/organization. My LinkedIn profile includes examples of audit reports I drafted (worked on as an auditor in the office). Those reports were also published (and they show my initials in the code on the cover page).

Auditing Position

I have had success training/teaching others so a training position would work well for me. I am sure that my background (education, experience, and so on) would also get me an Auditing/Inspector General position. I have a lot of experience with audits. Early in my career, I provided information for Auditors to complete their audit of the processes and controls in capital planning. Later, I obtained a Financial Auditing position. I used my auditing knowledge in the Testing department within IT. Later, I understood processes and issues very easily in an IT Analyst position because of my auditing experience. I do not believe my current Analyst resume highlights my auditing experience adequately. I think I need an Auditing resume.

I have a research resume, an Analyst/Consultant resume, and a HR resume (all on LinkedIn). I think I need to add an audit resume.

IT Background

My LinkedIn summary states that I “moved into the Information Technology (IT) field … [and] got off to a rocky start in IT, but changed the situation by completing a technical degree that trained … in the more technical areas of IT.”

The rocky start refers to the issues I had when I first entered the IT field. I was part of a training program that was fraught with problems. The company found issue with just about every individual who completed the program including the professor who signed up for the training. Even the rabbi who taught several courses ran into trouble. When we started working on a team/unit, I encountered all sorts of problems. I recall leaving a particular BA project team because of how the members behaved (the attitude and reporting). I heard that they replaced me with a “better” Analyst so I do not view my leaving the project as an issue.

I found that using prior experience pays off - that is the rounded experience I mentioned.

Training

I am still thinking about my skills and strengths (areas of competitive advantage). Last time I posted on this topic, I mentioned my survey/statistics skills. Now I am thinking of training. I did really well as a trainer (I am sure a lot of people don’t know this). In a past position, I trained employees on new system functionality. That went really well. At another job, I assisted with training dry runs. I basically attended practice sessions to evaluate and provide feedback. I need to ensure my HR resume/ LinkedIn profile highlights my training experience. I bet people at prior BA jobs would be surprised I have some training talent. 

New Resume/CV

In one of my recent posts on LinkedIn, I mentioned that I was working on my resume/CV and having difficulties. "My background is complicated." I said. "It includes an internship in the middle of my career, design experience that intersects my BA experience, managerial experience from PhD coursework, and so on." I wondered whether I should use the services of a resume writer.

The externship/internship was such a rewarding experience. I did many things, thanks to the management at USPTO. I assisted with a usability study (the lab exercise part) for employees to evaluate video conferencing options. That experience was very useful to me (came in handy) during my PhD studies. The externship extended for several months longer than planned so I could say that it was a job. It is currently in the Education section of my LinkedIn profile because I got the externship through the school.

Writing a good resume is difficult. Even when I did not have much experience, I was unsure about what to include, what to place first, how best to describe my background, and so on. Then there was the issue of selling myself. I am from a conservative background. I felt uncomfortable about "talking up" my background. But this is required in the U.S.

I got very good at resume writing. I bought a resume writing book and studied the examples.

I don't think I could fit my background on a 2-3 page resume. Time will tell.

 

 

 

(Screenshots from LinkedIn. Related profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fahmeenamoore/)