The resume doesn’t get you the job but it can lose you the opportunity to be considered. I was asked once in a class I was teaching on resumes how to make the resume stand out. Unless you are going for a creative job, the best you can do is have a professional resume that doesn’t get automatically discarded due to poor grammar or spelling or that doesn’t fit the job specifications at all. In other words, don’t stand out for all the wrong reasons.
In my 24 years in human resources, I saw thousands of resumes. Among the most memorable (but not in a good way) are:
- A candidate who compared himself to General Patton, Howard Hughes, Socrates, Jung, Leonardo DaVinci, Teddy Roosevelt, and Julia Child in his resume.
- A candidate applying for a government security job whose e-mail address included the words “bombs away”.
- Reason for leaving included in this resume: “Fired, this happened one week after I told my boss that I wouldn’t go out with him. He fired me over a bowl of creamers left on a table…”
- A coworker whose resume introduced him as a “Manger”, not a manager.
- A candidate who had been with the prior employer in a professional capacity for over 25 years and still felt the need to include menial summer jobs held while in high school.
In the upcoming weeks, I am going to present information on the parts of the resume and how to write each of them.
PLEASE COMMENT
Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories. Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.
HOW TO REACH ME
847-446-3803
QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
“Note: Keep this resume on top of the stack. Use all the others to heat your house.”
