Advice Thread

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Re: Advice Thread

Postby JustAName » 28 Feb 2015, 15:16

I'm not entirely sure where to put this so I guess this is as good as anywhere. Being an American, I've only written resumes before, and never CVs, but the scholarship for which I'm applying needs a CV, so... I would *really* appreciate any feedback people are willing to give me on this.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Elomin Sha » 28 Feb 2015, 15:43

Move your additional information to the top as a little personal blurb about yourself (not as a list) "I enjoy music, playing clarinet with the UCLA Video Game Orchestra". Include your etsy and any special projects you've worked such as volunteering.

You may have to change the CV round for the job you are applying for (move the most relevant work experience to the top of the list for example).
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 28 Feb 2015, 15:45

First thing- ABSOLUTELY mention Etsy. Self-motivation is a big box tick for employers. Formatting looks all well and good.

With regard to skills & additional- cut a few things. 'Good at social media' means nothing on its own- perhaps incorporate into the Etsy side of things? The whole office computing thing... worth mentioning I guess, but not a massive detail. It took me a while to work out what WPM meant, so spell it out- "80 words per minute typing speed". The buzzwords underneath social media are just that-buzzwords, no substance to them, so I'd leave em out. My advice is to shrink them down to 1pt font and stick em at the bottom, so they get picked up by automatic trawling software. 'Additional information' stuff could be incorporated into just a couple of lines. "Proficient knitter, clarinetist and occasional writer. Basic proficiency in Spanish and International Sign Language" (as a general rule, acronyms are terrible on a CV. Spot the irony!)

Other than that, maybe slim down a few things- an ideal CV shouldn't be much more than a page and a half long. Highlight the jobs you've done rather than the dates- they are more important for a skim reader. Make the important stuff stand out and punch. Also, make sure you tailor the CV for the specific scholarship you're applying for- what exactly are they looking for? Do they want to know about your broad skill set or focus on some specifics? Time management or accuracy? What do they want to see?

That was more general stuff than strictly formatting, hope it helps.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Elomin Sha » 28 Feb 2015, 15:47

Also, remember you're basically selling yourself for the job. Don't feel afraid to hype yourself up but not overblown.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby fantôme » 28 Feb 2015, 16:00

I disagree with moving the personal blurb to the top - the first thing they see should be of relevance to the position.

Also, this seems really pedantic, but having sifted applications before I know this is something to look out for: "with minimal guidance" is considered as "did not accept guidance", and the rest of your sentence makes that redundant anyway.

Good luck!
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby JustAName » 02 Mar 2015, 10:12

Ix, see that's interesting, 'cuz I've been getting a lot of advice to make it longer. Also, this is for a scholarship, not a job. No trawling software.

I just keep getting more conflicting advice and I'm so much more stressed about this now than when I created it. >.<
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 02 Mar 2015, 10:23

Keep the CV to 2 sides at most.
That's the only advice I can give. I am sympathetic with your CV writing.

Having contact details at bottom of the last page of two or three people who can gives a reference is great too. Like past employers (even voluntary work) or past tutors/lecturers. (Ask their permission first :P)
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 02 Mar 2015, 12:16

Fayili wrote:Ix, see that's interesting, 'cuz I've been getting a lot of advice to make it longer. Also, this is for a scholarship, not a job. No trawling software.

I just keep getting more conflicting advice and I'm so much more stressed about this now than when I created it. >.<


I still stand by shorter instead of longer- it's what our career service at uni advises, and my dad too (he worked in recruitment for about 5 years). Given how many CVs someone is likely to be going through, they will frequently only skim-read on the first pass- they won't have time to dig through the detail.

Then again, depending on how competitive the scholarship is, I could be wrong. So... just pitch it right, I guess
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Tycherin » 02 Mar 2015, 17:49

My two cents: CV =/= Resume.

You want to make a resume short, readable, and pack a hell of a punch. There you're looking for maybe 1-2 pages tops, as a number of people have suggested. If you're applying for a job, you want a resume.

A CV is a different beast. For some dumb reason I can't fathom, the way you're supposed to write a CV is to throw everything you can possibly think of at it, I guess because the people who read CVs are clinically insane. They're used for academic things: scholarships, grad schools, advanced degrees, that sort of thing.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby 2stepz » 02 Mar 2015, 18:14

My experience/education/understanding on the topic from a US grad school survivor.

Resume = bachelor's degree and lower. Should be 1 page in length. Highlight experience and achievements, include interests and references only if you need to make length.

CV = list of all experience, publications, research, etc. Generally for people with Graduate work, or more than 10 years field experience. It's a list of anything that could possibly be relevant. My CV has education (degree and specific courses), it has research - contract work (including any grant money involved) and relevant publications/pending publications, it has references, it has community involvement, and some personal interest items. This is a 'living' document that gets updated/rearranged for every application. Basically, put in everything including the kitchen sink.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Lord Chrusher » 03 Mar 2015, 11:59

Although in academic circles a CV means the samething pretty much everywhere, outside of academia a CV is the same thing as a resume in the English speaking world beyond North America.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 03 Mar 2015, 14:18

What Chrusher said
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby viscomica » 03 Mar 2015, 19:23

Fayili wrote:I'm not entirely sure where to put this so I guess this is as good as anywhere. Being an American, I've only written resumes before, and never CVs, but the scholarship for which I'm applying needs a CV, so... I would *really* appreciate any feedback people are willing to give me on this.


It looks ok to me!
My CV looks pretty much like that so... yeah. Good job
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby RedNightmare » 04 Mar 2015, 11:44

@Fayili: I put my Work Experience before my education. However, I guess that choice is influenced by actual experience and what job you're sending it in for. Always lead with the strong.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Dutch guy » 04 Mar 2015, 12:13

Given that its for an application for a scholarship I think education is slightly more relevant/important than work experience, so I would put it first. But it is pretty much a personal choice.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Bebop Man » 05 Mar 2015, 09:40

Advice time!

I've been offered a teaching position at a high school (12 & 13 year olds). The subject matter is right up my alley. And it's a relatively non-demanding schedule - Wednesdays from 11:00 to 13:45. So far so good.

But the pay is absolute shite. Oh my god. I know teachers have infamously bad salaries, but come on. I already work part-time at a bookstore, and in 2 days I make more money than what the school's offering me on a monthly basis. That in itself should be an instant deal-breaker. Even if classes don't take up as much time, come on - it's about talking sense into the hearts and minds of people going through the worst phase in their lives vs. a retail gig. I'm not saying I wasn't ready to deal with brats - but not when I can get more money with zero effort in 2 days instead of 30.

I also know for a fact that the job doesn't start and end in the classroom - that you take it with you home, where you have to correct stuff and prepare the next class, and so on. Whereas my part-time gig doesn't haunt me back home. It ends as soon as I collect my handsome daily wage, thank you very much.

The more I write about the situation, the more it seems like this is obviously not for me. But I really wanted a teaching position, and the experience to go with it, and to be honest it's not like I'd be trading anything but free time for the job. Even if it's an insultingly low sum, it's not "negative" money, it adds on top of what I have and I could certainly use it.

Can anybody offer me any advice on the subject, please? My deadline is this weekend. Classes start next week. Fuck, that's another thing - throwing me this curb ball with so little time to make up my mind.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Master Gunner » 05 Mar 2015, 10:49

If it really is nothing but free time you'd be trading for this job, and you know it won't interfere with your other job, then it might be worth it just for the experience - see if teaching really is for you. If it's not, then walk away at the end of the semester and wipe your hands of it. If you still really want to teach after this gig, then at least you'll have some experience that you can leverage for a better job in the future.

With pay that bad, it's basically a volunteer job. If it's not something you'd do just because you're passionate about teaching and want the experience, then it's probably not worth doing for what little they are paying you.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Jamfalcon » 05 Mar 2015, 11:13

Gunner said exactly what I was thinking while I read your post. Consider it volunteer work that you're doing for the experience if the money is negligible. Is the opportunity to teat the waters and see if teaching is for you, as well as having something that looks hood on a resume worth that free time? If so, go for it. If not, keep your eyes open for a position that's more in line with what you want, but knowing that one may not come up anytime soon.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Bebop Man » 06 Mar 2015, 19:29

Thank you both for the advice... I'm still on the fence about what to do... I feel like the cons outweigh the pros... but I can't make up my mind.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 07 Mar 2015, 14:33

I have internet speed of 10 mb/s which suddenly drops to none-extent to the extent it causes things to disconnect.
This happens every 3 minutes on average.

Why?

I have Googled this problem and well... Google has failed me. I'm getting to the extent where I am angry that I express it physically. I haven't done this since the Summer. Please help!
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Elomin Sha » 07 Mar 2015, 14:39

I've had that recently. I did the usual resetting of the router and moved it around slightly. Still happened for a day and then it fixed itself.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 07 Mar 2015, 15:10

Been like this for a week. Trying to not want to hurt my environment.

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Re: Advice Thread

Postby squaredotcube » 09 Mar 2015, 09:55

I'm looking to move to Seattle, specifically somewhere within the eastside region. It's time to conclude that I'm not getting anything else out of this Midwestern village I've lived in for 20 years, and that I need to move on despite what my family thinks (and being nervous about it).

I don't know how many people on the forums live or have lived in the Pacific Northwest, but I might as well ask: What's your advice on a minimum-cost move? By minimum-cost, we're talking filling a duffel bag and backpack to the brim with whatever I need, and then leaving the rest to be either sold or stored at a relative's home until I have enough money to afford moving it out elsewhere.

As for apartment and work searches, I'm wondering if there is anything specific from the usual suspects of craigslist and popular job boards. Ideally, I'm looking for a roommate with an already-furnished apartment. Work-wise I'd like to continue in technical or desktop support, or maybe move into game development through level design or scripting, preferably with a small company that's willing to train. Sadly I've found very little of such on job boards. I also know about Seattle's mass transit system and ORCA, so I plan to buy a card and have it sent to me before I leave.

As for why Seattle of all places? It's neither that I'll be closer to LRR or PA, nor because pot is legal, as either is a silly reason to move. The Seattle region sounds like a progressive and more open-minded location, and because of that I feel like I'd find myself better through such an environment. Being close to the game development scene is also a plus as I've been wanting to be part since I gave a careers speech 10 years ago in high school.

So to recap:

Any advice on a minimum-cost move to Seattle? What about finding an apartment/roommate and work? Anything I need to be aware of about the region?
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Tycherin » 09 Mar 2015, 16:08

Lesson #1 about Seattle: It's stupid expensive.

Lesson #2 about Seattle: No but seriously, it's a major metropolitan area, it's stupid expensive.

Lesson #3 about Seattle: See #2.

That said, there's been a huge growth of apartment complexes in the downtown Seattle area in the past several years (especially in the South Lake Union area), in no small part because of the surge of tech people being brought in. You can expect a studio apartment to run $1,500 a month baseline rent, depending on location.

For moving, the minimum cost is basically a plane ticket if you can fit everything in a duffel and don't have to worry about furniture. Ikea is a great cost-effective, convenient stop for furniture needs if you don't mind some manual labor - in fact, for a lot of large objects it would probably be cheaper to buy them locally than to have them shipped out.

For jobs, there's lots of tech here (the thousand-pound gorilla in Seattle is probably Amazon); game development specifically, I'm not sure. Microsoft is off to the west in Redmond, but you don't want to be commuting there from Seattle if you can help it.

Also it's cloudy something like 60% of the year, which I like, but YMMV.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Lord Chrusher » 10 Mar 2015, 00:54

The flip side to the overcast, frequently damp winter weather is that it is mild.

Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria are actually drier and sunnier than most people think. If you want somewhere sunless and wet, move to Prince Rupert which is Canada's wettest and lest sunny city.
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