After working for a staffing and recruiting agency for nearly 6 years, I’ve seen my share of poorly written, badly formatted, and self-destructing resumes. Many jobseekers have shot themselves in the foot for making simple and basic mistakes. As I’m sure you’ve heard and read time and time again, your resume is a marketing tool to promote yourself. It’s evident to hiring managers how much time and effort you’ve invested in this critical piece and the results speak for themselves. If you are an active and serious job seeker, you should check your resume today to avoid make damaging mistakes.
Self-promote, don’t self-serve. Your resume shouldn’t be about what you are looking for in your next job opportunity, but instead how your skills and background can fill a void at an organization. For example, don’t state in an objective that you are looking to utilize your education and experience to grow within a company. This is a very self-serving statement and doesn’t provide the hiring manager with insight as to why they should hire you. Check your email address. Your email address says a lot about you. Some addresses reveal more then what a hiring manager would ever want to know. I’m sure you want your friends and family to know you as hotmama166, but do you want your future employer to know you that way. Create a new email address specifically for your job search. When doing so, keep it simple and professional. Don’t undersell yourself. Spend time thinking of all the tasks and responsibilities you had at your previous jobs. It may be something you only did monthly, but that experience could be relevant to a prospective employer. Use action words. You can make any sentence pop by adding a power or action word. For example you could state that you file documents or you could state you accurately and systematically file confidential information. Don’t include pictures or personal information. A guaranteed way to get your resume tossed aside is if you include a picture with your resume. Even if your picture is professional, which the majority of the ones I see are not, it shows a lack of judgment on the job seekers behalf. Leave the pictures for your online profiles. Also, do not include anywhere in your document your personal interests. Knowing that you like to fish with your family has no relevance on your professional future and may even cause an employer to negatively judge you. Quantify your successes. Nothing stands out more than numbers. For instance, which candidate would you choose; someone who states they have customer service experience or someone with over 12 years of progressive growth in customer service? If possible, try to back up your success with numbers. Here’s another example; by researching and selecting a different paper vendor I saved the company $450 per month. Make sure to spend some time upgrading your resume. With the job market as competitive as it is, those who spend the time will be the ones who get results.
Katie Lindbloom is the Marketing Manager at QPS Employment Group and manages QPS’ Resume Writing Services. To have your resume written by a professional, visit our Resume Writing Services webpage. QPS is a staffing and recruiting company with over 20 offices throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. QPS has been placing great people at great companies since 1985. Visit the QPS website at http://www.qpsemployment.com to find a branch near you.
