Welcome to crowd-sourced resume review for LIS job hunters!
Please help the job hunter below by using the comment button to offer constructive criticism on her resume. Some guidelines for constructive feedback are here, and the ALA NMRT has brief tips for reviewing resumes here.
This 2 page resume was submitted by a job hunter who says,
I intend to use it for lower level public library positions such library assistant III, II, or I. I am still in my first year of the library graduate program but am actively applying for positions.
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Hiring Librarians 
A suggestion for your summary section, the entire section reads as a lot of telling and very little showing. For example, anyone can say they have a proven talent for leadership, you need to show them HOW by stating an example.
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I would cut the social media links at the end, other than perhaps LinkedIn which can be like an “extended resume” with links to writings, projects, etc. You may be tempted (or maybe you’re not! but I know some starting professionals who are) to cut the retail coffee shop position but I think you should for sure keep it, it shows you have excellent customer service experience which will translate to public library.
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I would consider removing the summary of qualifications and instead addressing those points in your cover letter. And as Lauren suggested, giving examples of each point. I’d also consider saying that your MLS is expected in 2016.
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I would also agree with removing the qualifications section. These qualifications should be shown through the rest of your resume. I would also remove the objective statement at the top, since it is another instance of telling rather than showing.
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It’s my understanding that objectives on a résumé are considered outdated. It also comes across as a little redundant since what comes next is the qualifications section. I agree with the previous commenters about removing both of these sections.
I would rename “professional highlights” to something more traditional like related, recent, selected work experience (as applicable). I’d also include your social media links as part of your contact info, not a separate section.
I’d also consider reworking some of the wording of the various bullets so the sentence construction is more consistently parallel. Also, would suggest using present tense for current positions.
Finally, have you considered adding a “skills” section? That’s the only other thing I can think of.
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You might consider putting social media links in a different place or simply omitting them. The HR person will look for you on the networks that are important to them.
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I pretty much agree with everyone else I would take out the objective or your statement, it takes up valuable space and as anon msls stated they are pretty much outdated. Also I would get rid of the summary of qualifications or do as Lauren suggested if you want to keep it. I’m in agreement that if you keep your social media links put them in your contact info although I would just include your linkedin perhaps, or at least hyperlink to them if you are going to include them. In your education section since you M.L.I.S. and B.S. are from the same institution I would take out the repeat of the school and move the B.S. up. Also put prospective or anticipated, 2016. In professional highlights the second bullet reads more as an action whereas the others read as a statement. As for the cafe manager position you should make your descriptions past tense i.e. Hired, trained, conducted ect…otherwise it reads as a current position. Lastly, I would create a separate section for your professional development. This is a personal preference, but I like to plainly see the professional organization I feel like this hides a little but that is totally my preference.
Great experience espically cusstomer service wise thus far. Good luck!
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I think the summary section might be better served if it were trimmed down or saved for the cover letter where you can give concrete examples. The date for the master’s degree should read “expected 2016”. I also agree that social media links should be removed; anyone in a hiring position would be able to find you on their chosen social media site. If you have a LinkedIn profile, the objective statement at the top would fit well there.
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I don’t think there is anything wrong with having a summary of qualifications, but I would suggest that you shorten it to what you feel are the most relevant points. You might even want to create a skills section where you can point some of the other ones out.
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I agree with the others–the objective section could be added to a cover letter. It’s taking up valuable real estate. I think this resume can be condensed to one page. I would remove the social media links and move the education section to the end of the resume. The summary of qualifications section is interesting, but I think it would make more sense to demonstrate these skills in description of your positions. I would also consistently use action verbs in your bullet points for the descriptions. Sometimes you use verbs and sometimes you don’t. It would make this resume much more dynamic to use verbs throughout.
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