Re: Am I "Overqualified"?

[apm35@student.open.ac.uk]

On 30 Jan, 21:21, Ed Berard <ed.ber...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Howdy Folks,
> It seems that lately, I have been turned down for an increasing number
> of assignments, because I am "overqualified."
> If you want, you can chck my resume at the bottom of our home
> page:
>    http://www.toa.com
> Any constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I have just started to have a look. If I had rcvd this CV for a IT
position I was advertising I would reject your CV simply because it is
too long. No CV should be more than 4 pages and in general I would
advise 3 or less. For someone with alot of experience I think it is
better to get it down to 1 page if you can.

Here are some other points:

Using the third person is a bit unusual these days and hence a bit
distracting.

No career objective or summary - IMHO this should be at the top of
page 1.

You need to pick an emphasis for the kind of job you want. Your CV
seems to me to emphasis training and documentation. This does not help
when applying for an architect position despite the architectural
experience you mention. CVs are not read, they are skimmed, and
impressions are what count.

It's good to see someone who has published so much but I do not expect
to see a comprehensive list of publications on a CV when the list is
so large. I think its better to point people to a web site that has
the links and mention that some of the articles are published by the
IEEE.

The examples of experience section goes from the oldest to the most
recent. Employers except this to be the other way round. They are most
interested in what you have just done.

Detailed paragraphs on the ancient machines used in the 70's just
wastes space.

I wouldn't mention that you belong to MENSA. I have heard all sorts of
weird stories about MENSA members. I'm sure that you're not a weird
member but a prospective employer might think differently.

> Thanks.
>
>         -- Ed

Regards,

Andrew Marlow