• More Topics

  • The Right Stuff
  • When Less is More
  • Hip Hop History
  • Pete and Repeat
  • Has Your Resume Grown Up?
  • Your Career File Part 1
  • Your Career File Part 2

• FREE Assessment

  • Get your resume reviewed by an expert (Offer good one time only)

Don't be too quick to blame the economy if you are not getting job interviews. Learn the most common resume mistakes; get insight into a range of issues and find suggestions that can help you make your resume an effective promotional tool.

On Target:
Don't pitch wild for that important job

Most resumes get a only a few seconds of attention. That's right. Never mind that it took you eight hours to write it. Within about 20 seconds, if your resume hasn't grabbed attention and excited a hiring officer, you'll never get the chance to show 'em what you've got. Let's look at some common mistakes and suggestions for avoiding them that can help you get yourself in the lineup.

Get objective about your objective

Does your resume have one of those vague, noncommittal objectives that reads something like this? Seeking a position that will use my skills and abilities and offer advancement opportunites.

If so, I'd like you to think about that statement for just a minute. - Doesn't every job seeker in the whole world want that? Of course! So, if your objective fits this profile, you have put yourself in a category with the great unimaginative masses.

A person with your talents and abilities surely doesn't belong there. My advice is to drop that vague statement in favor of a bold headline. At the top of the resume, use Administration, or Retail Management, or Banking / Finance, or whatever your field may be. This tactic is clear, strong and professional.

Think about what it is the employer desperately needs, - and be that ideal candidate. Ask yourself which of your skills sets are most important for the job? What personal traits are make you able to do the job better than your competitors? What accomplishments can serve as concrete evidence that you can do the job?

These items should come first in a summary, or be highlighted in your experience. Every bit of information on the resume should be there to convince the employer you are the answer to his / her prayers.

Leave off unrelated jobs, or, at least, omit irrelevant details.

Avoid redundancy. - If you were in Telephone Sales, do not state that you sold things over the phone. And never repeat job duties under multiple positions.

Do not include explanations about why you left school or a job.

Leave out personal details, interests and activities, - unless they relate directly and strengthen your candidacy for the job.

I can hear you now. Are you kidding me? You won't believe how long it took me to get this resume done and I don't want to do it again!

Relax, I'm not saying you have to do the whole thing over. In fact, if you have already written a comprehensive resume, - that's great! It can serve as your master document. Simply revise, rename and save the file. Using your master file, you can use the basic information to craft effective, targeted resumes.

The recap:

(1) State a clear objective

(2) Put key qualifications at the beginning of the resume

(3) Eliminate all non-essential information.

Make every word on your resume count and and you may find employers scrambling to recruit you for the company team.