Resume critique and networking advice for job seekers

So I don't proclaim to be a pro, but if you have a resume and you want some advice on how to describe your skills, I'm happy to lend a hand. I'm talking more about translating your climbing and guiding experiences into some kind of "real world" job and make you look better on paper. I've also been doing a lot of networking and can offer my two cents on that as well. If you're a job seeker, keep your head up!

I'm not at all interested in what you're offering (lol @ networking), but I'm curious what your qualifications are. As in a resume, your objectives and qualifications should be clearly stated here if you want to be taken seriously.

Ryan Nevius wrote: your objectives...should be clearly stated here if you want to be taken seriously.

mmmmm what do you mean by objectives? I would not put an objective on a resume unless that is the standard in your industry. In most industries, you know what position you are applying for, and the employer knows what position you are applying for, so duplicating it on your resume is pointless. Employers do, however, like to see applicants modify their resume to explain how the applicant meets the position's requirements, as opposed to just sending in a cookie-cutter generic resume.

OP: If I were to, say, climb El Cap four times, how would I use that to express to an employer that I am the man for the job?

20 kN wrote:OP: If I were to, say, climb El Cap four times, how would I use that to express to an employer that I am the man for the job?

Be prepared to answer "Captain Kirk is climbing a mountain. Why is he climbing the mountain?"

DannyUncanny wrote: Be prepared to answer "Captain Kirk is climbing a mountain. Why is he climbing the mountain?"

Because he is not competent enough to climb a cliff, mostly in part to his lack of browsing the mp.com forums for big wall training? It's not his fault though, as the Federation was a cheap ass and wouldent foot the cash for Internet service in space.

20 kN wrote: the Federation was a cheap ass and wouldent foot the cash for Internet service in space.

Yet somehow they had room in the budget for subspace communications (even though it only worked half the time...)

Climbers don't seek jobs they seek unemployment. Start a gig where you hook people up with "glitches in the system" and you will be a superstar on mp!

20kn you don't need no stinking resume ...what you need is to lighten up .....and be "sparkier" ! Don't be such a Debbie downer!

20 kN wrote: OP: If I were to, say, climb El Cap four times, how would I use that to express to an employer that I am the man for the job?

Are you trying to put me on the spot, or make me qualify myself? I don't profess to be more than your fellow climber, fellow jobseeker and as generally competent person. If you have a resume and you want another set of eyes on it, send it my way and I'll tell you what I think. I've had my resume looked at and ripped apart by colleagues, professors and friends. I always find it helpful.

If you truly want to know how to mention your climb of El Cap 4 times, I'd like some more information. Is your potential employer going to know what El Cap is? Or Yosemite even? And why is this on your resume? Are you proud of the logistics and coordination it took? The determination and physical strength it took? What's most relevant to the job?

If you were applying for this job with climbing magazine as a digitial media specialist ( climbing.com/news/were-hiring/), I'd say you should definitely have your El Cap summits on your resume, along with other notable climbs and achievements, and especially any classes or courses you've taken and certifications you have. Numbers are good. Do you have 500 nights in the back country? 5,000 miles hiked?

Take that same job, digital media specialist, and imagine its at another company. The El Cap summit may not be as important. It might be better to mention it in your cover letter. You'll have the opportunity to briefly explain what EL Cap is and what the clinb entails (for those that need to be schooled), and you can elaborate about why that makes you a great fit for the job. For example, did you continue to update your blog as you climbed? Or are you applying for a job as an EMT or fire fighter, and will the close quarters, physical and mental stress, and strength and determination be the highlights?

I agree with your comment about not having an objective on your resume. I prefer to have a cover letter accompany my resume, and one that is tailored to each opening for which I apply, or at least tailored to the company in general.

To those of you who PM'ed me...I'm not going to respond to everyone to tell you I got your message and will work on it...Just know that I got your message and I hope to have my comments back to everyone by tomorrow afternoon, and most will have a response by the end of today.

The best piece of advice I can give for resume writing is keep it short and relevant. One page is ideal, two pages maximum. Nobody wants to read more than two pages of a resume, especially when they've probably gone through dozens already, and if you exceed two pages then chances are you're talking about shit nobody cares about anyways. In my experience "objectives" on a resume means that either a) the resume is too long or b) the candidate lacks qualifications and is trying to fill space. Same goes for crap like "key qualifications" sections where people usually call themselves a "problem solver" and a "team player". There's a natural desire to want to fill empty space on a resume, so most people that exceed one page end up with a page and a bit and so they just start throwing crap in it to fill the second page. More often than not this makes for a worse resume. And I never understood why some people feel the need to write "references available upon request" on their resume. That should be a given...

Bump for eleven resumes sent my way and a job in boulder posted in this forum. Good luck to all ye bastards

Ryan Nevius wrote: I'm not at all interested in what you're offering (lol @ networking), but I'm curious what your qualifications are. As in a resume, your objectives and qualifications should be clearly stated here if you want to be taken seriously.

Haven't you been paying attention? His qualifications are that he is a climber.  The steely fortitude, pain tolerance, and rational risk-taking involved in climbing translate directly into the skills needed to be a life coach/resume writer/high fiver in today's fast-paced, high investment, low-yield gig economy.  

20 kN wrote:OP: If I were to, say, climb El Cap four times, how would I use that to express to an employer that I am the man for the job?

Physically fit with attention to detail. Able to get many dances in before getting off the pole. 

This thread is four and a half. It’s parents should be checking out kindergartens for it.