1. Does the inclusion of months in dates make the resume confusing or harder to digest? For instance, if all my dates are written as "Aug 2013-present" versus "2013-present" am I worse off? For military time frames, we are usually looking at changes every 24 to 36 months, so the months make a difference in when I was at each job.
2. Does including a job title on a separate line enhance the resume? In other words, is there any preference between the following?:
"Nuclear Submarine Officer, U.S. Navy" and
"U.S. Navy (first line)
Nuclear Submarine Officer"(second line)
If I can put it all on one line, that saves space that could be devoted to other information.
3. What's the consensus on education? Before or after experience?
Thanks in advance for opinions.
Answers
Nothing to add. I agree with the other two posts.
Hi Alexander,
You have some really great questions! It's nice to see that you're spending time on the format of your resume - first impressions can really pack a punch. You'll probably get a little bit of variety in answers, but I'll tell you what I generally like to see.
1) Personally, I think months and years are both important because 2013 - present could mean you have as much as year and a half of experience or as little as 7 months. That difference could be important in the job you're seeking. So, I'd do August 2013 - present to eliminate ambiguity.
2) I generally put the employer on the first line, position on the second line (bolded or otherwise emphasized). However, if putting it all on one line means the difference in a one or two page resume, by all means - get it to fit nicely on one page!
3) If the position you're applying for requires a degree and you have it, I'd place degree info before experience and then perhaps list a separate section at the bottom of your resume with extra Professional Development-type courses, classes, etc. non-degree stuff.
I hope this helps and I'll be interested to see what others say. If you'd like a second set of eyes on your resume as you're working on it, feel free to email me and I'd be happy to help! Stephanie.Arnold23@gmail.com
-Stephanie
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