Caution to job seekers

This will be useful for job seekers.

What follows is a summary of an updated (9.2.2016) article by Harry Bradford in Huffington’s Post:

11 Terrible Resume Mistakes That Are Keeping You From Getting Hired

The article begins with this statement:

‘The Huffington Post asked managers across a number of industries to reveal their biggest pet peeve about resumes, and here's what they said. Job seekers, take note:’

1. spelling errors

This is a very common error in most resumes; this indicates how careless the applicant is in doing a job. [Chris Gamble, hiring manager at Rant, Inc.]

2.  too long and too detailed

Most resumes are too long and too detailed. A resume should be brief and highlight skills through appropriate choice of adjectives and nouns.

‘I look for key words and a nice, clean resume’ says Stefanie Staley, human resources/hiring manager at SportsDigita

3. details as job description

‘I want to learn what sets them apart and makes them unique from someone else in that same position. So, for example, if you're in sales, and there aren't numbers and/or client names on your resume ... there's a good chance you'll be overlooked for the role,’ says Adam "AJ" Schecter, recruiting partner at SoundCloud

4. not tailored to a specific job

Information in a resume is mostly general in nature about the applicant rather relating the information to the specific needs of the organisation the applicant is seeking an opportunity from.

Meg Giuseppe, C-suite executive personal branding and job search strategist

5. vague, puffed up language

The language applicants use is more of a boast than an accurate description of the skills they possess or the nature of their performance. An example would be: 'Dynamic retail executive with strong interpersonal skills, a passion for inspiring teams through innovative practices, and a proven ability to overcome obstacles.'

Matthew Meladossi, director of talent acquisition at Coach

6. sell yourself as a product

Bear in mind the job description and provide relevant information to get the recruiter interested.

Joe Milner, manager of talent acquisition at Pearson

7. poor grammar

Candidates should edit their resume for errors in grammar and mechanics (misuse or non-use of commas and capitalisation).

Neil Walker, senior technical recruiter at Gotham Technology Group, LLC

8. not highlighting successes

Candidates fail to grab the recruiter’s attention by insufficient focus on their achievements.

Minerva M. Garcia, vice president of human resources at Accordant Media

9. poor formatting

Care is not taken in organising information provided in the resume.

Aparna Junghare, HR associate at EquiLend

10. no executive summary

Most applicants don’t include an executive summary in their resumes. An executive summary is the candidate’s best opportunity to quickly showcase his/her skills, accomplishments and relevance to the role.

-- Eric Di Monte, senior talent acquisition manager at Univision Communications Inc.

Note: most job applications include a cover letter where applicants need to provide similar to

            the executive summary being referred to here.

            For a quality cover letter see my post ‘Job application letters’ in the blog.

11. incomplete work history

Most applications carry only a sketchy work history without relevant details about the job done and the skills exhibited.

Teresita Montgomery, director of recruiting at Stella Staffing

Happy job hunting!