Some resume advice is simple - like don't say you have a degree when you don't (see George O'Leary pictured at right and David Edmondson as examples). However, recruiters are judging you on countless little things as well when you provide your resume. When you see a lot of resumes, you start to develop opinions on candidates based on what they place or don't place on their resumes. After hundreds of searches and tens of thousands of
resumes viewed, I am (like most other recruiters) officially a SME on Candidate Killers. Candidate Killers can be defined as information included or not included on your resumes that cause the recruiter or hiring manager to declare you DOA due to the judgment displayed or the glaring omission.
Candidate Killers come in a lot of flavors - here's my Punch List so you can learn from the pain of others:
Formatting
1. Use MS Word For Resume Attachments - Love them or hate them, Microsoft owns the world in this regard. Use off-brand software like WordPerfect or submit your resume in HTML and you can see the delete key being pushed from hundreds of miles away…
2. Use The Available Tools When Cutting and Pasting Your Resume Into Online Databases/Formats - When working to cut and paste your resume into online tools mandated by a company's application process (or at portals like HotJobs, Monster and CareerBuilder), always use any "view your resume" features to see what the end product looks like. In many of these tools you will have to go back and create more spacing or replace characters not transferred in the cut and paste process. Taking the time to do this will ensure you maximize the professionalism of your resume within these tools and separate you from the pack.
1. Don't Be Cute - Don't be cute with your email address or let the recruiter know your crazy personal identity through your digital moniker. The popularity of the big email sources (msn, yahoo and others) means that your name is probably already taken, but [email protected] is fine - recruiters get that your name wasn't available and you had to add the number. What recruiters don't get is your creativity in creating a resume killer like [email protected] or anything with playa, toocute, partyhardy or other similar items. Keep it simple and use your name and the next available number combination.
2. Avoid Your Work Email For External Searches - Using your work email address on your resume is dangerous as well. Unless your position has been eliminated and you are working out a notice, seeing your work email address on your resume tells recruiters you are likely disenchanted with your current position and inclined to job hunt during office hours. The obvious next question in the recruiter's head is whether you'll ultimately do that at your next stop as well and your limited resulting productivity. Show your professionalism by seeking an independent email address to use during any search. The obvious exception to this is when you are conducting a search internally within your present company, at which time your work email address is preferred. This means that multiple versions of your resume may be required depending on the circumstances and scope of your search.
3. Check The Email Account You Provide - If you create a third-party email address at a location like Google or Yahoo, make sure you check it ever day once you have applied for a position. Nothing kills your prospects quicker than getting a note back from a recruiter and failing to respond for a week or two. Some recruiters will ping you a note back with a few questions rather than pick up the phone, so check the account regularly. A good alternative is to see if you can forward your email from that account to your work address if available.
Contact Phone Numbers
1. Keep It Simple - I recommend leaving one number to guide the recruiter on the best number to reach you at. Recruiters generally don't like to guess the number you prefer to be reached at or wonder which one you will be most responsive to. Take the guesswork out of the process and place one number only on the resume.
2. Avoid Numbers Clearly Identified As Work Numbers - Although opinions vary widely across recruiters in this area, leaving a work number on the resume begs the same question as leaving a work email address. Will you job hunt once I hire you? How productive will you be at my company? Although many recruiters don't care about these factors, internal recruiters within companies and headhunters tuned into integrity, ethics, etc. may eliminate you based on this data. With this in mind, steer clear of the work data unless it is an internal application/search (multiple versions of your resume will likely be required if your search includes a combination of internal/external opportunities).
3. Have Voicemail On The Number Provided And Make Sure it is Professional - On any number you give, voicemail is mandatory and should be set up with a professional tone. Additionally, providing home numbers is often problematic since you will likely have a family-type greeting that may not be appropriate for the personal brand you want to present. Good options to deal with this issue are a) use your voicemail options on the home number and create a professional greeting that can be activated during business hours, or 2) use your cell phone as the contact number (if a work cell number, consider stripping down your voice mail to indicate the caller has reached your voicemail without reference to the company).
4. Check Your Voicemail Regularly - Seems like a no-brainer, but the recruiting landscape is full of missed opportunities from candidates who don't return calls. See notes regarding this requirement under email as well.
5. Try And Avoid Using the Home Number If Family Is Going To Answer During the Day When You Aren't There - While it can be cute, talking to a 5-year old or less than personable spouse (maybe because of the 5 year old) doesn't give you a lot of momentum as a candidate. If you are forced to use the home number and Caller ID is available, ask your family to let any number they don't recognize roll to Voice Mail and the professional greeting you have set up.
Home Address
1. Don't Over-Think The Address - Some candidates have been known to not include an address because they think it provides information on the need for relocation, etc. All this does is cause an extra step in the process for the recruiter. If you are concerned regarding being excluded from consideration due to your current location, use the cover letter to tell the recruiter that you are open to relocation or provide info that links your motivation to the location of the position.
That's it for now. In general terms, I am a big advocate of the simple approach and using a single phone number, email address and physical address on your resume. The thoughts provided in this area are designed to do one thing - maximize your resume and avoid the most common blunders that can kill your candidacy before it begins. Getting these components right (in combination with an effective resume) can allow you to "survive and advance" to the next stage of the process, which is the phone screen/interview. Hope these notes help or reinforce what you are already doing!
If you create a third-party email address at a location like Google or Yahoo, make sure you check it ever day once you have applied for a position.
Posted by: ClubPenguin | August 21, 2011 at 08:34 PM
What a really amazing piece of writing!!!
Posted by: top criminal lawyers martinsburg wv | December 18, 2011 at 02:19 AM
Markedly well executed piece of writing!!
Posted by: Punjabi Rap | January 13, 2012 at 02:49 AM
When you first contact a trip school, they will lay out and about the red carpet for yourself. You will get a tour from the facilities including the classrooms plus the airplanes to be used to your in flight training. You will meet wonderful instructors plus the end of the tour will probably include a test flight where you are free to sit in the pilot's seat as though you were actually flying that aeroplanes. That experience alone might hook you to want to be part of their course. Then they will present you will some colorful brochures, a contract and a class schedule and finally, a schedule of costs as well as payment options.
Posted by: グッチ バッグ | March 07, 2013 at 03:23 AM
http://garciatnrc.newsvine.com/_news/2013/09/17/20542427-does-workers-comp-pay-permanent-disabilityLake Elsinore Workers Compensation Attorney
Posted by: Law Post | October 12, 2013 at 08:22 PM
polo ralph lauren pas cherCependant the prsence de Hans, et diverses data areas dIslande modifirent peu peu lopinion publique. Alors wednesday oncle devint not huge homme, et moi, the neveu dun huge homme, ce qui se rvle tre dj quelque figured out. Hambourg donna une fte durante notre honneur.
Posted by: Cheap Pandora Bracelets UK | November 19, 2013 at 02:05 PM