The Google Resume (8 page)

Dear Gayle,

The only school activity I’ve done is the waterskiing team—and that was just my freshman year of college. I was hoping to get more involved with college activities, but then my father got sick.

I didn’t have to take time off school, but I did have to help him out a bit at work. He runs a local chain of jewelry stores, so I’ve had to do everything from hiring and training salespeople for a new store to reorganizing our accounting system. Being family and all, I didn’t get paid a dime (!).

I’m a junior now and about to apply for internships. Is there a way to tactfully explain my family situation on my résumé? It looks rather sparse as is, and it doesn’t look like this situation is going to change anytime soon.

~K. C.

Dear K. C.,

While you can absolutely briefly explain your situation if an interviewer inquires, personal details like this do not belong on a résumé. Your résumé is about what you actually did, not your excuses (even if reasonable) for not doing more.

However, you can—and should—list your experience with your father’s business on your résumé. No one has to know that it’s your father’s business and, frankly, it doesn’t matter anyway. The good thing, as you said, is that you’ve done a wide variety of things.

Think through your past couple of years on the “job” and make a list of your most tangible accomplishments. These will become your résumé bullets. Tailor your selections to the positions you’re applying for. That is, if you’re applying for program manager jobs, your work building a new team for a new store is very relevant, as well as anything else that shows leadership. Then, come up with an appropriate job title. You can be called anything you want (within reason), as long as you clear it with your boss/father.

In the future, ask your father if you can focus your activities on particular aspects of the business that are most relevant to your career. This could be a win-win for you and your father—and even for your future employer.

~Gayle

Dear Gayle,

I had a low GPA freshman year—very low. It was 1.93. I’ve worked really hard and pulled mostly A’s, but still my GPA is only a 2.98. That places it just below that 3.0 cutoff that many companies have.

Should I just not list my GPA?

~M. G.

Dear M. G.,

Conventional wisdom is that you don’t list your GPA when it’s below a 3.0, but I do feel that yours is somewhat of a special case. Your grades now are, in fact, quite good. I worry that by leaving off your GPA, the assumption will be that it’s lower than a 3.0.

My advice is that if you have academic awards, like the Dean’s List, list those without your GPA. That will remove the employers’ assumption when they didn’t see a GPA.

If you don’t have such awards, you should list your GPA—but only your GPA after freshman year. Something like this will do the trick:

• GPA:
  3.6 (Junior Year), 3.4 (Sophomore Year)
  

It’ll be plainly obvious what you’re doing, but that’s not really an issue. The important thing is that your grades are good
now
, and they have been for a while.

When your interviewer asks what happened freshman year, don’t beat around the bush. Tell him the truth. You were a bit overwhelmed, both academically and socially, with college. You realized at the end of the year that you really needed to straighten up and focus, and you’ve done just that.

Personally, if I heard an answer like that, I’d be pretty impressed. You’ve shown honesty in your answer and maturity in your reaction. Way to go.

~Gayle

Dear Gayle,

I have about two years’ work experience in two different roles. I also have three internships from college, plus a double major and a few extracurriculars. I’m having trouble fitting it on two pages, let alone one.

If I need it, I can use more than one page, right?

~R. S.

Dear R.S.,

No.

Well, ok,
if
you need it, sure. But that’s one heck of a qualifier—and one that I don’t buy into.

Not all recruiters are strict on the “one page” rule, but some are. Do you really want your recruiter’s first thought to be frustration?

Even if a recruiter gives a vague “oh, any length is fine” statement, it doesn’t mean longer is better. Focus on the best, most relevant accomplishments. You can fit them all one page, I assure you. Diluting them with weaker items will only make you look worse.

~Gayle