Make everything count on your resume

Published 3:29 pm Wednesday, November 24, 2010

During my experience in working with job seekers — first in a recruiter’s office and then as a resume writer — I have screened, evaluated and revised thousands of resumes, line by line, word by word. Some of the documents that cross my desk are truly exceptional. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sauntered into the headquarters of a world-class organization and secured top- paying jobs on their own. However, most resumes leave a lot to be desired. They’re ordinary. Occasionally, they’re bogged down with mistakes.

Over the years, I have developed a list of pet peeves. Things that rub me the wrong way. Some of them are a matter of taste or personal preference. For instance, I find big blocks of italicized text to be rather difficult to read. I prefer plain, readable text. My other gripes generally include typos, errors and embarrassing word choices that make me turn away from my computer screen and quietly shake my head.

Here are a few examples:

The word “manger”

Unless you build livestock feed troughs for a living, or carve Bible scenes out of wood or stone, the word “manger” should not appear in your resume. And yet, I come across this error at least once or twice a week. Apparently, many supervisors type very hurriedly and accidentally drop the second “a” from the word “manager.” I shake my head every time.

By the way, the spell check feature on your computer will leave you high and dry on this one, so be sure to comb through each line of your resume looking for misspelled words!

Silly e-mail addresses

When I started working in the recruiting office many years ago, I was shocked by the number of resumes that arrived in the e-mail box every day. My boss gave me three pieces of advice to help expedite the screening process. Read the documents quickly. Only print the ones that really stand out. And finally, look at the contact information of every job candidate. If the e-mail address is unprofessional, delete the message right away.

Ever since then, I am highly critical of e-mail addresses. They say a lot about you as a job candidate. So, if you call yourself dad-of-the-year, goofball, tree-hugger or wonder-dog, change your address immediately.

Hobbies

Unless your hobbies directly support your candidacy, don’t list them on your resume. I make rare exceptions for marathon runners (it’s grueling and competitive), international travel (for targeting global companies) and industry-specific pastimes (such as scientific researchers learning about emerging technologies in their field). Resist the temptation to write: “Hobbies: Reading, cooking and spending time with family.” Too generic.

I urge you to scour your document for wasted space, errors and silly word choices. Eradicate them. Keep in mind that you have a tiny window of opportunity to get an employer’s attention. Use it wisely.

Useless objective statements

I have seen hundreds — maybe thousands — of resumes that begin like this: “Objective: Seeking a challenging position with a growing company that will benefit from my skills and experience.” Don’t waste space with a boring, say-nothing sentence. Try something like this: “Energetic, goal-oriented account manager with a talent for building relationships, presenting solutions and closing sales.”

Eve Nicholas can be reached at Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com.