3 replies to this topic

[mpphipps]

Hi Cartotalkers!

I'm looking for an apprentice cartographic or GIS position to expand my skills in the mapping and cartographic fields. I'm also interested in an internship, or any position that might broaden my experience. I am a May 2010 graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.A. in Geography and a History double major, with a 3.46 GPA. I am highly organized and detail oriented. I have natural communication skills and I am self-motivated and efficient in my work.

I feel that my excitement for the field and willingness to work in a wide range of positions that might grow my knowledge of GIS makes me a worthy candidate. I’m a very hard worker, and I’m always willing to go the extra mile. Any desired skills that I may lack, I can more than make up for by being a quick learner and quite trainable. I have a great appreciation for doing a job well, and producing the best possible result, as all of my references can attest.

My geography major provided extensive hands-on experience with ArcGIS through both supervised lab experience as well as team project experience. In our teams we were required to complete many mapping and GIS assignments that gave me the necessary foundation to take my next steps in this field. These projects required the manipulation and interpretation of data, as well as the subsequent illustration of this data through well-planned cartographic productions. My experience aiding an Old Dominion University professor in researching geographic terms for a textbook glossary helped to fine tune my ability to communicate concisely, as well as solidify my foundation in geography. My past and current jobs have cultivated the ability to quickly transition between and execute multiple assignments, as well as work independently and with a team.

I look forward to hearing from you guys about any open positions or opportunities that you might know of! Please see my resume attached at the bottom.

Thanks for your help,
Mallory Phipps

Please contact me at:
mpphipps@gmail.com

[Resume_Mallory_Phipps.doc]

Attached Files

•  Resume___Mallory_Phipps.doc   49.5K   63 downloads

[Jimbo]

I'm not saying that I do not make mistakes with my resume but rate away I see some problems with it so here are some questions I need to ask you:

- Have you worked with GIS in a real working situation rather paid or a volunteer position. The reason I ask this is that I noticed that you claim to have experience but I found no proof that you have used it for eg. as a legal assistant assuming I'm reading it right you may have done some draft work with what? A GIS system or CAD?

- Grades mean crap unless it's in a tie breaker situation. I recommend not to include you GPA or you grades on a resume. Experience means a lot & education means well lets just say more then not thrown in the garbage pile because employers want proof. So get rid of your grades unless they ask for them.

- Expand your skill set, in other words have you used more then just ArcGIS? (Manifold GIS, MapInfo, etc.) Perhaps list extensions (eg. 3D Analyst), database skills (Access databases, SQL, etc., project management, list your graphic design skills. have you used Computer Aided Design software, (AutoCad Map, Microstation)? And many other skills in the field that are required.

Trying not to be ignorant of your situation but I feel the best way to help you is to be brutally honest with you because I'm reading from an employers point of view rather I would want to take a chance on you or not. So here is my suggestion, expand your resume, show some of your works if you have any in the map gallery section of this forum. And if you have no samples & can not expand on that resume either hope for a kind enough individual to take you on, use your current skill set out of this field or go back & get more GIS education. By the way with your current education you don't need to worry about technician stuff. I would grab the bull by his horns & pursue an education that is going to make me either a GIS analyst or GIS Researcher.

[ELeFevre]

- Grades mean crap unless it's in a tie breaker situation. I recommend not to include you GPA or you grades on a resume. Experience means a lot & education means well lets just say more then not thrown in the garbage pile because employers want proof. So get rid of your grades unless they ask for them.

Are you kidding me? If someone takes pride in getting straight A's in relevant course-work, that tells me they actual care and obviously worked hard to get those grades. Grades only "mean crap" if you have crap grades.

[Derek Tonn]

- Grades mean crap unless it's in a tie breaker situation. I recommend not to include you GPA or you grades on a resume. Experience means a lot & education means well lets just say more then not thrown in the garbage pile because employers want proof. So get rid of your grades unless they ask for them.

Are you kidding me? If someone takes pride in getting straight A's in relevant course-work, that tells me they actual care and obviously worked hard to get those grades. Grades only "mean crap" if you have crap grades.

I guess I might be between those two extremes. For me, it's all about SHOWING me what you can do. The resume is about 1/10 as important as the portfolio. Someone can get a 4.0 GPA and graduate with honors from one of the more prestigious institutions on the planet...but that doesn't mean anything if they don't have "it." And by "it," I mean an eye for design. Not only attention to detail, but effective use of color, type, positive and negative space, etc. Someone can be an expert using just about any software program out there and still not come close to having "it."

That said, if two individuals' portfolios are roughly the same in diversity and design quality, I'd rather hire the person with the 3.46 than a 2.75. Having pride in one's work in school is a good indicator of having pride in one's work with an employer. However, a person can have all the pride in the world in the work they do, know how to use all the software tools, etc., and still not have "it." And the only way to know whether or not they have "it" is if they can show me what they've done...preferably while also writing or verbalizing the method and purpose behind the decisions they made to reach that end-result.

So for me? GPA is important...but not nearly as important as seeing a portfolio. In a visual field though, I won't waste time on people who simply send me resumes. Their portfolio is the star of the show...with the resume hopefully positively reinforcing what I'm seeing (not the other way around).