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Career Pointers Archives
Top 10 Reasons Why Resumes Suck
3. It’s all about what you’ve done for other companies. Frankly - no-one gives a hoot about that; they want to know ‘What Can You Do For Me?’
4. TMI - Too Much Information. Contrary to popular belief, it is not good practice to list everything and the kitchen sink. You’re just providing ammunition to the screener to say ‘yeah, well, we don’t need that’
5. NEI - Not Enough Information. Not about what you’ve done before (see #3) but about Who You Are. Generic resumes are also utterly boring, and completely devoid of any personality.
6. Orphaned Achievements: If the resumes even list achievements, they do so without specifying your actual role and contribution, how they were achieved, or what the results were.
7. Confuse ‘skills’ with ‘tools’. Skills are things you can do (for them); tools are things you use to get results. And telling people you can use The Internet, and Word and Excel, these days, is like telling people you know how to use a rotary dial phone ...
8. Excessive Use of Buzz-Words. ‘dynamic leader’, ‘people person’, ‘problem-solver’, ‘results-oriented’, ‘self-starter’ --- C’mon people! Let’s try and be a bit more original here; surely you can come up with better words to present yourself? Define your strengths, and articulate them creatively - that should get you noticed.
9. Contain the phrase ‘References are available on request’. Well, duh. That’s kind of like kicking in an open door, isn’t it? Leave it off; it’s understood.
10. List hobbies, personal interests, and volunteer activities indiscriminately. Don’t include any of these, unless there is a direct connection to the job you’re applying for; if you’re applying as Executive Director of a non-profit foundation, then, by all means, let them know that you have successfully raised thousands of dollars for your kid’s soccer team. Otherwise - skip it.
This list could probably be expanded - up to 20, or 30 reasons ... but I think I’ve made my point. If you want to do something about your resume, and increase your chances of getting the job you want - contact me. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are; I have worked as a career consultant in Europe and North America - and a good resume is a good resume, regardless of where you are. What’s to lose?
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