What did I learn from the Resume reading sections? Well for one I learned that everyone has an opinion on what makes a resume good.
I also learned from the IMdiversity.com and Rands In Repose articles that they do not read a majority of your resume sections as well as spend about 30 seconds scanning it over once. Does this mean we should not put effort into our resumes? No, of course not, that would be stupid. We should be putting more time and effort into them in hopes of getting that job we desire.
Well many of the articles agreed on what to do when writing a resume. For one do not be vague about any of your responsibilities. Now is not the time to be modest, now is the time to say in detail what you did for your company. If you reduced production costs, tell by how much. How many users read that manual you made. Those sorts of things impress recruiters for the thirty seconds they scan your resume.
Did you say you were experienced with C++ or any other programming language? That sounds pretty boring. Recruiters want to hear what you programmed and for who. Even if the company is not a Fortune 500 company but for some local business, all work experience counts.
Other tips include listing anything that would be on a time line in reverse chronological order. Since people review your resume in 10-30 seconds you want all the important information for each category at the top. That makes it so much easier to skip over the rest of the section. I have also been told conflicting things about the interests sections. Some say to leave it out and others say to include it. From reading these articles I would say skip it unless it you can somehow help a business with these skills.
All in all, businesses are looking for people who help fill their pockets with money. You have to tailor each resume to each different business you apply for. What IBM is looking for will not be the same as what the New York Times is looking for. Read the job ad and go from there. All you need is some hard work, perseverance, and some luck.
Jeff
The Fortune 500 Gimmick
I actually walked into Knoy on Purdue's Campus and they had a resume critiquing table on the first floor. It made me laugh because of what we discussing in this class. I asked myself if the people at the tables could tell me more about a resume than all of the articles and readings that we have done. As you said in your reading response, everyone has an opinion with resumes and it is hard to decipher what is correct. The other question that I had is if a company is a Fortune 500 company would a person put that next to the company on a resume? If I had to do it I would not put it, but in some resume examples I have seen people have put statements like "Fortune 100" company. I have learned that it is going to be hard making a good resume for the future.
Interests Section
As far as including the interests section I agree with you that if in some way one of your interest could help the company then include it otherwise save them for the second interview. On the other hand if the company is a real personable group and you share a common interest with the rest of the group then it might be a good time to include your interests. Unless you really do your homework on what type of company it is you really just never know. This just goes back to the importance of knowing your reader and what they are looking for.
Be selective and Be Specific
True enough, it seems everyone has an opinion when it comes to drafting a good resume. And no two opinions are the same. Still, as it appears, many do share a few similarities. First and foremost, be selective in what you include in your resume. That is, be clear and precise, including only what is relevant and what you anticipate the recruiter will find interesting and beneficial in a new hire. I think you were spot-on in your reference to simply stating on a resume that you have C++ experience as opposed to what you wrote using C++. I had an interview early last where this issue came up. On my resume I simply outlined having experience in various programming languages. But when I was seated in the interview, the recruiter wanted to know detailed specifics as to what I had written, how efficient I was in doing so, if the programs were being used today and if so, where, etc. This is something I will definitely emphasize in the future.
Details
It is important to point out that including the details of prior experiences is more important than listing those experiences in the first place. As you've pointed out it is necessary to go beyond that first step and say something that quantifies that special skill set of yours. However, as you have also mentioned, you need to include only the relevant details that are directed towards specific employers. Still, though, I'm befuddled by the 10-30 second glance at people's resumes. If the reader is doing as you say, scanning the 'important' details at the top and skipping the rest, then why even have the rest? Moreover, if they are spending 30 seconds maximum reading a resume, why have anything in complete sentences-why not just bullet several fragments and limit the resume to a half of a page containing all of the things that would have been otherwise scanned. Alas, if everyone does this than the average time spent reading a resume will drop to 5 seconds...