Topic: Winning CVs

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As culled from yahoo home page(4th oct.2010) with concerned responses from readers:

What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
by Hillary Chura | Dec 21, 2009 |
·
In the time it takes you to read this paragraph, the average recruiter will have plowed through six resumes. (We know; we timed one.) Want to increase the chances of your resume making it to the next round? Then don’t do any of these seven things, which recruiters say — more than anything — make them want to push the “shred” button.

1. Apply for a job for which you are not remotely qualified
Many candidates believe the job hunt is a numbers game — drop enough resumes, and you’re bound to land something. But shotguns are for hunting pheasant, not finding jobs. The reality is that recruiters hate wasting time on resumes from unqualified candidates. Morgan Miller, an executive recruiter at StaffMark, recalls the security guard who applied to be a financial risk manager (maybe Lehman should have hired him), while Scott Ragusa at Winter, Wyman talks of the aerial photographer who sought out a position as a tax specialist.
“Sorting through unqualified resumes is frustrating, unproductive and puts an extra burden on staff,” says Katherine Swift, Senior Account Director at KCSA Strategic Communications in Natick, Mass. “It also makes it much more challenging to find the right candidate.” So the next time you’re thinking of blasting out resumes to all 60 of the job listings on Monster.com that have the word “finance” in them , save your time (and that of the recruiters) and only apply for ones for which you’re qualified.

2. Include a lofty mission statement
More than ever, today’s savage job market is about the company, not the candidate. As such, mission or objective statements — particularly ones with an applicant’s hopes, dreams, and health insurance aspirations — will dispatch otherwise fine resumes to the circular file. Employers don’t care about how they can solve your problems — certainly not before they’ve met you and possibly not even after they’ve hired you. Instead, write an “objectives” statement that explains specifically how your skills and experience will help the company you’re applying to, not the other way around. And be very clear about what kind of job you’re seeking.

3. Use one generic resume for every job listing
To stand out amongst the sea of resumes that recruiters receive, yours must speak to each and every specific position, even recycling some of the language from the job description itself. Make it obvious that you will start solving problems even before you’ve recorded your outgoing voicemail message. Your CV or query letter should include a just touch of industry lingo — sufficient to prove you know your stuff but not so much that you sound like a robot. And it should speak to individual company issues and industry challenges, with specifics on how you have personally improved customer loyalty, efficiency, and profitability at past jobs, says workplace and performance consultant Jay Forte. Plus, each morsel should be on point.

“Think hard about how to best leverage each piece of information to your job search advantage,” says Wendy Enelow, a career consultant and trainer in Virginia. “Nothing in your resume should be arbitrary, from what you include in your job descriptions and achievement statements, to whether your education or experience comes first [recent grads may want to put education first] to how you format your contact information.”

4. Make recruiters or hiring managers guess how exactly you can help their client
Sourcing experts want to know — immediately — what someone can offer, and they won’t spend time noodling someone’s credentials. “Animal, vegetable or mineral? Doctor, lawyer or Indian chief?That’s what I’m wondering every time I open a resume. If it takes me more than a split second to figure this out, I feel frustrated,” says Mary O’Gorman, a veteran recruiter based in Brooklyn.

Contd.
5. Don’t explain how past experience translates to a new position
Though candidates should avoid jobs where they have no experience, they absolutely should pursue new areas and positions if they can position their experience effectively. A high school English teacher applying for new jobs, for example, can cite expertise in human resource management, people skills, record keeping, writing, and training, says Anthony Pensabene, a professional writer who works with executives.
“Titles are just semantics; candidates need to relate their ‘actual’ skills and experiences to the job they’re applying for in their resume,” Pensabene says. An applicant who cannot be bothered to identify the parallels between the two likely won’t be bothered with interviews, either.

6. Don’t include a cover letter with your resume
A cover letter should always accompany a resume — even if it’s going to your best friend. And that doesn’t mean a lazy “I’m _____ and I’m looking for a job in New York; please see my attached resume.” Says Lindsay Olson, a partner at Manhattan’s Paradigm Staffing: “I’d like to know why you are contacting me (a particular position, referral, etc.), a short background about yourself, and a career highlight or two. It’s important to attempt to set yourself apart from the competition.”

7. Be careless with details
Reckless job hunters rarely make for conscientious workers. As such, even promising resumes must abide by age-old dictums: typo-free, proper organization, and no embellishment. Susan Whitcomb, author of Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer, says that almost 80 percent of HR managers she surveyed said they would dismiss otherwise qualified candidates who break these rules. She tells the story of one would-be employer who, when looking for an assistant, decided not to hire anyone because every resume she received contained typos.
“With a 6-to-1 ratio of jobseekers-to-jobs in the current marketplace, you can’t afford to make mistakes with your resume,” Whitcomb says.
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you can post your own salary or view others for free.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
This is something that has irked me ever since I started working in the "real" world. "...candidates should avoid jobs where they have no experience" and I think that is just a lot of bunk. If we all went by that rule, no one would ever have a job because they would have no way to get experience. You have to start somewhere and you learn 90% of everything you need to know on most jobs anyway.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
As a former Human Resources professional (who now writes
resumes professionally) I have come across ALL of the seven
errors you wrote about. Many people don't realize that a
resume is a marketing tool, and should have more in common
with a great advertisement than with a job description. One
of the fastest ways to 'turn off' a recruiter or hiring manager
is to present them with a rambling laundry list of job duties.

You provided some great tips that are sure to help the many
people who are currently unemployed or underemployed!

There is a great article called Take Control Of Your
Career
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Employers generally look for 'evidence' of three things from a potential employee: 1. Can you help me make money, 2. Can you help me save money, and 3. Will you fit into our culture? Resumes that don't have evidence (quantifiable achievements - not day-to-day job responsibilities) related the first two items will not enable the applicant to get to the interview, where the third item is generally covered.

Everything on a resume should contribute in a substantial way to one of these three factors employers are looking for. Anything else is just fluff...and detracts/distracts from what applicants should be projecting to potential employers.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
"6. Don’t include a cover letter with your resume
A cover letter should always accompany a resume"
(This doesn't make sense or
This makes sense)? Which?
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
In my experience, the Cover Letter is much more inportant than the resume. After about a week of being hired, I sit down with my new emplyer and ask them what part of my resume captured their attention first. Most of them said that it wasn't the resume, but my Cover Letter that caught their attention. In fact, one employer stated that my Cover Letter is what got me into the door for the interview. My resume almost never gets read. I know because I often get asked questions that are already answered in the resume.
The point I'm trying to make it the Resume is dead. The cover letter (or I like to call it "The Brag Sheet") is essential to entice your prospective employer to give you an interview. Another way to look at this as like a product sales flier. Like when you buy a large LCD TV or a Laser Printer. They all have this little sheets that list all the Features and Benefits this product has. They never include all the R&D, testing, licensing, patents, etc, the product went thought to get place in your store. No one cares about those details. I just want to know that the TV will give me great picture for my money. I want to know if this printer will bleed me to death on ink refills.
Does this all make perfect sense? Have any of you found your cover letter (brag sheet) helped you in any way? Do you agree that resumes are obsolete?
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
This good stuff
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
I've been fired and forced to get a disability designation. I've sent out thousands (literally) resumes to employers who are advertising. I have had help to look over my resume by SCORE and several recruiters. Still my resume is trashed. The only (rare) response that I'm getting is that I'm not qualified (definitely NOT true). Where can I get some help?
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
I dont use resumes, i use personel contact , I ask them if they can do the job on there own and what they can do under pressure, i know there strong points and weakness. if they cant handle the job it there choice to go. it weeds the people out that dont want to work . people have a choice to work if they dont want to and dont do what they are asked its there choice
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
As I have been working in executive search firm for 3 years as a consultant. If candidates prepared their resumes as your advice, I would save a lot of time translating their resumes.....However, I had fill many positions even though the resumes include all the 7 mistakes.
Don't judge a book by its cover!
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
*Claps Claps Claps* What a great and entertaining article! More importantly how true your tips are.
I myself am an executive recruiter working for a reputable firm and I get the most half baked resumes all the time. I've recently started chronicling my personal recruiting woes with candidates that I come across and all the crazy things that I've seen them do or say.
Definitely an interesting read for individuals in the market. I would like to say it shows them what competing candidates are doing wrong so hopefully the person that is reading will do it right...
Happy reading..
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Perhaps it's just me but I very, very rarely read a cover letter until I've looked at the cv and judged whether their experience is relevant for the role. Even then it's not make or break.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
It is not just you petefrancis. I have been responsible for hiring for more than 10 years. I don't read the candidate's cover letter until I've reviewed his / her cv to see if the person's experience is what I'm seeking to fill the role.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Speaking of typos -- you have one in your article!
See if you can find it.
J. Walker San Diego
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Since some people do depend on cover letters over resumes, don't forget to apply the same rules for:
- conciseness;
- clarity; and
- white space around critical points.
When we hire, I glance at the cover letter, but if it's 4 long prose paragraphs I won't read it closely.
NEVER looked at cover letter
Hired lot of great guys, strong background and experience reflects on the type of work conducted.
Cover letter as mentioned is brag sheet... is right... nev er accurate.
Didn't help us.

Contd...
What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Cover letters only tell me if the person can communicate. I always read the resume first to find out if the person is qualified. If I like the resume, I read the cover letter to find out about the candidate's communication skills and to glean anything about their personality/work ethic/attention to detail.
Regarding the other rules, nothing angers me more as a hiring manager than people who "embellish" their resume. I was hiring for a graphic design/multimedia position, and I had several people state on their resumes that they were proficient in Flash's Actionscript. In every case, it turned out that they had only a passing familiarity with the most basic concept ("stop" and "play" commands).
As a hiring manager, I expect candidates to be honest, and let me know what they can do and to what extent. To me, an embellishment is the same thing as a lie. And it's a 100% deal-breaker.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Great to read your article, inspiring and with different view's
angle, although I disagree in two points.
Point 3: Use one generic resume for every job listing
How many resumes one is going to write? Nowadays we all
store our resume on job-search websites. Maybe our profile
was already screened, why rewrite our resume?
Point 6: Don?t include a cover letter with your resume
C'mon how many times a cover letter made a difference in a
job application?
I would agree with the two above points if I target a
Company with an unsolicited resume, in that case I would
made an impression. I would prepare a cover letter, and
adjust not re-write, my resume.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
I understand the points given but if recruiters and hiring managers won't or can't spend the time to articulate what skills, qualities, and attractive features of the position for the candidate, why bother trying to fit the resume and/or cover letter to the job.
It is encouraging to read the responses of those who read the CV first, who actively check the fit of the candidate. Curious recruiters are going to get interested, qualified candidates.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Just finished reading all of the comments written to this point. I'm amused by the number of illiterate people piping in who claim to be critical professionals but can't even write a sentence of their own.
I also had the same response as AnthonyCaluzzi above with regard to customizing the resume for each submission. That is nice if you have NOTHING ELSE to do.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
For me, the resume tells more of the story of how a candidate fit into the picture. It tells me more of the skills, experience and educational qualification and these are important in decieding whether to proceed or not with the candidate.
The cover letter is good but only just to know how good the candidate is in communication and not necessarily the fit.
In all, this is a good write up. Kudos!!
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Great arcticle... Earning a great living in staffing industry I recognize the value of this advice.. Until you respond or writer another great article I can read, enJOY... Best, Brian-
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Rules 1-7 of how to write a resume: fellate the recruitment
weasels. That's basically what they're saying. Their job is so
difficult, it's perfectly reasonable for us to spend days working
on the resume that most accurately kisses their butts, so that
they have a nice sheet of paper to not read for more than a
"split second" later.
Job hunting sucks; I wish I knew how to steal.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
While job hunting does suck, placement in the wrong position sucks a lot more for both the client and the recruitee. Been there, done that, and never want to repeat the experience.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
I absolutely agree with jrmcq1. Being a square peg in a round hole hurts.
Regarding covering letters, I used to write them, but I have found that my response rate has actually improved, now that I spend that time adding relevant experience from the job posting to my resume. Experience that I had left out because I didn't think anyone would be interested or I had just forgotten. Of course the improvement in response rate could just be due to a better job market.
I know jrmcq1 personally, and we are both old enough to remember the days when you established a personal relationship with a recruiter - who by the way was usually the account manager - and he would personally market you to his clients. And if there was no position, he could sell a position - in your image - to the client. Those were the days!
Job Hunting is just like rolling the dice.
Doesn't matter whats on your resume, when the employer finally gets to meet you. NO matter what you have said in your interview, you are still being judged by other factors as well. I have been on many interviews where I was more than qualified to get the job done, resume polished, suit, hair and still didnt get the job. Its a roll of the dice every time.
How many job interviews have you been on in your lifetime?
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
@sharlenejohn: I don't mean this as an attack, but as an observation. You sound angry and jaded in the above post. If that anger comes out in your interviews, it won't matter how qualified or talented you are, no one is going to hire an angry person. It's a big red flag to potential employers that you might be troublesome.
There could also be another factor of which you are unaware that might be scaring off potential employers (nervous habit, particular word choices, unreasonably high salary request, etc.). There are agencies and companies that offer critique and coaching for interviewing skills...perhaps you should consult one to see if they can spot anything in your interviewing methods that can potentially derail your search efforts.
Aside from a candidate's qualifications and experience, as a hiring manager, I keep an eye out for any indication that the person would be dishonest, difficult to work with, unable to handle the job, or would consistently act in an unprofessional manner. I'm not going to get that from a resume or work history, but it will come out in the interview. It's possible potential employers are getting such a vibe from you (whether accurate/fair or not) and it's making them look elsewhere. It could be something you're doing that you're totally unaware of.
Good luck.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
@vampirekwc: Good advice, well said.
What I finally realized after several contracting gigs and what everyone experiences as they seek new employment is that leaving a former role brings on all the stages of grief. Anger, denial, guilt, blame, fear, etc. -- all are triggered by leaving one role and seeking another. Review past interview experiences, recognize these feelings and name them, and one will do better with the next interview.
And hiring managers should recognize these passing feelings and get beyond them in their interviewing. Of course, if the candidate is stuck on something, no matter how good the resume or how hard the interviewer tries, the result will not be a job offer.
Cheers.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
I have been job hunting for two months now. I have had a mixed response. l usually write a cover letter and use point form to address the selection criteria (Your Requirements / My Qualifications) - something I came across in a resume writing book. This ensures I am applying for a role that suits my skill set and that I am succinct in my response. Result? Lately, 99% of applications are either ignored or I receive the usual spiel regarding others more qualified.
So I decided to drop the cover letter to save time and frustration. This resulted in an increase in response and interviews!
I was recently interviewed for a very competitive role and one of the issues raised was that some of the role titles listed in my resume did not seem to tally with the skills associated...how am I supposed to respond to that? It's not like I had any say in it.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
I'd like to respond to some of the recruiters/hiring managers that have responded to this article.
First, I've been employed as a business professional for over 20 years. I started my career as a part-time co-op in high school. That is the first and only job I have held that was the result of a "recruiter" type situation. I've been responsible for the complete process of job/candidate fit - job descriptions, job training/experience requirements, maintaining personnel to training and certification requirements, job postings, recruiting, on-boarding and performance management. I'm a little shocked by the people who read resume's first to see if skills/abilities match the job. I've received numerous cover letters that reference the wrong job/opening (some reference wrong company/attention name, wrong company, etc) and candidates go on to address their ability to fill that job/opening. I've also received resume's that do not match job/openings. I think they work together. If I receive a cover letter focusing on a completely different job/opening than the one posted - REALLY?! That is lack of attention and detail on the applicant's part. Resume's can only address skills and abilities to a certain level - ie, the embellishment theory. I'll look at skills and abilities and if something fits, they might get a preliminary screening call depending on how those skills and abilities were used in previous roles. A cover letter should emphasize how the applicant's skills and abilities match to the job.
I have yet to meet a recruiter that holds up to the high standards as the recruiter's that have posted here. I've been disappointed to express it mildly. Maybe one of the recruiters that have responded can point me in the direction of a recruiter that actually does their job and knows how to deal with people and follow-up? I thought resume's and cover letters were entertaining and shocking - the experiences I have had with recruiters has been sad, disappointing and more shocking.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
If your post is any indication, Yikes! Kahr, please check your
GRAMMAR before posting something. There are no less than 4
glaring errors and probably more if I wanted to take the time
to perform a more thorough proofing. Errors in ANY
correspondence sends a very clear "do not hire" message, at
least to me. It shows either carelessness, inattention to
detail, or lack of education. I'm amazed that you're the one
judging resumes!
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
@tvadmaker: I agree wholeheartedly with your point; however, I spot three grammar errors in your post. If you're going to post a message calling someone out for not checking their grammar, you should probably make sure your own message is error free.
@Kahr: I wouldn't be too quick to judge an applicant because the cover letter doesn't match the job description. Most likely, two letters ended up with swapped addresses. The candidate might have their spouse or kid helping them prepare the envelopes and the error wasn't even theirs. Maybe they hired some service to perform this function, and they're the ones that screwed up. If a person is out of a job and sending out a lot of resumes, there are a lot of ways an error like this can happen.
I'm not saying I would ignore the error. I would certainly question it in an interview. But I wouldn't just assume it is a reflection of an inability to do the job. Of course, the type of job would make a difference. if I'm hiring an administrative assistant, this would probably knock them out of the running. If I'm hiring an engineer, it wouldn't stop me from interviewing them if their resume indicated they were a good fit for the job.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
I am merely expressing experience and insight based upon an extensive professional career.
tvadmaker - as an HR and hiring manager, I do not judge resume's. What exactly is you profession?
vampirekwc - I did mention that the resume' and cover letter work together.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
vampirekwc - what are the three errors in tvadmaker's post?
I only see one true error - the disagreement in the 'Errors ... sends' sentence.
Capitalizing 'Yikes', ?GRAMMAR?, and ?ANY? within a sentence is questionable, but I'd like your opinion because correct grammar is important to me.
Also, shouldn?t 'grammar errors' be changed to 'grammatical errors' (since you are using 'grammar' as an adjective)?
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
@jentimus:
Actually, I didn't catch the errors/sends issue, so make that four errors. The other three are:
1. In the third sentence, the word "less" should be "fewer." If you're talking about something that you can count (four in this instance), you need to use the word "fewer."
2. Same sentence, the numeral 4 should be spelled out as "four." In a paragraph, the numbers zero through ten should be spelled out; numbers above ten should be in numeral form. (As an aside, any supermarket who displays a sign reading "10 items or less" is wrong on two counts).
3. In the fifth sentence, the word "either" is incorrectly used. "Either" denotes the choice between two, and only two, options. The author gives three choices, making "either" incorrect.
As far as capitalizing "Yikes," it's an interjection, so I have no problem capitalizing it. I would do the same thing.
Regarding "grammar errors" vs. "grammatical errors," the word "grammatical" is probably the better choice; however, I don't think "grammar" is incorrect. There are a lot of examples of nouns used as adjectives ("office" building, "car" horn, etc.). The term "spelling errors" is used all the time, and spelling is a noun; a gerund, to be precise (to any who are going to suggest it's actually a participle/adjective, I considered it, and determined it's actually a gerund based on two other usages: "I like spelling" [direct object/noun], and "errors in spelling" [object of the preposition/noun]). So structurally, "grammar errors" and "spelling errors" are similar (noun used as an adjective to modify another noun).
Sorry if this seems preachy...I didn't intend to blast everyone with a grammar lesson (Lord knows my online writing isn't perfect). But since jentimus has a genuine interest and specifically asked me what I saw, I thought I would oblige.
I hope it helps.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
@vampirekwc - very good! I appreciate your time and will now be more aware of the issue of incorrect word choice. It always helps to know what other people catch as a mistake, so thanks.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
How do they know "Reckless job hunters rarely make for conscientious workers" if they don't hire them?
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
valentinezombie, you said it. As a person who has been job-hunting for 15 months now, on the young side of "older", and having spent a few years as a SAHM, I'm pretty well screwed in the job market.
YES, I have been freelancing for a few years so as not to appear as having been completely out of the game for this long, YES, I am fully up to date on current technologies and trends in my field, YES, I am appropriately qualified for the jobs to which I am applying, YES, I always include a cover letter which is succinct, accurate and most importantly, to the point, YES, I appear youthful and upbeat, YES, I have sent out close to 500 resumes in this period and NO, I have had not one single interview since November.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
These post by HR professionals are very interesting. I think I am also beginning to see why hiring managers have such a difficult time. There seems to be really bad assumptions involved. For instance, the discussion about spelling and grammer errors. The assumption is that there is a connection between poor spelling and grammer and job performance. Perhaps that could also be an indication that the person understands that the resume is a poor indication of future performance (who lists all the bad things about them in a resume). Or suppose the applicant hired a professional to write the resume? Would that make any difference?
I believe that the majority of jobs require a very small pool of skills to perform them and that those skills can be aquired with proper training.
Training is the real issue. The majority of companies do such a poor job of training that they require mysticism (the ability to predict a candidates future performance based on a resume or tea leaves).
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
valentinezombie, bonadventure. You said it!
vampirekwc, may your tribe increase.
If we as professionals searching for a job are required to be
contribute 100% to our work then why cannot these HR
professionals take the time to vet every resume?
How can an HR link effect to cause when dealing with
humans. As an engineer, it is easy enough for me to do so
but as a manager it is stupid.
Well, someday we will all get the job we like. If not, we will
make it one way or the other. Nothing can keep a good man
down
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
What an interesting discussion on grammatical errors. What everyone above missed is that fact that Kahr used the word "resume's" four times when it should have been "resumes." Also bondaventure was overzealous in the unnecessary use of the word "that." It only clutters a piece of writing.
Maggiemagic
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Well, I see I also used an extra "that." It was a typo!
Maggiemagic
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Thanks for proving my point Maggiemagic.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
While I appreciate the comments posted, I"m at a loss to get a reading of how I well I"m fairing when I interview. In this current employers' market, I don't know whose at the controls. I've been fortunate enough to get a few "bites" but alas, no apple in two solid years of looking!
With 20 plus years as a paralegal my skills are easily transferable and yet, I cannot seem to land a post as an Exec/Adm Asst or gain re-entry into the legal field. Talent is younger, fresher, more tech-savvy AND I'm no where near retirement age!
I have a couple resume formats, always send cover letters after they have been spell checked adn as unemployment has come and gone, I am now in another phase of job hunting called sheer desperation. Perhaps the frustration many of you feel in reviewing resume after resume, has alot to do with the job seekers confusion as to what to present and how to present. If straight forwardness about who you are, what your exposure has been and what skills you now present as a result of that exposure doesn't afford a seeker an opportunity to discuss how he/she might best meet the needs of a prospective employer; if that does'nt yeild a conversation, then I'm not quite sure where this market is headed and where those of us with solid skills will land.
And yet, the search continues.......
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
@corbink:
I can think of two likely scenarios why you've had difficulty for so long: either (1) the talent pool is saturated and the jobs you apply for are bombarded with a million resumes; or (2) you're doing something to scare them away.
To combat #1, look into ways of setting yourself apart. You need to offer companies something no one else can (something they can use, of course). That will get you in the door. I don't know anything about being a paralegal, but perhaps if you were bilingual or knew a lot about IT/networking you might be able to secure more interviews.
To combat #2, have several people look over your resume for errors (spell check doesn't catch everything) and practice interviewing with people. If you know anyone who works in HR or as a hiring manager, they might be able to point out some areas where you may be inadvertently hurting your chances. If you don't know anyone who can help, there are interview coaches out there you can hire.
Good luck.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
corbink: You know how to spell check, to deal with, even interview, people -- you're a paralegal. What you need to expand is the areas where your skills can also be employed. Two that come to mind are banks: mortgage and trust departments in particular; and recruiting firms which have a lot of administrative, legal, and people skills requirement.
While searching, there are lots of local organizations that could use your volunteer help, from food banks to political campaigns. That will keep you engaged, meeting more people, and help you feel better about yourself.
Finally, if you do feel short on some technical skills, Word for example, look into local training classes which are often free or low cost.
Best of luck!
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
corbink: I would definately recommend doing practice interviews; I've seen candidates that were technically qualified passed over because of the personality they projected in the interview.
It's really kind of sad, because I'm sure they were not aware of the negative impressions given by minor comments and the way they interacted with the interviewers.
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
It seems to me that this article falls one of it's own points, it
is a generic article. My point is that each type of job may
require a different take on a resume. I've been a hiring
manager, director and cot for many of years. I only read
cover letters of interns or entry level jobs. For most
experienced engineering jobs, I look at the detail of what they
worked on.
Also, I don't want to read your fluff, your marketing to me, I
have turn down many resumes because they were custom
tailed to the company and or job. We often search online to
see if there is another, generic, resume to look at.
While this article is right in some areas, please don't write me
a book as a cover letter, don't try and sell me car, just list out
where you worked and what you did...

Note: if you can't hold a job for over a year, your best bet is
to make it sound like you were a hired gun, because the
resumes I flush first read like this...1 year, 9 months, 1 year,
1 year...it had betterr be an awesome year!
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
I'm with you, ensoll. Most of these comments have grammatical errors. ; )
Interestingly, I just read an article that very convincingly argued that it is a bad thing to include a cover letter - and that in fact - it was more likely to be a reason to rule out a candidate! My conclusion is to write both the cover letter and resume as though each were the only thing that the recruiter is going to look at. Obviously they aren't going to spend any time thinking through what you've written - so "simple and stupid" is the way to go. This is regrettable for people with advanced degrees and experience - and probably why it is harder for them in some cases to find jobs. I often wonder if the person looking at my rez even knows what it says.
Good luck to all!
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
Well, since everyone seems to be so interested in bashing frustrated job seekers, let?s see how the shoe fits on the other foot.
To Recruiters:
1. Don't call me and start off by saying, "What kind of money are you looking for? What kind of position are you looking for? Are you interested?" There are 10 MILLION people looking for work. Get to the point. The recruiter has a copy of the job description and my resume. They wouldn't have called if they didn't think I was a match. Have some professional respect and courtesy and say, "I found your resume online. I think you're a good match. This is the job description, this is the salary range, it's a contract for so many months/permanent position, it's a 1099/W2. Are you interested?"
2. Don't leave a long distance phone number for me to call. Leave your 800 number. People on unemployment can't spend a fortune on long distance calls when the recruiter has an 800 number. I'm not going to build a horrendous long distance bill to talk to someone who can't leave the details of the job for me - or even just the job title. This tells me that they are calling hundreds of people and have already passed on to the next person when they've hung up. I can't count how many times I've returned those calls and never gotten a call back because they've already moved on - even on those times when I've been able to call back within 5-10 minutes!
3. It is incredibly rude to race through a voice message and leave a message so garbled that I have to play the message 5 or 6 times just to figure out what the recruiters name and phone number is - and still not leave any information about the job. "Hey, call me if you're looking" doesn't cut it.
4. Don't call me without looking at my resume first and start asking me questions, "Did you do this? Did you do that?" ??HELLO did you even LOOK at my resume Let's cut through the waste of time and get down to the meat of the discussion. If the recruiter was asking for MORE details about a job I did, no problem, but don't call me and walk through my resume with questions that are already answered on it. Ex. "Did you manage projects in your last position?" WHAT does it say on my resume Did you read it Not only would you see that I've managed projects, you'd see what kind of projects I managed and what type of job functions were done to manage the projects and what the results were.
5. Learn to speak clear, audible English. "I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?" "Could you repeat that please? I'm sorry, I can't understand you, could you repeat that AGAIN?" If a recruiter can't even clearly state their name and company - how do they expect to be able to work with potential consultants/contractors? If I can't understand you, that tells me you're probably overseas or your company is. How am I going to deal with you when I don't get my paycheck? What recourse do I have trying to get paid from a company that's offshore and the US government has no legal way to protect me? (Don't laugh - this is a VERY common occurrence for consultants)
It's a two way street. You need me. I need you. Let's learn to work together and more jobs would get filled faster with less wasted time for both of us. I want a job - you want your commission. Really, how hard is it?
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume appears to highlight a
larger problem, one affecting both companies and job
seekers. Why are companies using recruiters who barely
read your resume to select highly-qualified people of
competence and character?
The opening to this article states that the average recruiter
plows through 6 resumes in the time it takes to
read one paragraph.
- What does that amount to - 5 seconds per resume?
- How carefully can candidates be screened in 5 seconds?
- This same recruiter is concerned with typos on a resume?
- Is there something wrong with this picture?
Again, why are companies using such a careless process
and expecting highly-qualified candidates? My questions
only lead to more questions.
My heart goes out to anyone struggling to find a good fit
using this system. If you've given your best to your job
search, don't blame yourself. Seems to me the system is
ruined in more than 7 ways.
Any reader insights on how to fix it?
RE: What Not to Do: 7 Ways to Ruin Your Resume
I think it is impossible to get an ideal resume, just look at all of the differences on this post from the people who do the interviewing. What is correct and ideal is subjective and even slightly missing the mark renders a penalty. Look at this comment from a recent job posting;
Note: The following duties are illustrative and not exhaustive. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. Depending on assigned area of responsibility, incumbents in the position may perform some or all of the activities described below.
Now tell me why can't a HR person or someone reviewing your resume think the same way.

bros please can i get a sample of the winning c.v my add [email protected]. thank you alot and God bless you.