First, fix your resume!
Since your resume is the first thing that employers or recruiters see, don’t you think you
should “put your best foot forward”? Keep your resume on your hard drive and update it at
least once per year. If you’ve got to go back and remember what you accomplished or what
your sales figures were for a given year, you run the risk of having false information included
on your resume and that’s a no-no.
Surprisingly, there are many more mistakes on resumes than you would expect and there
are things that people can do to easily correct them before sending it out.
Tip #1: Check your contact information. Did you include a daytime phone number and your
email address? It’s a time waster to call a home number, leave a message and wait for a
phone call back. How can the employer reach you right now??
Tip #2: Remove the “Objective” from your resume.
A professional summary of your qualifications is much more useful and the objective has to
be changed every time you send a resume out.
Tip #3: Do not lie about your education.
Do not lie on a resume at all, employers conduct background checks. Checking your
education is one of the easiest background checks to do and if they find out you’re lying, you
are finished. If you’re being represented by a recruiter, you’ve just damaged their reputation
too. Clearly state which schools you attended and which ones you’ve graduated from with
the degree you obtained. You should list all schools that you attended (you can leave out
high school).
If you’re taking classes toward a degree, you can include that. If you’ve got an expected date
of graduation, you can state that. If you finished your PhD classes, but haven’t defended your
thesis, you can state that. State the facts only.
Tip #4: Focus on accomplishments, not duties.
Quantitative accomplishments are what employers are looking for in a resume. How have
your actions improved business at the company? If you can measure it and it’s positive, you
should include it as bullet points. Many more employers are goal driven and are looking for
goal-oriented people. Clearly stating your goals and accomplishments show them that you
can be productive in their organization.
Tip #5: Be consistent.
If you put your title under your company name, then it should appear there for every position.
If you’ve chosen to put periods at the end of your bullet points, then have them at the end of all
bullet points. Check your fonts and font sizes. Attention to detail is what an employer notices
about you on a resume and inconsistencies are noticed (it’s annoying to see these on a
resume, if you don’t care about your resume, how will you be at work?).
Tip #6: Be clear about your work history.
Include the company name, a description about what the company manufactures, your title,
the years that you worked at the company, even include the stock symbol. Many people have
worked at companies that no one knows. If you force an employer to Google a company to
see what it manufactures to see if it’s relevant to their market, you’re not likely to get a phone
interview. Make it easy for the employer to read your history and see your changes in
positions at a company. Let someone who doesn’t know you read through your resume to
see if it’s clear.
Tip #7: Keep it relevant.
Volunteer work, awards, classes, and certificates you’ve obtained should be included. If you
worked in a restaurant during the summers between college and you aren’t applying for a
sales position, leave it off your resume. However, if you volunteer at a nursing home and you
are applying for a clinical trials manager position, then include it.
Tip #8: Remove all personal information.
Recruiters might find your hobbies interesting, but an employer has a different view. Will
your hobby interfere with work? It’s illegal for an employer to discriminate against applicants
due to race, religion or age, so there is no reason for this information to be on your resume.
Too much personal information can get you excluded before you’ve had a chance to interview.
Tip #9: Keep track of your resume.
Make a list of where you sent your resume, about which position and when you sent it. Use
this list to follow up. There is nothing that shows how organized you are more than keeping
this list. If a recruiter calls you about a position, you already know if you applied. You can
also state what type of contact that a company has made with you. The recruiter may or may
not have other positions for which you are qualified and you can engage them in that
conversation. If an employer calls, you will appear organized and on top of your job search.
This is a great quality in an employee.
Tip #10: Don’t give up.
If you’ve sent out a resume and you haven’t heard anything, follow up. Recruiters and
employers are notorious at not getting back to people. We are usually talking to people that
are relevant to the openings we have, but sometimes we miss them and if you feel that you
are qualified for a position and haven’t been contacted, be a pest!
Since your resume is the first thing that employers or recruiters see, don’t you think you
should “put your best foot forward”? Keep your resume on your hard drive and update it at
least once per year. If you’ve got to go back and remember what you accomplished or what
your sales figures were for a given year, you run the risk of having false information included
on your resume and that’s a no-no.
Surprisingly, there are many more mistakes on resumes than you would expect and there
are things that people can do to easily correct them before sending it out.
Tip #1: Check your contact information. Did you include a daytime phone number and your
email address? It’s a time waster to call a home number, leave a message and wait for a
phone call back. How can the employer reach you right now??
Tip #2: Remove the “Objective” from your resume.
A professional summary of your qualifications is much more useful and the objective has to
be changed every time you send a resume out.
Tip #3: Do not lie about your education.
Do not lie on a resume at all, employers conduct background checks. Checking your
education is one of the easiest background checks to do and if they find out you’re lying, you
are finished. If you’re being represented by a recruiter, you’ve just damaged their reputation
too. Clearly state which schools you attended and which ones you’ve graduated from with
the degree you obtained. You should list all schools that you attended (you can leave out
high school).
If you’re taking classes toward a degree, you can include that. If you’ve got an expected date
of graduation, you can state that. If you finished your PhD classes, but haven’t defended your
thesis, you can state that. State the facts only.
Tip #4: Focus on accomplishments, not duties.
Quantitative accomplishments are what employers are looking for in a resume. How have
your actions improved business at the company? If you can measure it and it’s positive, you
should include it as bullet points. Many more employers are goal driven and are looking for
goal-oriented people. Clearly stating your goals and accomplishments show them that you
can be productive in their organization.
Tip #5: Be consistent.
If you put your title under your company name, then it should appear there for every position.
If you’ve chosen to put periods at the end of your bullet points, then have them at the end of all
bullet points. Check your fonts and font sizes. Attention to detail is what an employer notices
about you on a resume and inconsistencies are noticed (it’s annoying to see these on a
resume, if you don’t care about your resume, how will you be at work?).
Tip #6: Be clear about your work history.
Include the company name, a description about what the company manufactures, your title,
the years that you worked at the company, even include the stock symbol. Many people have
worked at companies that no one knows. If you force an employer to Google a company to
see what it manufactures to see if it’s relevant to their market, you’re not likely to get a phone
interview. Make it easy for the employer to read your history and see your changes in
positions at a company. Let someone who doesn’t know you read through your resume to
see if it’s clear.
Tip #7: Keep it relevant.
Volunteer work, awards, classes, and certificates you’ve obtained should be included. If you
worked in a restaurant during the summers between college and you aren’t applying for a
sales position, leave it off your resume. However, if you volunteer at a nursing home and you
are applying for a clinical trials manager position, then include it.
Tip #8: Remove all personal information.
Recruiters might find your hobbies interesting, but an employer has a different view. Will
your hobby interfere with work? It’s illegal for an employer to discriminate against applicants
due to race, religion or age, so there is no reason for this information to be on your resume.
Too much personal information can get you excluded before you’ve had a chance to interview.
Tip #9: Keep track of your resume.
Make a list of where you sent your resume, about which position and when you sent it. Use
this list to follow up. There is nothing that shows how organized you are more than keeping
this list. If a recruiter calls you about a position, you already know if you applied. You can
also state what type of contact that a company has made with you. The recruiter may or may
not have other positions for which you are qualified and you can engage them in that
conversation. If an employer calls, you will appear organized and on top of your job search.
This is a great quality in an employee.
Tip #10: Don’t give up.
If you’ve sent out a resume and you haven’t heard anything, follow up. Recruiters and
employers are notorious at not getting back to people. We are usually talking to people that
are relevant to the openings we have, but sometimes we miss them and if you feel that you
are qualified for a position and haven’t been contacted, be a pest!