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Common Résumé MistakesUsing a general résumé. DON'T DO IT! You cannot successfully use the same résumé to apply to several different jobs. Your résumé should be custom written for each job you are targeting. When you send out something generic, it shows apathy and lack of motivation. This is NOT the impression you want to send to your potential employers. Irrelevant content. For example, if you are applying for an accounting position, don't list your lifeguard position you held back in 1989. Spouses, children, hobbies, and your favorite movie genre are also irrelevant tidbits that should remain private. Creative fonts. Even if your choice looks easy to read on your screen, it may not be on someone else's screen. For example, if I use Arial, Verdana, or Times New Roman, anyone with MS Word can view these fonts. If I were to use my cool Futurama Alien Font, most likely it would look all jumbled up on someone else's system. "References Available Upon Request" This statement is unnecessary. An employer assumes that if you are job searching that you have professional references readily available. Objective statement. Your résumé needs a clear goal, but the traditional objective statement is outdated. Hiring managers don't care that you want a "challenging position utilizing my experience and creativity..." Everyone knows the objective is to get the interview. Instead, try using a headline followed by a compelling summary of your relevant skills. This is a better way to present what you have to offer your potential employer. Using a résumé to replace a job application. A résumé is not a job application. The reason for leaving your last job, previous supervisors' names, and rate of pay don't belong on your résumé. This is information can hurt you more than help you, so leave it off of your résumé. Jennifer Anthony is the owner ofResumeASAP, offering professional and affordable résumé writing services. If you have comments about this article, or if you are interested in learning more about professional résumé writing, please contact Jennifer Anthony by e-mail or by calling 1-888-722-5211. |  | | | RELATED ARTICLES The Computer-Friendly Resume The evolution of technology is changing the traditional methods for job searching and recruiting. More and more companies are now relying on computers to initiate the process of hiring and are filling their database with candidates with skills that are easily searchable. Traditionally, submitted resumes were first received and sorted by humans. What else, right? But now, for many firms, this step has been handed over to their computers. Get a Life Why Dont Ya?! It's okay to take your job seriously, to be a stickler for professionalism, and sure it's wonderful to take your responsibilities seriously. However, you have to be a bit careful when you allow your job to become your LIFE. 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It generally takes at least a month to find an entry-level job, and as much as nine months for one requiring a high level of skill and experience. Getting organized before you begin your job search can ultimately save you a lot of time and frustration. A Job is Not a Job It only happened on Mondays. Sometimes I escaped the unpleasant ritual. But, more often than not, right before boarding I threw up in the ladies room of the train station. It wasn't the commute I hated. It was the job. The reasons don't matter why a job I once enjoyed turned into a job I didn't. It happens. Bosses change, companies change, priorities change, budgets change, responsibilities change. Some changes bring personal growth and opportunity. Some don't. What does matter was the lesson learned that stayed with me the rest of my career: a job is not just a job. That job I hated helped my checking account. But my confidence, creativity, health, energy for life and view of the world was not as fortunate. When the alarm clock sounded, my previous excitement to face a new day became cocoon-like behavior, both in and out of the covers, wanting protection from another day's battle. It was safer for those I loved to refrain from sharing important issues or concerns with me, never knowing how I would react. How you spend a significant part of your day rubs off on the rest of your day, and on those you share your life with. Over time, it rubs off on your life. I'm not talking about temporary potholes and work hiccups that come with change or periods of work intensity, or the interim choices to increase finances, or the normal setbacks and challenges that should be dealt with at work. I'm talking about the long term match between who you are and the job you have. When you're in a job that's good for you, you can feel it. And you can feel it when you're not. I agree with Barbara DeAngeles, "No job is a good job if it isn't good for you." You see, you can't be winning at working if you don't like what you're doing, where you're doing it, or who you're doing it for. If what you do feels like work the majority of the time, you might want to think about why, and what you can do to change it. That doesn't necessarily mean you should change jobs or companies. Transferring to another team, volunteering for a new project, or asking your boss for new responsibilities may be all it takes. But, whatever it takes, you won't be able to offer your best you at work and get rewarded with interesting work, personal growth and financial rewards, if you aren't in a good workplace environment and a good position match for who you are, what you want, and what you have to offer. I've worked in jobs where I couldn't wait until Monday. That's when I'm so excited about the new project or the new idea or the next thing I'm working on that it's not work to me. 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Your network contacts may ask for a resume and some industries absolutely, positively demand a resume as the price of admission. When you begin thinking of your resume as a power source, the results can be astonishing. |
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