Don’t make these mistakes on your resume/job application!  These are real mistakes/comments found on actual resumes and job applications!  🙂

“I am extremely loyal to my present firm, so please don’t let them know of my immediate availability.”

“Here are my qualifications for you to overlook”

“Responsibility makes me nervous:

Work Experience:  “Dealing with customers’  conflicts that arouse.”

“I’m a rabit typist.”

Are  you unclear as to what it is that you need in your resume?  Do you have a lot of experience and want to ensure that it is all documented?

Quite often I receive resumes that are pages and pages long.  I will tell you that unless there is a requirement for specific information as part of an employment application, we typically like to keep resumes at 2 pages maximum.

Many people seem to think that they need to list EVERY detail of their background to give them the best chance of landing the job.  WRONG—you need to make sure that you include the right information and it is streamlined such that it is still an attractive read to the individual
reviewing.   Remember, in the interview process you can expand on this information.

You need to capture the attention of the reader and keep them motivated to continue to read about you.  When you have multiple pages of jam-packed information, you lose your reader very quickly!

There are many stats out there about how long resume reviewers spend per resume—I can tell you that I will give it a 5 second look…if I like what I see, I will keep reading.  Yup—5 seconds…  There are too many people looking for work and I have a huge pile to review.

So, review the job ad closely, think clearly about what it is you NEED to include and try to keep to 2
pages.

A very very common question!  So how many pages should your resume be?  The quick answer is 2 pages, 3 max for the average resume.  Yes, there are times when the employer requests specific information due to the nature of the job.  In these circumstances your resume may go beyond the 2-3 pages.

But you have so much to say….so many skills that need to be noted!  Ahhh yes, how do I fit it all in.  Well, this is the key.  If you are having challenges doing this and deciding which important information to keep and what to scrap, make sure you enlist in the help of a professional resume writer, preferably someone who has actually been in a position of reviewing resumes with the intention to hire.   Here are some tips:

*  Include information at a high level
*  Look for information that is duplicated and eliminate it
*  Only include the most relevant information
*  If you are not applying for a pet shop job i.e. you are applying for a Project Manager role…it  probably isn’t a good idea to include the pet shop job that you worked at when you were in high school….
*  Look for the skills and background required for the position you are applying to – ensure you have noted that you have these skills within your cover letter/resume (if indeed you have them!)
*  Leave room for interview discussion – meaning, if something is important and you don’t feel you can fit all the details in, don’t worry – ensure to include the point(s) at a high level and if the interviewer is interested, they will ask you more about this in the interview.
*  If you have your previous job descriptions available, these are a huge help when you are looking to create your resume

A final tip, think of yourself as being the recruiter, the hiring manager reviewing all the resumes that have come in for your open position – we are talking hundreds and perhaps more.  Are you going to want to sift through pages and pages of someone’s resume?  I will give you the answer – “NO”.  Number one, there isn’t time, number two, If you take that long to explain your past history, I would be wondering what you would be like on the job, number three, this is your chance to sell yourself to me and you just blew it with the sheer volume of information.

I hope these quick few tips have been helpful!  Don’t hesitate to let us know if you need a hand!

1.  53% of all job applications contain inaccurate information.

2.  49% of the 3,100
hiring managers surveyed had caught a job applicant fabricating some part of   his/her resume.

3. 34% of all application forms contain outright lies about experience, education, and ability to perform essential functions on the job.

4. 9% of job applicants falsely claimed they had a college degree, listed false employers, or identified jobs that didn’t exist.

5. 11% of job applicants misrepresented why they left a former employer.

What font and size of font should I use when I create my resume?

I receive this question quite often.  There certainly are all kinds of selections when it comes to fonts!  To be honest, my preference when creating and receiving resumes is to use something that is clear, common and not distracting.  So for this, I recommend “Arial”or “Times New Roman”.  Font size is
typically between 11 and 12 with 12 being the most popular.

There certainly are other types of fonts that can be used like “Georgia” and “Century Gothic” that are also quite nice, just not as popular as the other two.

Ensure to make your name stand out by utilizing “Bold” and a larger size of font.  You can use a different font type for this information, however don’t get “Font Crazy” and start using all kinds of
different fonts throughout your resume.  You don’t want this to cause distraction, the key is to pull your reader in with the information you supply and how you supply it.

Having difficulty?  We are always here to help.  Contact us for a free quote.  We work fast and give you the professional resume you are seeking.

Do you have any burning questions for us?  Please feel free to send them along, we would be happy to answer them in an upcoming blog, article or newsletter!  Send them to christie@1stophrconsulting.com