codychick411

I need to write a resume but I have no writing credits, nothing published or anything so wtf do I do? Leave it blank? I don't know what to do... HELP!

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lin

That's a tough one.

I would say create something a professional looking as you can. (Using a template from WinWord works pretty well) Avoid a lot of font,bold,color, stuff and run it off on good quality white or very subtle beige or blue paper.

And just emphasize your education, and student pubs you worked for, etc.

Good luck.


Plan Two: LIE

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lisajane

Put just your name on the first page.

Followed by:

Background (what you want and skillls that you have that can't really be put down in any other category)
Major Achievements
Work History (in reverse order starting from current job)
School/Work Experience
Education
Personal Details (name/age/license/nationality/health/interests/address/phone/email)
References

White paper is fine.

I worked off a template on Word and didn't get an interview, let alone a job. Went back and wrote it with a professional, and had to keep an appointment book to remember which interviews I had every day.

Don't lie. They will find out.

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The Backward OX

They won’t necessarily find out if you lie. You just need to be good at it.

I obtained my largest ever salary increase – 50% - by changing jobs, and to land the job I had to bullshit at the interview.

I had no practical experience relating to what the new job entailed. I’d had one hour of mentoring the previous night, sitting in a car on the roadside while my friend - who was doing the same type of work - gave me an outline of what was involved. I sailed in to the interview the next morning, blinded them with a few fancy words and phrases, and I was in like Flynn.

Edit - of course, I had to set up a hot line to my friend for the first few weeks.

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valeca

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I'm here.

HarryG

I commented on a similar thread recently that there could be occasions when being economical with the truth is helpful in life, depending on your own convictions, and depending on the degree of your embellishments.

Several, obviously more truthful individuals, strongly disagreed with me and I didn’t come back into the discussion because I didn’t want to hurt their sensibilities, they seemed to be at an early start of their writing career.

I’ll re-state my stance here (and may well get the same replies), but in my experience there are times when you either massage the truth a little, or you don’t get what you desperately want – the choice is between you and your conscience, and the extent of your ambitions.

Without being facetious, none of our leaders in life got to where they are without at the very least overstating their abilities, or, if you like, lying.

Mike C

I have no problem with being economical, Harry, but there's a time and place for it, and the previous instance - age - isn't one of them.

As for this, what is the resume for? If it's a writing one, be up front. Your resume won't make a blind bit of difference about whether what you're submitting gets published or not.

Different field - business - it's a point of principle for me, if I hire a guy and his resume doesn't check out, he's fired. I don't employ liars.

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HarryG

Over a period of years, I employed a total of 40 people, who, as far as I knew, where honest during their interviews. Subsequently I had to sack all of them, they just couldn’t understand that money they placed in electronic tills belonged to me, and not them.

I still maintain that when submitting a CV with sample material for publication, providing the material is up to scratch, it will not harm you to embellish your life’s achievements, and I’m not suggesting outright fibs, just a gentle massaging of the facts in your favour.

lisajane

When I suggested not to lie, I meant not lying like, putting down a workplace that you've never actually worked for, or detailing a course that you've never studied.

If you're going for a job that you've not had much experience in (say, a tiny bit of a course you studied...) then push that for all you have, but make sure it's still under the rather grey umbrella of 'truth'.

__________________
'Beauty stands and waits with gravity to start her death-defying leap. And he, a little charleychaplin man, who may or may not catch her fair eternal form spreadeagled in the empty air of existence.' - Laurence Felinghetti, 'The Acrobat'

Mike C

Sure, there's a place for embellishments, but what I'm saying is if you don't have to, then don't. We still don't know what the purpose of this resume is. If it's to accompany a short fiction submission, for instance, then the editor isn't really going to give much of a shit about what's in it, they'll be judging the story, not the writer's past glories. If it's your first, say so.

If it's for a novel submission, there's no point making up a publication history. Instead focus on any life experience that makes you a credible writer for the book - "My book is about spies and I worked for 5 years as a mole for the KJB". The agent/author relationship is one based largely on trust, and to start that relationship on a lie isn't a smart move.

If you're writing a NF proposal, sure, you need relevant experience; If you're writing a book about quantum physics when you've never even tasted a quant, you're in trouble. That's when you start embellishing.

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JohnN

If you like writing you must have some credits surely?

If not.....

1. Start a blog
2. Submit an article to a local paper or free newspaper
3. Get an internship that focuses on writing

Apart from that beautify your CV, check out here for ideas.

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Foxee

My two cents on the truth issue is that you need to tell the truth (for one thing it gives you less you have to remember) and the only 'slanting' I'd do is lead with anything that you have that a specific employer would want to see.

But I wouldn't make it up.

Now, the truth issue aside, I'd suggest doing some work for free. Charitable organizations often need some help and they look good on a resume. Try writing for your local newspaper.

It is the longer way around than lying but those are legitimate writing credits. If they ask to see samples of what you've done, you'll have them to show.

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The Backward OX

This thread appears to be a classic example of the truism that genuine understanding is impossible via an Internet forum thread. Half the posters here are talking about job applications and half are talking about something to do with writing.

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Mike C

No; Harry and I were discussing writing resumes but comparing them to work-related issues. Which I guess confirms your truism.

Unfortunately unless the OP comes back and clarifies what it is she's talking about, we're all just wasting our time here.

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lin

Like Ox, said. Lying works if you're good at it and aren't lying yourself into something you can't pull off.

It can serve to patch up problems, in my experience...such as working for years for somebody who died or went crazy and tried to kill you then fired you, or got bought out by a larger company that has no record of you.

I did this yesterday, conincidentally... place a website for a building, giving my buddie's phone and email as contact. It looks very professional and just going to contacts naturally takes them to my pal.

On the other hand...he and I ran that building for several years and left because the owner just got too much, including telling us to refuse to rent to Mexicans, then denying it when it hit the newspapers and firing me because I talked to the TV news about it.
So I migrated the site and set them up to talk to the guy I actually worked for. So kill me.

But if I tried to do that to get a job as a surgeon or flight controller, it might have a few problems down the line.

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