[Matt]

Well, it’s hiring season, and I’ve accordingly been brainstorming resume content over the past few weeks. I’ve come up with two rather different approaches to the resume formatting, and I’m not sure which one to go with.

Could y’all help me decide which is the better format?:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6ZIZ8y7I_9bUTVkdkN2UnFER1U/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6ZIZ8y7I_9bV3M3ZzBuMjR4XzA/edit?usp=sharing

Aside from the formatting, the content in the two resumes is also slightly different, and I’m open to any suggestions about things that I should or shouldn’t include.

Also, do you guys think it’s a good idea to include my LinkedIn profile on my resume? I’ve read that prospective employers will look for it anyway so you may as well be upfront about it and include it on the face of your resume (and perhaps it’ll demonstrate that you’re reasonably “tech-savvy”), but I’ve also read that it’s unprofessional and may send the wrong message that you’re addicted to social media (which I’m certainly not).

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help; I realize everyone’s busy studying for sections and/or applying to firms, so any assistance I do receive will be that much more sincerely appreciated!

AUD: 88
BEC: 79
REG: 81
FAR: 72 » 74 » 88

Study method: 100% watching videos, including solving problems covered therein; no books, paper, or pencils

[Hustle Darling!]

@Matt – I thiknk you did a good job. I like the first one better, but the CPA section on the second one better. My understanding is that HR is using software to find resumes with the right keywords. Have you considered using the career center at your alma mater as a resource for resume writing? Sometimes they can be helpful. Also, a recruiter that specializes in placing accountants can be very helpful in formating your resume properly and including the right key words.

Roger CPA Review
FAR - 5/31/16

[Anonymous]

I like the first one better but there are a few things I would change. The first thing I noticed is there is too many words. There should be short bullets about the important things you did, the rest you can expand on in the interview. Also, usually you put your experience right after your education but that is a minor issue. Here is my Resume, the formatting got a little messed up but this seemed to pretty much get me any interview coming out of college. Also, leave out the LinkedIn profile, they can look it up if they want to see you. Let me know if you have any questions.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B27jUvZ64I-LQmswREtCYUo5RkE/edit?usp=sharing

[Monkey Wrench]

I do not think I would put a video link of yourself playing music if that is your resume.

[klmc]

My 2 cents:

I actually like the fact that you put composing music in your resume. It couldn't hurt because if you have a hiring manager that also enjoys music you have somethign to talk about and you will be remembered better. If not then it wouldn't hurt, the hiring manager will still see that you have interests.

That being said I like the 2nd resume because you have what you passed on the CPA, this makes you desirable to employers. Some things I would change:

1) Like mentioned above you need to summarize all the responsibilities of your work into shorter sentences. Employers only spend so much time on each resume and they don't want to read paragraphs.

2) I would move the awards and hobbies section to the bottom of the resume, your sections should be CPA, Education, Experience, Awards.

3) I would complete remove the fact that you worked at UC Santa Barbara Carrillo Dining Commons unless it has anything to do with accounting.

4) Reformat edcuation and work experience so that you clearly state where you work and what dates. I am having a hard time searching for that information. I would also break down each category by creating headers like EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE.

Remember employers only spend so much time on a resume and you want to make it easier for them to find information.

|FAR| - 72, 83
|AUD| - 73, 76
|REG| - 76
|BEC| - 73, 82

ALL DONE!!

[TNCPA16]

Your first resume is definitely the better format – if I received your resume, I would be looking for 3 things: education, CPA eligibility, and any accounting/relevant work experience. I can quickly identify this on your first resume; not so much on your second. These should also be the first things listed on your resume, since they are the most relevant (my preferred format is an objective statement at the top that includes CPA plans, followed by education, followed by experience). I agree with another CPA 23…waaaaayyy too many words on both resumes, especially on the first under your professional experience. Focus on the aspects of your job that either (1) are relevant to the postion for which you are applying or (2) highlights something you did that brought value to the company (your bragging points, if you will). There's so much listed right now, that if I received this, honestly I would just look at the company and your job title and skim over the rest of it. Remember that the people who will be reading this will be receiving a LOT of resumes.

I think I would also leave off the 80 WPM…you aren't applying for a typist job in 1950 🙂 It's expected today that everyone knows how to type. Your resume should highlight skills that set you apart.

I assume your GPA isn't that great, which is why you left it off?

I'm not so sure I agree with Monkey about the video…granted, I haven't watched it. That's one of those things that can set you apart and make you memorable to people, although, I think I would change the name from “Victim of Boredom” to something else. You don't want your first impression to be that you are easily bored. Definitely put this at the end of your resume, though.

Personally, I'd leave off a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is essentially your resume anyway, so it seems redundant. I will advise you to check your settings on all of your social media and lock down anything that's publicly visible. Google your name and see what comes up…because this is something a potential employer may do before interviewing you.

Good luck 🙂

[Matt]

Thanks for the detailed feedback, guys!

@Monkey Wrench:

I'm not sure whether you viewed the link, and thus may be speaking somewhat figuratively, but it's a link to my channel of instrumental music––mostly classical––with absolutely no depiction of me in the videos whatsoever. I'm not sure if you still think that's inappropriate, or whether you had perhaps anticipated they were videos of me playing a musical instrument in front of a video camera. The resume that included my YouTube channel is actually the older draft, and I decided to remove it from my newer draft. In light of me clarifying the link's contents, I'm open to suggestions on whether to add it back or leave it off.

@Jilly Beans:

1. Yup, my GPA is rather abysmal––so much so that even if a recruiter were to “assume the worst”, s/he might still be overestimating it. That's pretty much the reason I decided to “settle” for a non-accounting-related job instead of going straight to a CPA firm right out of college, and I hoped that my interim job experience would lessen the “relevance” of my GPA in my successive job hunt.

2. Unfortunately, “Victim of Boredom” is the name of my YouTube channel (which is linked to my Gmail address) and cannot be changed. Oh, if only I could go back to 2006 and warn my teenage self to pick a more professional name! I could make a new YouTube channel and re-upload all my videos, but I'd be losing all my views, subscribers, and positive comments, which aren't particularly relevant but might still be worth something in the sense of validating my musical efforts. I'm open to suggestions on whether the benefit of having a more professional channel URL would be worth the cost of losing these things.

AUD: 88
BEC: 79
REG: 81
FAR: 72 » 74 » 88

Study method: 100% watching videos, including solving problems covered therein; no books, paper, or pencils

[StephAV]

I do like the CPA exam portion on the 2nd one better. The use of the check marks caught my eye and made me initially like that one better… Until I got to the job descriptions. I didn't like the “Responsible for…” I would prefer to just see the title, company name, the timeframe and short bullets describing your responsibilities.

I think the link to your music is interesting and may help to set you apart.

Good luck!!

FAR - 7/13 - 72, 11/13- 74, 2/14- 82!!! Best score ever (for me)!!!
BEC - 1/14 - 75!!! Perfect score! First Pass! YAY!!!
AUD - 8/14 - 80!!!
REG - 5/14 - 72, 10/14 - 66, 1/15 - 78 - DONE FOREVER!!!
I did 5 of the UNA and CPAExcel classes to earn units.

[Anonymous]

@Matt.

I would leave out the “Carrillo Dinning Commons” simply because this does not add value to your resume… No offense, but who would put “Washed and Placed Industrial rubber mats” and “Clean and organized dishwasher” in applying for an accounting position?

---

FAR: PASSED

AUD: PASSED

REG: PASSED

BEC: PASSED

CPA Licensed

[Matt]

@Aguirre81 & klmc:

Thanks for the feedback regarding working at the dining commons. I included that primarily because I worked while attending college, and I hoped that it would somewhat “offset” my poor GPA by communicating that I was indeed busy working and not simply goofing off or partying. I believe I recall a recruiter mentioning that they may “take into consideration” other obligations when evaluating academic performance that otherwise may seem inexcusably poor. Perhaps a sufficient compromise would be retaining a line mentioning the position but omitting the specific responsibilities?

AUD: 88
BEC: 79
REG: 81
FAR: 72 » 74 » 88

Study method: 100% watching videos, including solving problems covered therein; no books, paper, or pencils

[fireblaze240]

Ooh its rare for me to see a fellow Gaucho alumni, I miss college :(. *ok back to topic*

I like your first resume better than the second one. However, I feel as though your resume has too much words and feels clumped. You should maybe have less headings, since it'd be easier to read. I'd also cut down the bullet points for your experience. Generally you should be able to give a description in maybe 3-5 bullet points. You could always clarify your job duties during the interview.

Though I don't know if this would help you or not. You could list some relevant courses related to the job you're applying to if you are lacking experience. I'd also move your interests/awards stuff to the bottom of the resume, since it's probably not as important to the reader compared to your education/cpa exams/experience.

Don't know if its just me, but I find it kind of distracting to have bold words in the middle of bullet points/job descriptions. If you are bolding headings and your job positions/locations, you probably don't need to bold key words in your job descriptions. I'm sure the reader will be looking for it and once your resume is condensed a bit, it won't be too difficult for the reader to find the words anyways :).

Otherwise, good start and good luck on recruitment :D.

BEC - 78
REG - In Progress..
AUD - In Progress..
FAR - In Progress..

[leglock]

@Matt, what font style did you use for your resume?

[Anonymous]

I like the first one more. I think it is easier to read, but I think you should condense. There are a lot of words, especially describing your job. I think it could be improved if you shorten it. Employers do not have a lot of time, so you want the key things about you to stand out.

[Matt]

Hey guys, I've revised my resume in accordance with a cleaner, more minimalistic approach that incorporates the title structure of the first draft (which everyone seemed to prefer) while retaining the general layout of the second draft.

A lot of people critiqued the extensive breadth allocated to my work experience, but the thing is, I don't really have a whole lot else going on other than that. I deleted what I felt to be extraneous responsibilities, but I retained the remainder simply because otherwise my resume would be half a blank page. I tried to eliminate my dining commons job description, but I was left with one-third blank page and so decided to add it back, unless someone can suggest something else that I omitted from my first draft that would be more worthy of inclusion.

I unfortunately don't have the strongest credentials/achievements, so I can only work with what I've got. 🙁

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6ZIZ8y7I_9bT3AyY01NcHhCNmM/edit?usp=sharing

Hopefully this is an improvement over my last two drafts, but it looks kind of sparse, to be honest. Any thoughts on whether this makes it more effective as opposed to unimpressive and underwhelming?

@leglock: Calibri, the standard font on Macs. I'm quite a fan of it. 🙂

AUD: 88
BEC: 79
REG: 81
FAR: 72 » 74 » 88

Study method: 100% watching videos, including solving problems covered therein; no books, paper, or pencils

[leglock]

In my opinion for Education, I think it may be more conventional to list it not as sentences but something similar to below (keeping your bolds and tabs which i can't do here):

EDUCATION

University of California, Santa Barbara (2012)

Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics — emphasis in Accounting

[TNCPA16]

I agree with leglock about your education section – I liked how you had it in your first resume better.

I think you can also keep the Misc Skills & Awards section, but put it at the bottom of your resume (you can also put some of your tech skills here too).

Your bullet points for your Carrillo work experience are kind of funny – “vast expanses of food-adorned floors” and “exceptionally unwieldy industrial rubber mats.” I might reword this section to something like “Responsible for overall cleanliness and organization of the dining commons.” Did you supervise any people during this job? Did you improve any processes to make the dining commons more efficient? Those are more of the things someone would want to read on your resume vs. food-adorned floors 🙂

One other comment, the formatting of your work experience isn't consistent. For the first job listed, you include the city and state and also the months + years worked; but for the second, you just have the years. It's a minor thing, but I would keep it consistent. Also, what was your job title for both positions? I would put that info too.

[Author]

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