MetaChat - Ask MeCha: Editorial style geeks, please don your propeller hats

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24 January 2008

Ask MeCha: Editorial style geeks, please don your propeller hats →[More:]

and step inside.

I need help, even more than usual. I'm tidying up a resume / cover letter / references combo, and I think I've got it massaged to the point of completion.

This needs to be the BEST EVAR set of documents because (shhh, the mgr of the dept. to whom this position reports has point-blank asked me to apply for it) I've worked up the courage to apply for an IT position for which I have ZERO formal training or education (tho the way the job description's been written, that may or may not be critical). Hence this thing needs to not look all... er, hinky, if you know what I mean. I've got the content, layout and font handled, it's just these little pesky details that niggle and irk.

So how, my dear style mavens and MeChas, should the page headers appear? I've a 2 page resume, followed by my references sheet. I'm waffling over the "lonefrontranger, p.2" / "lfr, references" bit at the top of the 2nd and 3rd pages. Right or left justified? Commas? Page numbers or no? Erg. Every time I think I've got this stuff down, they go and change the 'standards' on me. Doesn't matter what the 'cool kids' in the design industries are doing BTW, the audience will be techie science computer nerds.

enthusiastic whuffles to helpful bunnies!

post by: lonefrontranger at: 14:35 | 10 comments

Are these the sorts of computer nerds who would notice approvingly if your documents looked like TeX output? If so, you might think about doing it in TeX and sticking almost exclusively with defaults.

posted by ROU Xenophobe 24 January | 14:39

hee!

It has to get past HR first, so while that's a worthwhile proposal, probably no, but thanks all the same ROUX.

they want it submitted all old-skool and dead-tree-ish too, for what that's worth. Probably for the benefit of those same HR peeps now that I think on it.

{type: "Hello, World"}
/end
%

posted by lonefrontranger 24 January | 14:56

I should add that our HR people are pretty unimaginative and tend to frown on weird fonts, or pretty much anything outside Times or Arial)

posted by lonefrontranger 24 January | 15:00

Everybody frowns on anything besides Times or Arial nowadays.

"lonefrontranger, p.2" / "lfr, references" is fine, whichever corner looks better. Their only purpose is to be able to reassemble the package if it gets separated.

posted by Ardiril 24 January | 15:14

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but I would put the same header on all three pages that you do on the first page of your resume: to wit, your full name, address, phone, email. As if it was personalized stationary that you were writing upon. plz enter that into most awkward sentence contest, tks This is partly because of what Ardiril said - in case it gets separated - and partly because I think it makes the whole document look more consistent. Obviously you wouldn't do that with the cover letter too, though - but I do it for page 2 of my resume and the references page.

posted by mygothlaundry 24 January | 15:33

thanks mgl! great tip, done, and done!

posted by lonefrontranger 24 January | 15:44

.... and SQUEE!!!! I posted it to the HR dept.

/is excited cos holy damn, not only do I get along swimmingly with the prospective boss-dude, this would be an unprecedented career boost for my spastic uneducated ass... that is, if it actually happens.

posted by lonefrontranger 24 January | 15:54

"an IT position for which I have ZERO formal training"

A person from the business side who knows nothing about IT can be worth much more to IT than IT staff who know nothing about the business.

posted by Ardiril 24 January | 17:15

LUCK!

posted by deborah 24 January | 17:33

Ardiril, you're not the first person to have said this, but I definitely appreciate it. This is one of the reasons I worked up the courage to try it.

Thanks deborah! The wheels of this international megapharma corporate HR machine grind slow, but exceedingly fine. I doubt they'll begin the interview process for several weeks, but any good luck bones tossed my way are certainly welcome.

posted by lonefrontranger 24 January | 18:28

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