[Anonymous]

Curious what the chronological order items on your resume is. I am 2 years removed from college and have my CPA. Currently my resume reads Education, Certification, Experience, Organizations, Undergrad Activities, Awards, and then Skills (from top to bottom in that order). I am trying to really revamp it because I haven’t really changed things around on my resume since I was interviewing junior year of college.

When is the appropriate time to remove college activities? What order does everyone normally put things in? Is the whole “1 page rule” still as important as it used to be? Is my GPA still relevant?

Opinions are appreciated 🙂 Thanks!

[mw798]

Being two years removed and with your CPA you should probably remove undergrad activities. Also, a one pager is fine, but once you have 4 or more years of experience and have enough content to fill it up, two pages is recommended. At that point in your career I would suggest the following order: 1) Summary 2) Experience 3) Education 4) Certifications 5)Skills 6) Organizations

[mw798]

Being two years removed and with your CPA you should probably remove undergrad activities. Also, a one pager is fine, but once you have 4 or more years of experience and have enough content to fill it up, two pages is recommended. At that point in your career I would suggest the following order: 1) Summary 2) Experience 3) Education 4) Certifications 5)Skills 6) Organizations

[Anonymous]

‘At that point in your career I would suggest the following order: 1) Summary 2) Experience 3) Education 4) Certifications 5)Skills 6) Organizations'

I agree with ‘mw798' although personally I would not include a summary.

No college activities section is needed (esp. if it takes up needed space – although you could include an activities line directly under your college (similar to on linkedin) where you list clubs/activities by title/name only).

Yes, GPA is still relevant. If it is bad, don't include it, but if it is good or great, def do.

I'd also be careful with any ‘skills' section – some people have enough to make one, but typically I prefer to just ‘show' you actually have those skills via the bullet points within your experience section instead of just stating you have them.

Personally, I just have an experience and an education section – and it looks great. Each ‘section' takes an extra line or two for the header, so I think using a simple, but well designed, format looks great and will give you more space to work with.

[Anonymous]

‘At that point in your career I would suggest the following order: 1) Summary 2) Experience 3) Education 4) Certifications 5)Skills 6) Organizations'

I agree with ‘mw798' although personally I would not include a summary.

No college activities section is needed (esp. if it takes up needed space – although you could include an activities line directly under your college (similar to on linkedin) where you list clubs/activities by title/name only).

Yes, GPA is still relevant. If it is bad, don't include it, but if it is good or great, def do.

I'd also be careful with any ‘skills' section – some people have enough to make one, but typically I prefer to just ‘show' you actually have those skills via the bullet points within your experience section instead of just stating you have them.

Personally, I just have an experience and an education section – and it looks great. Each ‘section' takes an extra line or two for the header, so I think using a simple, but well designed, format looks great and will give you more space to work with.

[mla1169]

At this point in your career I'd replace summary with objective and make sure to tweek that so that it aligns with each position you apply to.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

At this point in your career I'd replace summary with objective and make sure to tweek that so that it aligns with each position you apply to.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Mamabear]

I agree that you can drop off school activities once you have actual experience, but I think 4 years of experience is a little low to switch to a two page resume unless you really have enough varied experience in those 4 years to make it worth the read. Also, try to make your resume “results” oriented more than “task” oriented. Discuss processes you've improved, etc. to show initiative. This becomes more and more important as you go along in your career.

CPA Exam - Finally DONE (November 2014)
BEC (08/10/13) 80
AUD (08/24/13) 65 (11/13/13) 85
FAR (04/12/14) 81
REG (07/19/14) 69 (11/29/14) 87!!

[Mamabear]

I agree that you can drop off school activities once you have actual experience, but I think 4 years of experience is a little low to switch to a two page resume unless you really have enough varied experience in those 4 years to make it worth the read. Also, try to make your resume “results” oriented more than “task” oriented. Discuss processes you've improved, etc. to show initiative. This becomes more and more important as you go along in your career.

CPA Exam - Finally DONE (November 2014)
BEC (08/10/13) 80
AUD (08/24/13) 65 (11/13/13) 85
FAR (04/12/14) 81
REG (07/19/14) 69 (11/29/14) 87!!

[fuzyfro89]

When is the appropriate time to remove college activities?

After you get a full time job, it's time to take off college activities. The exception is if you're still involved in something actively that you continued since college (e.g. Red Cross district leader, Big Brothers/sisters, etc).

What order does everyone normally put things in?

I would say start with Experience. No one needs to read an objective/summary… that's what THE ENTIRE RESUME IS! (a summary).. and your objective is obvious since you're applying for something. The exception to this is if you are sending a resume/cover letter to someone but not for a specific job listing.

Is the whole “1 page rule” still as important as it used to be?

Yes. Your resume needs to be a quick summary. The interview is where you go into detail. I have personally reviewed resumes while at Big 4, and in my current role, and I get a real sour taste in my mouth when someone has a resume longer than 1 page. Even if you have 10+ years of experience, not every single job is relevant or needed. I also don't need to know EVERYTHING you did while at your current job… I need highlights and key points.

As a potential employer, I don't need/want to know EVERYTHING about you, I need to know what's important. I need to be able to decide in 25 seconds whether I want to meet you or not to talk further. An extra page isn't going to change that.

Is my GPA still relevant?

Not as much, but just leave it on there if it's good. I personally took mine off (3.5) and left “Graduated Cum Laude 20XX”. Most employers don't really care, after you have a few years of experience and your CPA. If they care, they will ask.

[fuzyfro89]

When is the appropriate time to remove college activities?

After you get a full time job, it's time to take off college activities. The exception is if you're still involved in something actively that you continued since college (e.g. Red Cross district leader, Big Brothers/sisters, etc).

What order does everyone normally put things in?

I would say start with Experience. No one needs to read an objective/summary… that's what THE ENTIRE RESUME IS! (a summary).. and your objective is obvious since you're applying for something. The exception to this is if you are sending a resume/cover letter to someone but not for a specific job listing.

Is the whole “1 page rule” still as important as it used to be?

Yes. Your resume needs to be a quick summary. The interview is where you go into detail. I have personally reviewed resumes while at Big 4, and in my current role, and I get a real sour taste in my mouth when someone has a resume longer than 1 page. Even if you have 10+ years of experience, not every single job is relevant or needed. I also don't need to know EVERYTHING you did while at your current job… I need highlights and key points.

As a potential employer, I don't need/want to know EVERYTHING about you, I need to know what's important. I need to be able to decide in 25 seconds whether I want to meet you or not to talk further. An extra page isn't going to change that.

Is my GPA still relevant?

Not as much, but just leave it on there if it's good. I personally took mine off (3.5) and left “Graduated Cum Laude 20XX”. Most employers don't really care, after you have a few years of experience and your CPA. If they care, they will ask.

[johan96]

Yes. Your resume needs to be a quick summary. The interview is where you go into detail. I have personally reviewed resumes while at Big 4, and in my current role, and I get a real sour taste in my mouth when someone has a resume longer than 1 page. Even if you have 10+ years of experience, not every single job is relevant or needed. I also don't need to know EVERYTHING you did while at your current job… I need highlights and key points.

“Technical resume formats normally take the following form:

Contact Details: List your name, address, telephone numbers and email address.
Profile: This should include a short summary of your key skills and experience, including brief details of your technical skills.
Major Achievements: Make sure that you include three to six achievements that demonstrate your technical prowess and abilities.
Career History: You should list your career history in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent job and working backwards.
Qualifications: Only include your main qualifications and professional training that are relevant to your next technical role.
Technical Skills: List your key technical skills. You can list this section earlier in your resume if required.”
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[Author]

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