Editing Resumes

November 30th, 2005

I’ve noted before how I have some modest ability at writing resumes and cover letters, which I credit to my days as a UVIC CSC co-op student. I may have also mentioned how I’ve volunteered to help fellow Sauder MBA classmates with their job search and job application process. This was always appreciated with one inexplicable but none-the-less extremely notable exception.

Even without my blogging, rumours of my efforts to help classmates have spread. Now I’ve been given something like eight resumes to edit by Danna Zhu. Apparently one of the resumes I edited previously led to some increased success in the job search process. This has earned me a hug. Unfortunately for me I am in the wrong continent, so I had to take a rain check.

Have people lost so much respect/faith in the BCC that they have chosen to bypass them entirely?

I’ve also been tasked by my Theory of Investment TA, some undergrads, and of course the lead dancing girl in the School of Economics and Management with aiding them or people they care for in job applications, grad school applications, attempts to solicate aid and support from corporations, I’m starting to lose track. All I know is it is 12:26 AM, I spent all day in various internet cafes trying to keep my blog up-to-date and to fend off the latest threat to my MBA degree.

I could be studying for my Law final or working on either my International Economics or International Marketing final paper. I could be looking for a job for myself. Instead I’m updating my blog and helping other people.

Applying for jobs has changed in the last twenty plus years

Now in 2026, I’ve spent the last seven years working for the same firm in Calgary Alberta Canada, however the only constant is change, so you should always keep your resume up to date, even if just to be ready for opportunities internal or otherwise. In 2026, everyone who is serious about looking for a job has a LinkedIn profile. Homepages and blogs have gone the way of the dodo or at least are from a bygone era.

People still create content, but now they monetize it through YouTube, or TikTok or even Twitter. Giving away advice for free, or editing people’s resumes for free, this ultimately leads to disappointment. Paying it forward, is alright from time to time, but reciprocity is largely dead and sometimes you have to look out for your own physical and mental health as the chairman of our board would say.

Eventually I did look after my own physical and mental health and I need to devote more time to that again, not updating twenty year old blog posts about editing resumes. I edited my own resume recently when we went through another corporate reorganization. My job title did not change this time, but the department I work for did change as did the overall org chart. Job titles, org charts, these matter a little on a resume but what matter more are accomplishments.

That is why I devoted so much time to professional development, to try and overcome the things that happened during and after my MBA. I thought after finally completing the CFA Program or at least passing the third exam I was done, but no. Finding a job remains a challenge. The average resume gets reviewed for seven seconds by an actual human being and this after it gets through all the prescreening being done by AI. This is why you need real measurable accomplishments, you need them at the top of your resume and all the fluff about your hobbies or career objectives or your motivation matters less than you think as you’ve only have seven seconds to make a first impression.

Typing that last paragraph took more than seven seconds. Reading that last paragraph took more than seven seconds. I need to spend all my spare seconds on my latest professional development program, the Certificate in Quantitative Finance. Editing old blog posts, just like editing your resume or editing other people’s resumes over and over will only get you so far. Google’s algorithm ain’t what it used to be, this website gets less and less visits, sometimes I notice when an old obscure webpage receives a visit, even if the person immediately does not find what they are looking for, I sometimes take the time to check the content and refresh it with links to posts I’ve written over the years:

If you have thoughts on editing resumes, LinkedIn, reciprocity, or the even the Sauder School of Business you can leave a comment below. Austin Lebron had some thoughts on LinkedIn in 2026 forcing me to update old blog posts yet again.

This entry was originaly posted on November 30th, 2005, it was last edited on July 11th, 2026 and is filed under: Rambles and tagged: Cover Letter, Resume, Writing.