Absolute Joke of a Resume 
(Senior Monkey, 85
Points)
on 2/22/12 at 2:43am
I just had this resume edited by someone "qualified". The font was changed from Times new Roman to Calibri - I think that it is somewhat unprofessional. So any font suggestions are appreciated. FYI, I'm interested in banking, corp. finance, and especially ER.
Anyway, let me know what you think of the content, formatting, etc.
***Two Silver bananas to the most helpful critique.
***One Silver banana for every helpful critique.
Also, I will be sitting for
Also, I will be sitting for the CFA Level I this June. Hence the "CFA Institute Student Scholarship". Didn't want to say CFA Level I candidate cause that shit is pussy. If I pass I'll put CFA Level II Candidate.
Question for anyone with or pursuing the CFA Charter - is having the "CFA Institute Student Scholarship" a violation of the Code & Standards?
Thanks.
"The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples money"
- Margaret Thatcher
Get rid of half of those
Get rid of half of those skills at the bottom, it's classic CV "guru" talk, they are vacuous statements unless you can succinctly prove them. List the remaining skills and activities across the page a la M&I format.
Thanks man. I'll change them,
Thanks man. I'll change them, but I don't want to use the M & I format because I would have:
Languages: Proficient in Mandarin Chinese
Certifications: Bloomberg Certified
Both are plurals, and I only have one for each. In addition, I've been told that no one gives a flying fuck about my interests?
Vacuous is quite the $2 word.
"The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples money"
- Margaret Thatcher
Strong MS Excel skills - has
Strong MS Excel skills - has to go. You already mentioned it in your coursework and it just starts to sound too much of a hard sell.
Also agree with the above that this teamwork and leadership stuff is weak unless you can prove it. Hence, better bring in another extracurricular leadership function.
Try to add some quantitative results into your FA&T paragraph.
Are you sure everybody knows what an SOE is? I wasn't and am left with the choice of socially vs. state owned enterprise. Obviously the latter but try to avoid the potential confusion.
This is the second Calibri
This is the second Calibri resume I've seen in a young graduate... is this a trend?
I was advised it was a "less
I was advised it was a "less boring" font. What's your opinion of it?
"The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples money"
- Margaret Thatcher
Try Wingdings for less
Try Wingdings for less boring. In all honesty, as long as it's readable all fonts are fine from my experience. I find Times New Roman more efficient regarding spacing but that won't influence their decision eventually.
1) Use the M&I format. It is
1) Use the M&I format. It is the Industry standard. Of all the things to annoy the person reading the resume, this is by far the easiest to fix.
2) First off, if you can't answer technicals in Chinese, I would just put "Intermediate Proficiency" instead of the all-encompassing "Proficient". If you can answer technicals, then say "Business Fluent".
2) Instead of using separate lines for "Languages" and "Certifications", put both of them under the header "Others", since you have one of each.
3)Your interests might not matter, but it is usually the only thing that differentiates you from the next guy. Besides, it is the only fun thing for us to read when we're skimming through dozens of essays. So for God's sake, make it interesting.
4) Use "Times New Roman". It is much easier to read.
5) Instead of "January-May 2011", write "Jan 2011-May 2011".
6) The dates of your 3rd and 4th exp are clustered. Space them out.
7) You gave numbers for your "Country Club" job, but not for your legit Finance jobs. Give some digits, percentages etc.
8) Write your job description after Your Company name. Also, place the location (Beijing, China) on the right where the dates are, and place the dates below that.
9) Remove the comma after "May" on the Education section.
Calling Ron Paul an isolationist is like calling your neighbor a hermit because he doesn't come over to your property and break your windows.
^M&I's format is by no means
^M&I's format is by no means the "industry standard." It's just the only one the average Joe can get his hands on. If you can get your hands on a bschool template, absolutely go with it.
"There are three ways to make a living in this business: be first, be smarter, or cheat."
Zenmeyang? Hai hao... -Cut
Zenmeyang? Hai hao...
-Cut down on how much "relevant coursework" you list at the top... those lines could be better used adding description to your past work experiences.
-Do you have a major GPA that is higher than your cumulative one? List that.
-As for font, I recommend trying "Garamond." Go see what you think of it (more professional, but not as austere as Times New Roman).
-Give specific months for the Beijing program, similar to how you record your past work experiences.
-Agreed that you need to dramatically cut down the amount of space used in your skills and activities section.
That all said, your resume isn't an "absolute joke," I've seen much worse at my school and on this site.
Good luck!
- As far as descriptions you
- As far as descriptions you have listed, make sure that the descriptions end before the dates begin....and make sure it all lines up (makes it look cleaner). use a smaller font if you have to
- Down in the skill and activities section, set it up so you can list out without bullet points some of your interests (those are HUGE for helping find common ground in interviews)
- Take out the first three bullet points in the skills section...you may be that type of person but it isn't something you put on a resume
- Lastly...work on your descriptions and try to quantify your results. Instead of listing what your responsibilities were...try to show what you did and accomplished. If you need further help feel free to PM
Good is the enemy of Great
whitecollarandsuspenders
Thanks man. I'll change them, but I don't want to use the M & I format because I would have:
Languages: Proficient in Mandarin Chinese
Certifications: Bloomberg Certified
Both are plurals, and I only have one for each. In addition, I've been told that no one gives a flying fuck about my interests?
Vacuous is quite the $2 word.
Use M&I format... your reasoning for not using it makes no sense. You can combine both into one section...
"In summary, people are morons and who cares. Make a shit ton of money. I've never seen a Ferrari paid for by what people think." - ANT
Try to appear slightly less
Try to appear slightly less Asian, now give me 2 SB's...
Also make sure to put the
Also make sure to put the fact that you speak Mandarin at the top of skills list. That's huge, especially since China and Asia as a whole went practically unscathed during this economic downturn (that is until the bubble bursts there)
Where did you go to HS, OP?
Where did you go to HS, OP? If it's somewhat prestigious, there's no harm to put in down...
You should separate your study abroad in China from your college, that way it'll be more eye-catching. Also, remove most, if not all, of your "Key Coursework"... tmi and they are not really "Key". Rename it as "Relevant Coursework" if you decide to keep it at all.
I would also consider putting the company name instead of your position as the first line of each experience. As don't call yourself a "Financial Advisory & Transactions Intern (Team Leader)". That's an instant red flag. And is there a chance that you can change your title to "Investment Banking Intern"?
And to fill the space after removing most of the skills section, add in leadership experience in campus groups.
Nice blocks of text. Learn
Nice blocks of text. Learn to use line spacing