Resume question, I would appreciate some input

[2000neon]

I would like some fresh opinions on this. I am currently in my 3rd year at Wilfed Laurier University here in Waterloo, in honours Health Science, and I am looking to get into more career related work. I am applying for various positions including physician assistant, pharmacy assistant, and lab tech assistant. I have some previous lab, and pharmacy experience, as well as some direct medical experience, from my medical volunteering trip to Nicaragua and Honduras. My medical experience includes hands on work with patients, including interviewing patient history, taking blood pressure, physical examinations, etc.

My question is for applying for one specific position, am I better off to only list skills related to the position, or due to my relative lack of experience, list all of the skills that I have, even if they don't apply to the job? For example, should I mention direct patient care, when applying for the pharmacy assistant position?

I have heard strong arguments, for both sides, with more votes towards showcasing my wide variety of skills, as a supplement for relative lack of experience. While some others say to exclude exprience/ skills that do not transfer to the position that I am applying for.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Steve

[user removed]

Highlight what is relevant to that particular job application but include all of your education. Since your experience level is lower the time you have devoted to education should offset it to a certain degree.

regards
Mech

[gone-ot]

"...additional medical experience includes: aaaa, bbbb, cccc....x,y,z."

[2000neon]

Awesome thank you for the replies. So it seems like I should do a bit of both, highlighting specific skills, but still mention other skills.

So far most of my resume is education, I have 6.5 years of work experience (since I was 15), but none of it relates to what I'm applying for, so I'm not going to go into any detail on them.

Side rant: Why do so many "entry-level" positions require a year or more of experience?!

[user removed]

My good friends son worked 3 months from the age of 18 to over 20. List all your working experience so they will know you are not afraid of work. I had 4 jobs when I was 15, dug oysters, waxed cars, delivered papers, and mowed lawns. My good friends son was texting 7000 messages a month and sitting on his arse while his father took care of everything.

Who would you want to hire, me or him?

Your potential employer can not know what you have done if you do not provide the information, he can choose to not read all of that information but if you submit a blank application you certainly will not get hired.

Be frank and respectful of his time and if you feeel like you provided too much information make sure you "just say that" which he will recognize as respective of his time.

regards
Mech

[2000neon]

That is a very good point, and thanks again! I am adding all employment and dates, but not going to go into detail about what it involved. Working on a farm, plowing snow, landscaping, and making pizzas don't exactly help with being a physician assistant.

It does show reliability I suppose, I wouldn't have been kept at the farm for 6 years if I was afraid to work.

[user removed]

I remember one "test" in community college. It was 20 questions. The first instruction was to read everything on the test before answering any question. The last "question" was another instruction to not answer anything just turn in the test after you had signed it.

I walked up with my "completed test" (in about 2 minutes) with every other student looking at me like I was insane. I was the only one that had followed the first instruction. The test was to see if you could follow directions.

regards
mech

[2000neon]

That's awesome! It's amazing, and sad how few people can't follow instructions, or think for themselves. I'm in university, and some of the people I see there worry me!

[user removed]

Originally Posted by 2000neon

That is a very good point, and thanks again! I am adding all employment and dates, but not going to go into detail about what it involved. Working on a farm, plowing snow, landscaping, and making pizzas don't exactly help with being a physician assistant.

It does show reliability I suppose, I wouldn't have been kept at the farm for 6 years if I was afraid to work.

Precisely, if the employer wants more information he can just ask. Once I had been ticketed for 80 in a 55 zone. I spent a good deal of time writing about all of thecircumstances of my offense and handed the paper to the judge. He told me he was not going to read it, that I had to tell him what happend, but he kept the paper I had written. When I finished my explanation which was a potential case of road rage on the part of another driver that I was trying to get away from he dismissed the charge (reckless with 5 points and a $500 fine) as long as I completed a driver improvement school, which I did and scored perfectly.
When the cop teaching the improvement class told me I should just sit there and let a driver plow into my arse at a traffic light instead of trying to get out of his way as I had done at least 6 times before, I told him I would try to avoid the accident, even if it meant breaking the law, and let the judge sort it out in court. No law requires me to accept a potentailly deadly collision at risk of life and limb, just as no law requires me to become the victim of a criminal act.

regards
Mech

PS I think working on a farm is one of the best character building scenarios any future employer could hope for in a new hire.