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The Five Most Common - And Most Avoidable
- Resume Errors
by Jaimie Marzullo
Writing an effective résumé can certainly
be challenging. There are numerous rules and none of
them apply 100% of the time. It is often much easier
for people to craft their document if they understand
the boundaries within which they will need to operate
100% of the time - the mistakes that should never be
made and will brand a job-seeker as unprofessional.
Eliminating all of these errors from your résumé
will go a long way in improving your chances of securing
an interview.
- "Responsible for..."
The Problem:
This is one of the most common, and most amateurish,
résumé errors. There is no greater example
of weak, passive writing than the overused "responsible
for." There are two base reasons why this phrase is
to be avoided. The first is that it is already understood
that the information included in your résumé
are activities that you were responsible for; this
is the equivalent of writing "we cook..." before an
item listed in a restaurant menu. The second reason
is what I alluded to above: "responsible for" is passive,
bland, and boring. It does nothing to draw in the
reader, and demonstrates no specific or relevant skill.
With the average résumé being read in
approximately seven seconds, the first word or two
in each sentence is absolutely critical because it
is the information that will be read first and most.
Whether anything else in a given sentence will be
read at all entirely depends on if the first couple
of words strike a chord with the reader. If the hiring
manager holding your résumé does not
spot keywords of interest in those vital locations,
then the entire résumé is probably going
in the trash, no matter how great the rest of your
information is.
The Solution:
A great way to test the quality of a résumé
is to read just the first word in each sentence, and
see what image those words build of you as an employee.
If your first words consist of "responsible for",
"helped", "handled", or other passive language, then
you're not creating a powerful or compelling first
impression. Open each and every sentence with a power
verb that is relevant to the job you are applying
for. Words such as "manage", "direct", "administer",
and "process" can often be used to replace "responsible
for", and are far more effective.
- Using a paragraph format.
The Problem:
As mentioned above, the average résumé
is read in approximately seven seconds. In those precious
few seconds, the hiring manager will skim through
your entire document and determine if you possess
the qualifications needed for the job. If your information
is organized in long, dense paragraphs that are difficult
to read quickly, they are most likely not going to
be read at all. Think of your résumé
as a shopping spree... if you have only seven seconds
within which to conduct your shopping spree, which
would you rather be faced with: an enormous pile of
products where it is impossible to discern what each
individual product is without an in-depth perusal,
or an organized, easy-to-navigate row of products
that are displayed independently so that you can easily
see what each is? Remember, you have only seven seconds.
I think we'd all agree that it is much easier, when
on limited time, to approach information that is already
parsed out for us. Paragraphs are intimidating to
the eye and for the hiring manager who has literally
hundreds of other applicants to choose from, the loss
of one whose document is difficult to read is not
going to be a consideration.
The Solution:
Create brief, bulleted statements. Each statement
should focus on one particular skill and be no more
than two lines in length.
- Repetition.
The Problem:
It is not uncommon for people, in an attempt to not
overlook anything, to mention the same skills multiple
times within the same résumé. This creates
a boring, stale document in which the heavily repeated
skills overshadow everything else. In addition to
this, the repetition contributes to excess length;
again, we come back to that same seven seconds. Let's
say, for example, that in your resume you want to
list skills A, B, C, and D. If you do just that, then
it is easy to identify all of those skills in seven
seconds. If, however, your résumé lists
A, B, A, A, B, B, B, C, A, C, B, A, A, C, B, D, C,
A... suddenly, your qualifications are not as obvious
and one - D - could very easily be overlooked.
The Solution:
Identify which skill each and every statement is addressing
and write that information directly on a copy of your
résumé. Then review the skills listed
next to all of your statements. Are you seeing one
or more skills listed over and over? Consolidate this
information. Also, don't fall into the trap of repeating
information from one section to another; if you mention
an accomplishment in your Professional Summary, do
not mention it again in your Professional Experience.
- Writing job descriptions.
The Problem:
Committing this error is what can make the difference
between getting an interview and losing the opportunity
to someone else. Employers are not interested in what
activities you performed on a daily basis - they are
interested in how well you performed those activities.
Stating that you "processed paperwork" gives no indication
of what type of employee you are... this same statement
could apply accurately to the person who doodles on
the desk and misses deadlines as well as the person
who exceeds deadlines and quotas and has 100% accuracy.
The Solution:
Focus on accomplishments. Many job-seekers disregard
this advice with the mistaken notion that they do
not have any accomplishments. Most of the time these
people do have quantifiable achievements; they just
don't realize that they do. It can be difficult to
look objectively at our own experiences. Review employee
evaluations. What positives are noted? Think about
special projects or busy times; were there any instances
in which you were praised, or were very proud of the
job you did? Any times in which you improved processes,
made or saved money, or lifted some of the burden
off your supervisor's shoulders?
If you truly have no accomplishments, then focus on
results. What are the results of your work? For example,
"processed paperwork." What paperwork and why? What
does this paperwork do for your company? "Facilitate
ongoing litigation by processing complex legal documents"
is much more effective than simply "Processed paperwork,"
although both would technically be correct.
- Using Objective statements.
The Problem:
This is often the result of a job-seeker who has either
been out of the market for a long time, or someone
who is using a dated résumé-writing
manual. Objective statements have, thankfully, gone
out of style on résumés. Why thankfully?
Objective statements are counter-productive. By definition,
an Objective states what you, the job-seeker, want.
The problem with this is that the hiring manager does
not care what you want; the hiring manager cares about
what you can do for the company. Additionally, what
you want should be clear from your cover letter and
by the simple fact that you sent your résumé
in the first place - it does not need to be repeated
(see #3, above). Since this is often positioned at
the very top of the résumé, it is a
regretful waste of highly visible space that should
be used to appeal to the interests of hiring managers,
not to address information that the hiring manager
isn't interested in.
The Solution:
Professional Summary, Profile, Summary Statement...
whatever you want to call it, a summary section at
the top of your résumé that reviews
your strongest, most relevant skills and abilities
is a surefire way to capture the attention of your
reader and encourage him or her to read on. This is
also a highly effective strategy to position notable
achievements that occurred early in your career in
a visible location.
About the Author
Jaimie Marzullo is a professional résumé
writer and career counselor.
With additional expertise in U.S. employment and labor,
family medical leave, disability rights, and human rights
laws, she has served as a consultant to small businesses,
educational systems, healthcare organizations, and government
offices.
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