Having a well-crafted resume that reflects your strengths and talents is integral in getting the jobs you want at the Church and anywhere else.
The suggestion list contain things that should or should not be done to either to avoid legal implications or to avoid common annoyances that recruiters or hiring managers encounter.
These are just opinion, but are real suggestions heard commonly from technical recruiters.
Do:
Format your resume nicely using bullets and a minimum number of fonts. You can use a resume template but it isn't required.
Include your address (location) and ALL relevant contact information including phone numbers and email addresses.
Assume that the reviewer will be looking at several dozen resumes that might look very similar.
Assume your resume will be cataloged and searched electronically before a human sees it.
Include a summary of your experience in a short paragraph form.
Include a list of your educational experience including dates, institutions, majors, degrees, and any certifications received.
Include a list of awards or professional recognitions you have received along with dates.
Include a list of technologies with which you have had experience.
Include your detailed job history that includes companies, dates, job titles, and responsibilities including technologies used.
Pay attention to the years of experience required. Make sure your resume includes a job history to at least encompass that length of history. You should list your other previous IT jobs but do not add as much detail on the responsibilities for the older ones and spend more resume "real estate" on the more recent ones.
Remember that the first person to see your resume may not be the actual hiring manager so tailor your resume to the job you are seeking by reviewing the job description and requirements and emphasizing in your resume those areas you have had experience with. Make sure that you use the same terminology for the technologies on your resumes as the technologies listed in the job description
Keep your resume to a minimum of 1 whole page, and typically no more than 4 pages. However, more important than resume length is relevancy. "Fluff" makes a longer resume but not a more impressive one.
Don't:
Worry about writing an elaborate cover letter. A good summary paragraph will usually suffice.
Be dishonest about the technologies you truly know. If you are just a beginner in that technology, show that on your resume.
List the date of your high school graduation.
Include your photo or one of your family.
List any personal demographics such as marital status, family size, height, weight, or age.
List any confidential information such as social security number, account numbers, or trade secrets.
Assume that submitting a resume will guarantee you an interview.
Include personal things that are not relevant to the job including hobbies, interests, and life goals.
Worry about writing "References available upon request" Companies WILL ask for them when they need them.
Forget that your resume is your first impression, so make it count.
Also, be specific in your accomplishments. If you saved the company money, saved time, or shortened processes, put how much. Like Cassie mentioned, most companies will be looking through many resumes at a time and specifics and statistics stand out.
I will say that when you upload your resume to the Church's on line system that it is cataloged and made searchable electronically; however your resume will always be seen by a human.
One other thing, make sure to include your middle initial on your resume and when applying to the Church. We are starting to see several instances of more common names and it helps to be able to identify you quicker.
I like your tips and used your suggestions to build my resume in a format that I am more than happy with. Now I have a professional and accurate resume. Thank you for your suggestions for preparing resume.
I would like to add a point that the career objective must be very clear as that is the first content in resume and more over what we are mentioning in the resume we must be very humble!
I have a question about this. I know that if you are applying for a secular position it is not a good idea to talk about your religious affiliations as you might set yourself up for wrongful discrimination. However, I assume it is a good idea to talk about your religious history when applying for a position in the Church, right? How do others feel about this?
vovnik wrote:I have a question about this. I know that if you are applying for a secular position it is not a good idea to talk about your religious affiliations as you might set yourself up for wrongful discrimination. However, I assume it is a good idea to talk about your religious history when applying for a position in the Church, right? How do others feel about this?
By in large, the church only hires members with a current temple recommend. As such, a statement of that fact would not be a bad idea (in my non-HR opinion). But I'd not go so far as "religious history".
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.
So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
vovnik wrote:I have a question about this. I know that if you are applying for a secular position it is not a good idea to talk about your religious affiliations as you might set yourself up for wrongful discrimination. However, I assume it is a good idea to talk about your religious history when applying for a position in the Church, right? How do others feel about this?
By in large, the church only hires members with a current temple recommend. As such, a statement of that fact would not be a bad idea (in my non-HR opinion). But I'd not go so far as "religious history".
The church only hires members who are worthy to hold a temple recommend would probably be more accurate. They will hire someone who has not been to the temple yet as long as they are worthy to receive a recommend.
I agree, however, that beyond that, specific church service and activity history shouldn't be included on a resume unless it has relevancy to the specific position.