By MAX MESSMER
Scripps Howard News Service
As you prepare your resume and cover letter, be mindful that hiring managers are particularly busy these days. With fewer open positions and no shortage of job candidates looking to fill them, the resume-review process has become more time-intensive for many employers.
Why does this matter to you? Two reasons: Hiring managers can afford to be more selective, and they have little time for or interest in conducting resume guesswork.
Make sure your writing is clear and contains specific examples of the relevant skills and abilities you offer. Employers should not have to interpret vague or nebulous language. The following job seekers hurt their chances with their lack of clarity:
"OBJECTIVE: To utilize my one strength." We'll need to know what that strength is.
"OBJECTIVE: Anything."Can you narrow it down?
"SKILLS: I'm meticulously honed."Is that a good thing?
"ABILITIES: Endless."He doesn't know his own limits.
While the job seekers above should have offered more information, this next administrative professional went overboard by providing minute details about the intricacies of her daily tasks:
"JOB DUTIES: Count sheets of paper, using fingers to separate fanned edges into groups of threes, fours or fives to facilitate counting."A candidate you can count on.
Finally, it's essential to understand what a position generally entails before submitting your application materials. This person responded to a job ad for a bookkeeper, not realizing it's an accounting position:
COVER LETTER:
"I enjoy reading a lot. I believe that this job would be good for me because, as I said, I enjoy books."The end.
For more Resumania, and to submit samples you've come across, visit www.resumania.com. Keep the Resumania coming. Examples can be sent to Resumania, c/o Robert Half International, 2884 Sand Hill Road, Suite 200, Menlo Park, Calif., 94025, or faxed to 650.234.6998.
Max Messmer is chairman and CEO of Robert Half International, a specialized staffing firm, and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies(r) and Job Hunting For Dummies(r), 2nd Edition. His most recent book is Human Resources Kit For Dummies(r), 2nd Edition.
