If you don’t pay attention to detail when sending out critical documents such as your cover letter and your resume, what message do you think that sends to an employer? If your lack of attention to detail results in spelling or grammatical mistakes in your cover letter or resume do you think an employer will want to hire you and pay you to make more mistakes? Why should an employer put their faith in you to represent their company when you are not able to submit a cover letter or resume free of errors? These are documents that have the potential to open up career opportunities for you and you haven’t made the effort to pay attention to detail. 

Review the entire resume and cover letter and pay attention to detail. Yes, we know the cover letter you are submitting is a template for various job applications as your experience and accomplishments aren’t going to change. But it should not look like a fill in the applicable blanks with job title and date cover letter. Proof the entire document and make the effort to research the company you are applying to and note your enthusiasm about  joining a top 50 best employer. Although your accomplishments don’t change, you may have the option of selecting ones with more relevance to the position. Carefully review the instructions for submitting your cover letter and resume. Who, where, what and when?

Recently I received a cover letter dated June 2nd that should have been dated August 18th and the position that was referenced was spelt wrong. Do you think a decision maker would consider this person as a potential candidate?

Don’t miss out on an opportunity. Pay attention to detail and you will be recognized as a viable candidate throughout your job search.

Your resume will get you in the door or it will not! Some believe their expertise on their resume will guarantee them the opportunity to walk through the door for a job interview. And there are those who believe their well written cover letter will get their foot in the door. Others feel that writing a resume to match the job description is the key. So why does it not open the door? Why have you not been contacted for a job interview?

The first step in the process for a  Recruiter or HR professional is to eliminate candidates from the huge stack of resumes in their inbox by checking resumes for spelling, grammatical and formatting errors. If your resume contains any errors, it will not get you in the door. Even though most are aware of this information, HR Professionals continue to receive resumes destined for the recycle bin. Recently, over 300 applications were submitted for a senior level project management position and 20% of those were turned down because of spelling mistakes or formatting issues even though they may have been qualified for the position.

With hundreds or even thousands of resumes, the number one goal is to reduce the number of potential candidates to a manageable level to begin scheduling job interviews. Your qualifications will only be significant once your resume has passed through the process to check for spelling, grammar, formatting, appearance, keywords and missing information. I recently received an email from someone who had intentionally left out past work history and graduation years and said they were pleased to hear that some ”HR folk” spend time digging around.

You can be assured that the process of elimination for most HR professionals and Recruiters is expedient and  includes dropping anyone who submits a resume with missing information. Do you believe you will be perceived as an ideal candidate by showing that you have something to hide? Your resume must pass through every process to put you within the top percentile if you are going to be given an opportunity to walk through that door for a job interview. It is safe to say that you will very likely see your online presence visited but it’s also safe to say that this will only happen after your resume has made it through the many processes designed to eliminate you from the competition.

Contact us today for a free resume critique and find out if your resume Will or Will Not get you in the door for a job interview! 

There has been much information shared about common resume mistakes including formatting issues, too many pages, typos, missing contact information, lack of outstanding, noteworthy accomplishments and the list goes on. Although all of these are serious issues as they may very well eliminate you as a potential candidate, this is not exactly what I wanted to share with you today. In contrast to the seriousness of resume mistakes, it is in your best interest to occasionally take a time-out and consider the lighter side, as explained in “Relieving Stress with Laughter”. The following article will provide you with a time-out to laugh or at least encourage a smile.

“150 Funniest Resume Mistakes, Blooper and Blunders Ever”, is a wonderful compilation by Jacob Share of JobMob. You just might laugh out loud as you review these hilarious resume mistakes from Careerbuilder.com, Amy Joyce, Fortune Magazine, HotJobs, Resumania and ResumePower.com, to name a few. 

Here are a few of the skills and qualifications found in resumes that are included in this article:

“I have extensive experience with foreign accents”
“being bi-lingual in three languages”
” I have a bachelorette degree in computers”
“I’m anxious to use my exiting skills”
“I’ve got a Ph.D in human feelings”

If you are still in need of more laughter, Jason includes “50 Funniest Short Job Descripitons Ever” at the end of this article including these:

“Write words that no one wants to read. – Technical Writer” 
“Spend most of the day looking out the window. – Pilot”

The competition is fierce! HR professionals are receiving more resumes and cover letters than ever before. Will your cover letter and resume get noticed if it is 1 of 1,000?

With so many resumes being submitted for available positions the goal of all HR professionals or Recruiters is to reduce that number to a manageable list of viable candidates. A common first step in this process is to electronically scan your resume for keywords. If you are applying for an executive position and the company wants a candidate with an engineering degree, they might scan for “P.Eng” or “MBA”.  For a sales and marketing position they may scan for “P&L”. Have you included the necessary keywords in your resume to keep you in the running?

Okay, you’ve passed the scanner but is your resume free of spelling mistakes or gramatical errors? Will it exceed the expectations for this professional document, easy to ready, bulleted points, standard font, white paper, consistent page borders, no excess white space? If your resume doesn’t look impressive, neither do you. 

The next step in the few seconds of attention that your resume will be given is to discover your attributes and achievements. If they don’t jump out at the reader, no one is going to spend the time to go looking for them. Clear, concise, quantifiable and impressive results will be noticed. Do not waste your time with vague comments such as, “saved the company money”.  

If your resume has generated enough interest at this point to put you above the crowd, you are one of the few but you could still miss out on the job interview if you have neglected to include some pertinent information. If you have missed including the dates anywhere in your resume you will generate a negative impression as it will be perceived that you have something to hide. Finally, the most critical information of all is your contact details. There are still those who are not comfortable putting their phone number on their resume and still many who have not realized the significance of an online presence and do not have an email or LinkedIn address. If you are not a phone call away or a google away, you may have come this far only to be dropped out of the running.

Your resume and cover letter are the most critical components of your job search! You need them to get in the door and if you don’t get it right, you could be missing out on the job opportunity of a lifetime. Don’t take the risk, call a professional resume writer.              

I am constantly amazed by how badly people portray themselves in a resume. Failure to put considerable time and effort into correctly writing this critical document could cause you to lose out on opportunities.

Many of my clients secure my services after spending fruitless hours attempting to write their own resume. Others seek me out because they have no wish to risk their chance of employment by presenting a sloppy résumé, and prefer to relax and trust a professional.

Resume writing is defined, it’s an art. Seek out a resume writer who will work for you, one who is experienced, certified and will meet your needs. You wouldn’t trust a dentist to fix your car, would you?

My peeves are: avoidable mistakes, typos, poor punctuation and grammar, and failing to present oneself at one’s best. Here are some tips to set you on the right path.

Underselling

A resume is a brag document. We have become a very accomplishment based society. Sell yourself! To be blunt, you are a product, the resume is the package and you have to put it out to the market place. Numerous people just outline their job descriptions and responsibilities. This is not good enough. The trend across North America is to highlight accomplishments. Decision makers assume at various levels you have certain responsibilities, there is no need to endlessly list each duty performed. You have to be bold. Stand up and be counted! Fly above the competition!

Incorrect Format

Times change, and resumes evolve over time. I have been writing resumes for over a decade, and I have seen tremendous changes! Many people still use a format suitable for the nineties; outdated formats don’t work. The format for optimum performance is the combination; it works extremely well for all my clients. Don’t list your personal details or use a photograph. Omit the phrase “references available upon request,” avoid graphics and use only white paper. Choose a font that makes you stand out, certainly not Courier or the word processor default Times New Roman.

No Direction

A lack of direction and focus in a resume will make an employee think the job candidate is not too sharp! Many times, when I read a resume submitted to me for a critique, I am hard pressed to know exactly what industry the person is in. The “Pro-Jective” beneath your name and address is where you present to the reader the position you are looking for. This keyword savvy section portrays your hard and soft skills’ what you could bring to the table. If you are a human resource professional, say you are a good listener, are empathetic, and highlight the specialties within this broad profession. Is it compensation & benefits, change management, or payroll. Speak Human Resources and nothing else but!

Templates

Do you use the MS Word resume templates? I call these the “Bill Gates” resumes. What does this portray to the reader? Certainly not creativity! As a Master Resume Writer I can recognize a template from a mile away. Steer clear of templates at all costs. Although they save time, they will work against you. The objectives I see from templates make me want to cringe. “A challenging position where I can utilize my skill sets to provide growth and opportunity.” Yuk! Everyone wants a challenging position to enhance their careers and assist the company. A very weak statement doesn’t do anyone justice.

Rules

There is no perfect resume. I visit the local bookstore and see the book entitled “The Perfect Resume.” This send shivers up my spine. I have yet to see a perfect resume, even with my experience and certifications. I don’t create the ideal resume, it’s very subjective and there are many variables. I set people on the right path and my resumes have been highly successful for my clientele from all professions and levels. There are many conflicting messages about page lengths, one page versus two page. Education first or last? Depends again on the circumstances, everyone is special and everyone deserves a document to make them shine.

Finally, words cannot convey how important a professional resume is to you. It can make or break you. A well written and presentable document can propel you onto great and exciting challenges. Good luck!