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What Recruiters Hate About Resumes And Cover Letters
Today, I'm going to share with you the awful truth about resumes and cover letters. Here it is: Most of them stink. That's not just my opinion, although I've read nearly 15,000 resumes and cover letters over the years and found glaring mistakes in about 85-90% of them. It's also the opinion of most of the hiring professionals I've spoken to over the years. Where do most resumes and cover letters go wrong? And how can you avoid the typical mistakes that most job seekers make? To find answers, I spoke with two experienced recruiters. Their candid advice can help you avoid typical pitfalls, and get hired faster Here it is ... 1) Don't Use The Same Resume For Every Job Would you grab any old suit off the rack and rush off to church to get married? No. First, you get the suit tailored, so it fits. That way, you won't look ridiculous. Unfortunately, job seekers can look ridiculous when they rush to apply for jobs without tailoring their resumes. It's a real pet peeve of most hiring professionals, including Larry Harris, a Minneapolis-based recruiter and President of American Consulting (americanconsultingcompany.com) "Why don't candidates customize every resume they send out, to fit the job they're applying for? That makes my job a lot easier when I forward that resume to my client, the hiring manager." According to Tony Haley, Director of UK-based Fenton Chase International (fentonchase.com), most resumes come across as generic, with no consideration about a particular position or company. "The most surprising group of candidates who do this is Sales Managers and Sales Directors. These people spend their days reviewing resumes from candidates and yet when it comes to their own, they cannot sell themselves," says Haley. Solution? Customize, customize, customize. Every company, every position, every manager reading your resume -- they're all different. So tailor your resume for every position you apply for. Bring out the details of your experience that are most relevant to each opportunity and company. 2) Don't Be Boring One of the worst sins you can commit with a resume is to be boring. The rule of thumb is simple: If they snooze, you lose (because your resume will go in the trash). Resumes get boring when you fill them full of jargon, or dry job descriptions, or a lack of specific results, according to Haley. "Consider the reader. Remember, the people reading your resume might not be that proficient at it. If they cannot see what they are looking for almost immediately, they might reject it, and if it's full of technical jargon, they might not understand it," says Haley. Solution? An easy way to eliminate dull wording from a resume is to read it aloud to 2-3 friends. If eyes glaze over or brows furrow, you've likely lost your audience. Revise the resume until it holds your friends' attention all the way through. Haley offers another way to create a compelling resume: "Use the 'So, what?' test. Any sentence on a resume that causes a reader to think 'So, what?' probably means it's waffle. Reword it or take it off." 3) Don't Forget The Cover Letter You wouldn't want to alienate anyone who could help you get a job, would you? Yet, that's just what you do when you forget to send a cover letter with your resume. Because a missing cover letter creates extra work for busy hiring professionals, as they try to figure out what job you're applying for and how you heard about it. Solution? Write and include a cover letter with every resume, including those you send by email. Even a one-line cover letter in an email is better than nothing, according to Larry Harris: "You could simply write, 'I'm applying for your telemarketing software sales position. I spent five years doing that exact job. I'd be perfect for it!" Here's hoping these tirades and tips from hiring professionals will help you write a better resume and cover letter next time you apply for that dream job. Now, go out and make your own luck! Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1996, he and his team have provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in all 50 states and 23 countries. Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, CBS MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal's National Business Employment Weekly, CBS Radio, and many others. As a reader of this publication, you're eligible for a special offer. Get your Free Job Search Kit ($25.00 value) at the Guaranteed Resumes Web site - http://www.gresumes.com
MORE RESOURCES: Careers at CMS CMS Work At Chess.com Chess.com Report: community college students need more career guidance Inside Higher Ed Careers - Human Resources Kennesaw State University Will Artificial Intelligence Steal My Job? | On Careers | U.S. News U.S News & World Report Money Jobs and Training at FDA FDA.gov Careers Boys & Girls Clubs of America Careers at TWU | The Office of Human Resources | TWU Texas Woman's University Careers Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Workers eager to fill 3,000 Las Vegas jobs to build Brightline Fox 5 Las Vegas Careers Micron Careers at FEMA FEMA Tesla mass layoffs impact Bay Area, with over 2,750 jobs lost San Francisco Chronicle Careers | Job Opportunities | MaineHealth MaineHealth Curry College launches job guarantee program Inside Higher Ed Careers at Bucknell Bucknell University Career Paths FEMA Job Search Results - Careers at UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group My career race is in the home stretch, here's what I know Financial Times Industry sells workers on ag jobs The Western Producer Employment USC Upstate Veterans and transitioning military | VA Careers VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Green careers report: Understanding green jobs and their increasing demand The Economic Times Data indicates a strong job market but some employment seekers — even those with a Ph.D. — say they struggle Yahoo Finance Careers Smith College Grécourt Gate What Researchers Discovered When They Sent 80000 Fake Résumés to U.S. Jobs The New York Times Careers at NATO NATO HQ Apply for a Job The City of Vancouver, WA Join our team FHI 360 Despite lagging performance, California expected to avoid recession Los Angeles Times Chesapeake Public Schools Employment Opportunities Chesapeake Public Schools Careers at USI University of Southern Indiana Careers Medline Newsroom Work for Us (U.S National Park Service Careers The Ocean Cleanup Careers at Air Liquide Air Liquide Careers | US Forest Service USDA Forest Service Careers in mental health services : Career Outlook: U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics Careers Technip Energies Lawsuit claims Sheetz denied employment to class of job applicants because of their race WPXI Pittsburgh Finding a New Job Is Getting Harder The Wall Street Journal Early careers UBS AI Will Transform the Global Economy. Let's Make Sure It Benefits Humanity. International Monetary Fund Careers in Wildland Fire | US Forest Service USDA Forest Service Careers CPKC Work Here UnitedHealth Group CoinGecko Careers: Careers at CoinGecko CoinGecko Careers with Impact IFC Press Releases Early Careers | Mondelēz International, Inc. Mondelez International Tech careers and technology jobs McKinsey Best job site of 2024 TechRadar Education and Development WellSpan Health The Challenges of Retiring from a High-Powered Job HBR.org Daily Opinion | The A.I. Economy Will Make Jobs More Human The New York Times Lack of growth opportunities is a big reason why employees leave jobs. Here's how to change that APA Psychology News Explore and find your profession TotalEnergies.com John Lewis publishes job interview questions to aid preparation Personnel Today Find a Role Bain & Company Career Fields and Career Paths Verizon Careers at UNHCR UNHCR Jobs Energy.gov Careers City of Somerville Employment Opportunities City of Windsor Upgraded National Career Service portal to give job market a fillip Business Standard Careers | City of Norfolk, Virginia - Official Website City of Norfolk (.gov) Jobs at Parks Canada Canada.ca Departments - Human Resources - Job Openings and Descriptions City of Round Rock Careers & Employment Pinellas County ADM Job Openings Unlocking Nature. Enriching Life. | ADM Employment Opportunities Unity Health Toronto 41 Fun Jobs That Pay Well 💰 Moneywise |
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