Would Your Resume Pass Our Test?

Friday, September 28, 2007

Would Your Resume Pass Our Test?

Written by Teena Rose, a certified and published resume writer with Resume to Referral (http://www.resumebycprw.com) and author to "Designs & Job-search Strategies for College Grads" (published by Career Epublications).

For over two years, our office has performed countless - FREE - résumé critiques for job seekers from all walks of life - business executives and owners, blue-collar workers, customer service, computer support, human resource, academic, managers, sales and marketing professionals, and administrative / support personnel. What amazes me is that 80-90% of the résumés receive a fair to poor rating. With the resources available, why are jobseekers still utilizing a mediocre or poor document to attempt career advancement or to change careers?

Presenting oneself to an employee-seeking audience can be a difficult task. It is important to not feel intimidated by the thought of competing with top résumé writers or specialists. A jobseeker can honestly create their own résumé (don't tell my boss I said that), as long as that person knows what to list, what to eliminate, what to highlight, and in what order to place this information.

Critique guidelines...

Each résumé is critiqued utilizing the following steps:

What is the candidate's position, and does the document satisfy target audience requirements?
Is the layout appropriate for this person's skills, qualifications, and number of years of experience?
Is there irrelevant information within the document?
A nice ratio of keywords or keyphrases relating to the candidate’s background?
Does the document contain typos, sentence structure problems, or other common mistakes?
Our critique guidelines expose some of the worst résumé problems that are out there. These errors can cause a candidate’s résumé to be ignored for an open or upcoming position. Once the jobseeker is thoroughly aware of their target position, knows the audience, and has a nicely designed and well thought-out résumé, he or she is ready to use these tools to their advantage…assuming they are applying for an obtainable position – backed by necessary skills, qualifications, and/or education.

Let’s take the above critique process one step further by reviewing, in detail, what jobseekers do to sabotage their chances of landing a better job.

Skill redundancy. There comes comfort when performing the same types of duties for a number of different employers, but it causes skills redundancy within a résumé. Take an administrative assistant, for example. Over the last 10 years, this person has worked for three different medical physicians, performing the same types of duties. This person should brainstorm and game plan how the document should be laid out of avoid this problem. Note: A chronological layout can be the main reason the duplicate skills and qualifications are reflected strongly.

Keyword and keyphrase potency. Certain skills and educational requirements are standard amongst various types of positions. These skills in essence "brand" the candidate's knowledge of the industry / field being targeted. Keywords assist in setting oneself apart from others based upon uniqueness. These keywords should be adjusted continuously, catering to the job candidate's target market.

Lacking a mission statement. This portion of the résumé is the most crucial, yet it is left out time after time. A hiring manager receives countless résumés over a one-month period. Why would anyone send a résumé to them without a clear and concise mission statement. A person wishing employment should never assume the hiring manager is a mind reader.

Education. Listing a high school degree is fine only if you’re a recent graduate. Envision this scenario. A recently laid-off sales and marketing executive puts the final touches on his résumé. In additional to listing his bachelor’s degree, he lists his associate’s degree along with his high school diploma. Will he be hired, or even interviewed, because he graduated from high school over a decade ago? The answer is obvious. Once a person receives and satisfies the requirements for a college degree, the high school diploma is implied.

Job relevancy. If a jobseeker is applying for a position as an account representative, why would that person list an entire paragraph - or more - about their stint as a caterer five years ago? That's a question I ask myself every day. Tell the employer just what they WANT to know, and no more. Downplay all irrelevant skills, qualifications, and job history that does not relate directly to the target position.

Telling a company more than they need to know. It amazes me the number of people who document everything they've been doing for the last three decades. In general, a résumé follows the same rules as an application. A 10-year history is sufficient, unless the jobseeker has been employed with the same company longer than the 10-year cutoff.

Learning various résumé tips and tactics can ensure a top-quality copy and layout is used at all times. The art of creating a document that will set yourself apart from other jobseekers can be a difficult task, if you are unwilling to put in the time necessary to discover the pros and cons to each résumé style.

There are paid professionals who are available within your area or online to help you with the task of résumé writing, of course. In fact, our office - Résumé to Referral - will debut a RésuméToolBox within the next couple of months, addressing IN GREAT DETAIL all areas of résumé writing - layout, design, how to spot and use industry-related keywords, what to include, samples, examples, and much more. The RésuméToolBox is designed for the do-it-yourself jobseeker and is designed to help you avoid common résumé blunders.