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Resume Mistakes To Avoid
Whether you’re hiring
or looking to get hired, these common mistakes in resume
will point you in the right direction.
As you’ll know, if
you’ve been reading LEDGER for any amount of time,
part of my work with public accounting firms is to recruit
staff for them.
My recruiting and M &
A web site (www.mcintyre-smith.com) has a number of
career opportunities every month, and I receive more
than my fair share of resumes through the site, and
through my exposure to the Canadian market as the resident
Human Resources columnist for ‘The Bottom Line’.
If you’re hiring,
you’ll no doubt recognize some of the following
blunders, and if you’re looking to make that all
important next career move, you’d benefit by using
the following as a checklist, in the hope that it’ll
help some of you in your quest for employment.
As such, here’s my
“Top Ten” list of common faults that can
cause your resume to be dropped in an employer’s
(or headhunter’s) circular file.
1. Misspelled
words. This is far and away the most common
and surest way to destroy any chance you have of being
considered for an interview.
Think about it: a resume
is your first (and usually only) chance to make a good
impression on a potential employer. From my own perspective,
good is your attention to detail if you don’t
even bother to run a spell check?
2. Language,
grammar, and punctuation. These comprise the
second most common sin of resume writing. Though I’m
certainly not an English expert, and God knows, I make
mistakes, basic grammatical errors mean... Bang, you’re
out.
3. Job
hoppers. A close third. OK, so you’ve
had six jobs in the last four years? My advice to you
is to clear your reputation by finding some place where
you can stay for at least three years.
Unfortunately, you’ve lost that chance with me.
4. Unexplained
employment gaps. Remember that I’m seeing
your resume for the first time, and I don’t know
you from Adam. Employment gaps make me think that your
departure from the first job was unexpected, and that
you may have been fired. If I see more than one such
occurrence on your resume it’s adios, amigo.
Another related sin is
being purposely vague with your employment history;
i.e., “John Dyson, LLP, 1998-1999.” This
makes it look like you’re hiding something, and
I’d rather not take the chance of finding out
what it is.
Give me the exact months
so that I can see if it’s Dec 98 to Jan 99 or
Jan 98 to Dec 99, there’s a HUGE difference!
5. No
cover letter. Many say that a resume should
always start with an Objective. Bull. They all say the
same thing, - basically nothing at all.
Let’s be frank –
we both know your objective: you want a job. Even better,
a job that you like doing, pays well, and has good benefits.
So write a cover letter that gives me a chance to know
you as an person.
6.
All italics. Ok, so you’ve been
advised to do something that makes your resume stand
out.
And your interpretation
of that is to send me what looks like a wedding invitation
by writing the resume in italics (very annoying, isn’t
it?).
I RECEIVE SEVERAL
COVER LETTERS IN ALL CAPS. SORRY AGAIN, BUT I DON’T
LIKE BEING YELLED AT EITHER, SO PLEASE USE MIXED CASE
ON YOUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY (SINCE YOU’VE LOST THIS
ONE).
7. Too
lengthy. Almost everyone tells you that a resume
should not exceed two pages plus a cover letter. This
is good advice; please take it. One of the resumes I
got last week spanned twelve pages. All I can say to
you is: good luck with your career search.
8. Too
short. On occasion I’ll get a resume
that simply lists places and dates of employment with
no details at all. C’mon, you must have done something
while you were there. No? Well, bye-bye.
9. Racy
email addresses. I really don’t think
it looks all that appropriate to have an email address
such as ‘loverboy@hotmail.com” on your resume,
and I’m quite certain that my clients wouldn’t
go for it.
10. Skill
mismatch. Let’s be honest: the job calls
for written and verbal communication skills and you
don’t have them. Hey, I can’t get Pat Quinn
to let me play hockey for the ‘Leafs either.
Your best bet to find the
right position is to make an honest assessment of what
you’re good at and apply for jobs that require
those skills.
I want my clients to hire
you, and I know that you’re basically a good person.
So please, give yourself a chance next time. Happy hunting.
© 2004, MFA
Group Inc |
