Oh yay. Tell me about resumes in the real world

[Here]

I have been in government and haven't applied for private company jobs in five years. My current résumé is long because that is the norm. 

A few months ago I saw a job posted at a stable company in an area I love. I didn't apply. I just saw it was posted again. I am really excited!

I don't know how to work a few things into a shorter resume.

I have had a different job on average every 18 months. 
I have worked on a special project for a significant period of time not related to my job.
i held two jobs at the same company for much of a year.

Here is my job history:

Company1
Job1. Location1. Entry level job. I have a few bullets, but I don't have much to put on here.
Job2. Location2. Transferred to this location to go to grad school fulltime paid by my employer. I worked in the office four months and went to school the rest. Job was same as above, but different projects. Slightly related to job I would apply for.
Job3. Location2. Good projects and accomplishments. Related to jobs above, but I had considerably more responsibilities. Slightly related to job I would apply for.

I hated all the travel so I changed jobs.

Company2. Same location.
Job1. Good projects and accomplishment. Obtained a certification that is important for job I am applying for.
Job2. Manager over Job1 office. Related to job I am applying for. There was another management vacancy and I went back and forth and did both for a year.
Job3. Officially transferred to the other management job. 
Job4. Started working fulltime on special project, but officially I am still in Job3. Did a lot of random, but impressive things. 


Also, the job has a very long list of required and preferred skills. I am a good match. How do I address those? 

Any cover letter tips? My previous format was simple. Opening about interest in job, Several bullets on my qualifications that seemed important in the announcement, closing statement about looking forward to talking. 

[Here]

Can I leave the first job really short and combine the second two jobs at the first company since my title didn't change? The office and job responsibility changed, but were related.

How about combining the two management jobs? I really struggle with the dates, because I did job2 for six months, job2&3 for three months, job3 for six months, job2&3 for seven months, officially moved to job3, maternity leave for three months right after, job3 for six months, job4 for five months, job3&4 now.

[loveday]

Leave out the months, it makes your job history look choppy. You can list all your positions at the same company under "one roof" DO NOT BULLET TASKS ONLY ACHIEVEMENTS/ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

Your best bet on the resume is to put the skills required into a core competencies section below your summary.

I critique CVs and resumes for a living so if you need a hand let me know.

[drloretta]

How long is your current resume?

For company 1, I'm tempted to say you should only talk about Job 3 and address the other 2 in your resume (eg, "after completing X degree I used the experience from 2 entry level jobs at Company 1 to accomplish A, B, and C")

For company 2 I'd still keep jobs 1-3, but put Job 4 in a special category for specific accomplishments or skills

For the long list of required and preferred skills, if you are in a technical field, it's perfectly acceptable IMO to have a skills/experience summary at the beginning of your resume that can be somewhat lengthy. DH is in a technical field and the first 1/2 page of his resume is a bulleted list of skills specific to his positions.

[Deleted]

I just wanted to say that I saw this yesterday and thought of you! Glad you posted this question so I could share the link.

Baby Okapi!!!

www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2013/01/officially-hes-one-in-a-hundred-but-to-tampas-lowry-park-zoo-hes-one-in-a-million-a-rare-okapi-calf-afor.html

Per your original question, I totally agree with lovedays feedback! The more cosolidation and structure you can give, the easier for hiring managers to review and assess. Combining very similar roles is also great - particularly if each was under a year as you shared above.

[Here]

Thanks for the advice. The resume is submitted electronically so no cover letter will be needed.

My current résumé is 6 pages. I have been trimming it down and focusing on the skills. How long can it be? It is submitted electronically in a text box.