Resume presentation

August 17, 2006 1:55 PM

How should I present my resume? Paper with a paper clip, staples, some kind of binder?

On Monday I'll be going to a place to apply for a job. I'll take my resume with me, but how should I present it. I know I'll print it out on some nice resume paper but after that I'm not sure what to do with. I was thinking I would put it in some sort of cover, something like this report cover but I'm not sure if that's right. My resume is also only two pages long, including the first page that is just some bull to [maybe] help get me hired.

posted by blackout to work & money (19 answers total)

Paper only. No cover, no binding, no clip, no staples.
posted by matildaben at 1:57 PM on August 17, 2006

Two pages long? A staple is best. A paper clip will just get pieces of the resume lost, and they will probably staple it later anyway.
posted by solid-one-love at 1:58 PM on August 17, 2006

Thinking outside the box here, if it's only 2 pages, how about printing it on the fanciest 11x17 paper you can find and crisply folding it?
posted by trevyn at 1:58 PM on August 17, 2006

May I politely submit Your Resume Stinks!?
posted by sudama at 2:03 PM on August 17, 2006 [1 favorite]

Unless they asked for a cover letter I wouldn't hand over anything longer than a page.

*See ResumeFilter
posted by ASM at 2:04 PM on August 17, 2006 [1 favorite]

My resume is also only two pages long, including the first page that is just some bull to [maybe] help get me hired.

Yeah, well, that's your answer. Edit down to one page.
posted by cribcage at 2:07 PM on August 17, 2006

If it is more than one page, regardless of your binding method, make sure your name and minimal contact info (email, phone) is in the header or footer of each page. Pages easily get seperated even if you've got a fancy cover or two dollah paper clip.
posted by utsutsu at 2:09 PM on August 17, 2006

back in the days before the email (you're not submitting it on email?), we advised "paper-clip only," because HR will want to photocopy it and distribute it, so if you staple it, chances are the paper will tear as the HR person pulls them apart to photocopy them. For similar reason, no binders.
posted by jak68 at 2:09 PM on August 17, 2006

Ya if you are going in person you don't need a cover letter or anything. One page is best if you can, esp. if you are early in your career (which I suspect you are). Don't let's hear about all your school stuff unless it's strictly relevant, eg, you edited college paper and are applying for work as an ed. asst. somewhere.
posted by Mister_A at 2:18 PM on August 17, 2006

And make sure you use nice *white* paper. I worked at a career management firm for several years, and we used nothing but nice white bond for resumes.
posted by bibbit at 2:35 PM on August 17, 2006

No report cover! If you have 'some bull' to bump it up to two pages, edit it back to one. If it's not necessary information, it's just distracting.

How to write a masterpiece of a resume
Note especially the page of power words.
Example resumes.
posted by sLevi at 2:49 PM on August 17, 2006 [5 favorites]

No binding whatsoever. If you are worried about it getting bent, grab a manila folder to place it in while in transport. It will also double as a way to carry extra copies, which you can hand out to anybody you speak with.

Also, the one-page rule for resumes is universally true. Unless you are applying for the CEO position, there is no chance at all that you can't fit all the relevant info on one page.
posted by MrZero at 2:54 PM on August 17, 2006

Also, the one-page rule for resumes is universally true.

When did this change? For all my life it's been the two-page rule, exclusive of any cover letter. I haven't seen more than a handful of one-page resumes pass over my desk, ever. A mere ten years ago when I was in a job-search program we were told two pages for a resume.

One page? Where? When?
posted by solid-one-love at 3:09 PM on August 17, 2006

I'd always been told two pages but only one sheet of paper-- print on both sides.
posted by InfidelZombie at 3:26 PM on August 17, 2006

The one-page resume idea is only true for those with less than 4-6 years experience. If you have more than that (in the same field), there is no way everything will fit on one page. Especially if you're building your career and adding value to yourself, it's impossible to fit an entire career on one page, and does you a grave injustice.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 3:27 PM on August 17, 2006

I've always used a paper clip to keep my cover letter, resume and references together. If the resume is more than one page, it gets stapled to itself -- but the other items are attached to it with the paperclip.

I always bring a folder to hold it (along with a pad of paper, pen, portfolio pieces/clips, directions to the job place, etc) until I need to pull it out, but that's just to keep myself organized and give my hands something to do so they don't fidget. A hiring manager doesn't need a folder or report cover for your resume.
posted by phatkitten at 3:35 PM on August 17, 2006

What SeizeTheDay and phatkitten said.
posted by desuetude at 4:00 PM on August 17, 2006

Thanks so much for the help guys. I got ride of the first fluff page and made some changes from the above suggestions to the resume it self.
I need to bring some other papers with me anyway so I love the folder idea.
posted by blackout at 4:10 PM on August 17, 2006

Even better than a folder is a leather portfolio (see some examples here. They reflect your seriousness, dependability, etc. and yet they are very cool.
posted by crepeMyrtle at 5:47 AM on August 18, 2006