As a former Human Resource Professional and now a Career Coach, I have read hundreds of résumés. There have been a few times I have said, “WOW” this is a well-written résumé. It is clear, concise, and states the specific job objective at the top along with his/her skill set. Most of the time, though, I am left confused and shaking my head at how poorly the person has represented him/her self. To an employer or a network contact, your résumé is one of the first contacts or reflections he/she has of you.
The top three résumé mistakes I have seen are:
1.
Not stating your career objective at the top along with your skill set. This information should go right below your name and contact information. Example:
OPERATIONS MANAGER
P & L ♦ Quality Control ♦ Cost Control ♦ Lean Manufacturing
or
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Project Management ♦ Word/Excel/Power Point ♦ Customer Focused
2.
Not beginning your accomplishments with an action verb and not providing quantification. Accomplishments should start with an action verb and if possible, state how you improved quality, reduced cost or added dollars to the bottom line. Example:
•Initiated and led a department safety group resulting in 14 months with no lost days due to injury.
•Achieved 75% success rate with cold calls.
3.
Not spell checking your résumé! Please make certain you have someone edit your résumé before you send it. Human Resource Professionals automatically disqualify you if a word is spelled incorrectly.
It is so important that you spend time preparing a quality marketing document. There are many resources available to assist you – résumé books and job market support groups who have professionals available to assist you just to name a few. A “First Class” résumé will help you greatly in your job search.
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN! GOT A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION, OR DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL ADVICE? POST IT BELOW BY CLICKING 'ADD A COMMENT'.
Do you have your own question for our experts?
DanaGlasgo has been a Senior Career Consultant for the last fifteen yearsfor businesses of all sizes including Fortune 1000 companies. She isalso a Certified Career Practitioner with the Institute of CareerCertification International, qualified in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator-2005, and recently was certified in Six Sigma.
