Question about writing a resume for employment....

DonaldRobertson

DonaldRobertson

Location
Youngstown, Ohio
Well I got a question about writing a resume. From the time I was 18-23 years old I had always worked on and off as a security officer and now since I got interested and started doing tree work I was wondering if I should only list my past tree service employment which I have only worked for one tree service company since I stopped doing security work but since I have changed to a different employment path do you think I should also list my security employers too or just the tree service employer? I want to make my resume look very professional as possible. I hope I worded this out good enough so you all can understand what I'm trying to say if not then send me a message and I'll try to word it better for you.
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I have posted my resume. If you guys think it looks good enough of if it can be better improved let me know.
 

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If you leave a chronological gap in your resume be ready to explain what you were doing. Cracking rocks or making license plates at Stone State would be harder to explain if it weren't written down...joke :)

Work records were all more important to me, not so much what work was done.

Most of my hiring was started and finished within the first five minutes on the phone. Reading a resume and meeting in person rarely changed the phone performance which rarely changed how employees 'showed up' at work.
 
After I get this resume written out I will post it and see what you all think of it and then you can tell me if anything should be changed to make it look/seem more professional. So far I think its looking really nice.
 
i would include everything as your employment history is fairly short. my wife is an english teacher and could give u some pointers when you post it. as for finding a job be aggressive. Even if a company is not hiring just show up and introduce yourself. Tell them your willing and able to work hard and soak up info like a sponge. You cant go wrong from improving your education in arboriculture. Even if you dont intend to follow a degree path, read read read. The more you know the more employable you will be.
 
Let me quote Mater who said, "You'll never know where you are going, unless you know where you have been."

Have all of your work history down in writing. It is nice as a prospective employer to see that someone has experienced all sorts of employment from a young age. Helped friends haying when you were in high school? Put it down. Mopped floors? That's good to. Delivery truck driver? Shows you know how to read a map. Dug ditches? Hard work. Worked at a temp agency? Shows you were proactive in keeping employed. (These are all things I have done in the past, BTW) Write down the months and years you did each and list the benefits or skills you gained during your employment there. Have you been to seminars like the ones at the Vermeer dealers? Write it down. Read arboriculture books? Good to list as well.

I think you get the point. Also write down what your goals and aspirations are. It will help you to interview potential employers at the same time they are looking at you.
 
I would recommend to keep the work history on your resume relevant to the position you are applying for. But since you only have a summers worth of tree work then I would say put your security experience on there. I dont know if you want to put every single work experience on your resume though, if you did that your resume could be 10 pages long.

Since your tree work experience is limited, I agree with zeb, list any seminars you have attended, books you have read, organizations you are a member of that is relevant to the position. It shows that you are interested in the industry and willing to learn.

I have never hired anyone, or had to look through a stack of resumes, but I have written my own resume. So I am no expert by any means!
 
After going through a lot of applications and resumes recently, the big thing for me was SPELLING!!! Double and triple check it!! I can't believe how many people are willing to put something out there with errors!!!! Work history isn't as important to me as long as they haven't been fired from every job they have had. Peoples interests change - let them know why you decided to move on to tree work!
 
I would say to list your security stuff as well that way they can go back and check to see what kind of employee you were. If you were on time and everything and what not.
 
Keep your resume to one page if you can. Short, concise and to the point. Spelling and proper grammar is HUGE!
 
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Keep your resume to one page if you can. Short, concise and to the point. Spelling and proper grammar is HUGE!

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That's what I'm planning on doing. I know when I had a resume written just for security jobs it was 2 pages long but I know the one I'm making up for tree work is going to be one page long.
 
I'd add them as something that you have had some experience with, but don't try to stretch it.

As an employer, I'm be interested to hear from prospective employees:

Skills, training, and tools they have some experience with
Skills, training, and tools they have proficiency with
Skills, training, and tools use that they can train others to do/use
Skills and training they would like to receive (shows what you know you don't know, and would like to improve)
Skills and training that they have plans to develop (such as working toward a Certified Tree Worker by xx/xx/xxxx, or taking CTW test on xx/xx/xxxx)



What skills and knowledge are you specifically developing now? Maybe when you have your resume ready for posting, we can offer some things for you to focus on developing that will make you more marketable.

Best of luck, Donald!
 
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What skills and knowledge are you specifically developing now? Maybe when you have your resume ready for posting, we can offer some things for you to focus on developing that will make you more marketable.
Best of luck, Donald!

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I was recently taught how to do SRT climbing (treebuzzer Rexman taught me SRT) and I taughy myself how to do DdRT using a blake's hitch to ascend and descend doing body thrusts. I just got done typing my resume and just gonna look at some resume examples to see how they compare to mine and see if I can add more to my resume to better improve it.
 
You can go two routes with a resume, short and concise or two pages. Never longer than two. I prefer the two page format cause it gives the employer a full spectrum of you as a worker. I have mine setup in categories like non-tangible skills (good communication skills n stuff like that) education, accomplishments/credentials, future goals pertaining to the industry, and then my work history. I may put a hobby section, its not important but gives a bit of insight as to what you do with your free time (i.e I like to fish, which gives them idea that I like the outdoors, and it may provide common ground for informal discussion.) Goals are important cause it shows that your are driven to achieve something. Try to use buzz words, you can search resume buzz words on google and get a good list of them, try not to repeat them though, and change it up everytime. "I did this." "I did this." "I did this." over and over again is boring and doesn't give much depth to your resume.

For my work record I did it reverse chronological, from my previous/current employer and work back. I've had a lot of different jobs, and Im not going to list them all. Im fortunate enough have built some time in the tree/landscape industry so my time in the past 5-6 years has been occupied with that. I don't overlap my tangible skills I have gained. If I've operated a chipper at one place I don't say that I did it at the other. It gives you more space on your resume to fill with skills and credentials. List what you did and your duties involved. Here is an example from my resume.


Climber/Ground worker April 2010 to Current
Pinnacle Tree and Shrub: St. Agatha, Ontario
• Proficient at a variety of tree entry and ascension techniques including SRT, foot locking, hip thrusting, etc.
• Experience climbing on large tree removals.
• Productive with several rigging methods including zip-lining w/haul-back, load transfer lines, Good Rig raising/lowering device, redirects, block and tackles, and other mechanical advantage systems.

Format is important and so is spelling. A cover letter is a nice chance to build yourself up before they read your resume and gives more perspective as to your character as a person.
 
Donald you have a lot of heart. Keep up the search. "proficent with rope and saddle" might be better than differentiating between Ddrt/srt Some guys are still in the dark ages and may not know those terms. Put down all jobs. If asked its all you could find at the time.

good luck
 
Just make sure you know what it is you want them to understand about you from your history.

You tell them that you're a "hardworker"? Where's the proof in your history? Does the experience at the security firm show you're a good communicator? Disciplined? Willing to take direction? Punctual?

Think about what you're writing down and be sure you have the stories to illustrate you're talents.

Resumes are your personal sales brochure. Make sure it does the job for you.
 
Treehumper, I went to Davey Tree this morning and filled out my application and turned in the resume and got interviewed right then and there. The vice president of Davey Tree actually seen in my one post "Why is it so hard to get hired with a tree company" and he sent me an email saying that he would like to discuss career opportunities and I called him and he had me get in touch with the hiring manager in my area which their office is only like 5 miles from me and so I talked to the hiring manager and we met up today and so far I think I might have the job but I think they are going to do reference checks and stuff before making a final decision and what not.

As for someone to know if I'm a hard worker than a reference check will confirm that.- I was commented by the tree service owner I worked for last year that I was a hard worker and I know I will bust my balls to get the done. My theory is to get the job done as fast as possible while doing it safely and get home and relax. As for me being a good communicator, I had to write reports concisely and accurately when I worked security so I put that down and I believe that I'm a good talker.
 
Donald I've been watching your posts for almost a year now and I'm so happy for you that you've got your foot in the door there. I hope it's everything you need, man. You so deserve it. Tyler's right. Mark's a super good guy. You are too so you two will hit it off perfectly.
 
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