Headhunters match resumes to open job opportunities much like we match food cravings to a restaurant menu – when you glance over it, there’s either a fit or there isn’t one.
And just like that restaurant menu, you’ve worked hard to get your resume in tip top shape as a job hunter, hoping to match your skill set to what a potential employer might be seeking.
Headhunters see hundreds of resumes on a daily basis and they skim over them – hungrily seeking those morsels that make you stand out from the rest and if they don’t find what they’re craving, they move on and don’t ask questions.
With that being said, it’s vitally important to keep your resume marketable by avoiding these 5 things that will get your resume passed up or thrown in the trash.
Summary paragraphs: These are outdated and unnecessary fluff that the recruiter – who has the attention span of a goldfish – has to wade through. Keep in mind that most summary paragraphs never get read – they want the meat and bones of your resume so let it speak for itself.
Months: Leaving out parts of your history makes hiring managers wonder what else you’re hiding. Months matter so include them with every job on your resume. Details matter.
Hiding: Here’s a little reminder – you can’t hide ANYTHING in today’s digital world – the truth always comes out so it’s better to include job gaps, no degree, short term employment than attempt at hiding it. The minute you get caught, your credibility is gone – regardless of your explanation.
Complicating things: If you dump all of your achievements at the bottom or top of your resume, you will lose the hiring manager’s interest. Time is everything and they don’t have time to cross check the jobs you’ve had with your achievements so make it easy by listing them in bullet points under each appropriate job title. Don’t make lengthy paragraphs – keep it short and sweet and to the point.
Hyping it up: There’s nothing more frustrating for hiring managers than to have their time wasted thinking they’re calling one type of employee only to find out they’ve hyped up their resume to get a call back. Don’t make yourself into something you’re not! And, if you’re over 50 don’t leave off your degree date hoping to hide it in an interview. If they’re going to discriminate because of your age, they’ll do it face to face anyway and you don’t want to work for that type of company anyway.
This same rule applies to age. If you’re over 50, don’t leave off your degree date in hopes of hiding it. If you’re going to be age discriminated, they’re going to eventually do it on a face to face interview. You wouldn’t want to work for that type of company anyways. Don’t hurt your credibility by trying to bluff your way into an interview, your achievements and hard work over the years should stand on their own merit.
It’s a daunting task to send out resume after resume hoping for a call back so don’t let your resume cheat you out of a fair chance.
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