resume writing

What Not to Do with Resumes

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A friend sent me two articles last week that I wanted to share.  After reading them, I want to share some advice for what NOT to do with resumes.

First article is called “Linkedin – Top 10 resume words to avoid”. According to Linked-in, the following are the top-10 most overused terms.   I did a quick check of my resume and found that I am using 3 of the 10 terms listed. ...  read more

How Hiring Managers Think

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I went to a café for lunch today.  I don’t usually eavesdrop on other’s conversation, but in this café, it’s so cozy it’s impossible to ignore other’s conversations.   Well I happen to overhear a very interesting and loud conversation between 3 people who work at an environmental software company.   They are trying to decide whether to hire a candidate they already interview and how to fill another entry-level sales position.  I thought I share this to demonstrate one example of how the hiring managers think and what that may mean for job seekers ...  read more

13 Funniest Resume Bloopers

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Time to take a break from your job search efforts and check out the 150 funniest resume mistakes.  If you thought you are having a hard time with finding a job, imagine these people.  This read will cheer you up.  Here are my 13 favorites.

  1. Hobbies: “enjoy cooking Chinese and Italians”
  2. “I’m intrested to here more about that. I’m working today in a furniture factory as a drawer”
  3. Candidate stated the ability to persuade people sexually using her words.
  4. “Skills: Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team Player, Self Motivated, Attention to Detail”
  5. Woman who sent her résumé and cover letter without deleting someone else’s editing, including such comments as “I don’t think you want to say this about yourself here”
  6. “Planned new corporate facility at $3 million over budget.”
  7. “I am a wedge with a sponge taped to it. My purpose is to wedge myself into someone’s door to absorb as much as possible.”
  8. “Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave.”
  9. Objective: “I want to play a major part in watching a company advance.”
  10. Qualifications: “I have guts, drive, ambition and heart, which is probably more than a lot of the drones that you have working for you.”
  11. Work experience: “Responsibilities included checking customers out.”
  12. Application: How large was the department you worked in with your last company? “A: 3 stories.”
  13. Education: “I have a bachelorette degree in computers.”

Enjoy this much needed break and good luck out there! ...  read more

Job Search Advice from a Senior Headhunter

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In addition to writing from my own experience, I also want to share career advice from experts in the field. Last week, I spent 90 minutes chatting with one such expert – Steve Meyers, a senior recruiter in executive searches. I met Steve a few years ago at a Wharton MBA alumni networking lunch. ...  read more

4 Ways to Make an Outstanding Resume

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How to makes your resume outstanding? First, I think a resume must have the basics to just stay in the competition. See my post on top 10 effective resume tips first. Assuming you have done that already on your resume, then an outstanding resume is one that is TAILORED t to the job you are applying. Yes, to stand out, you have to tailor your rsume for every type of job you are applying for and preferrably every single position if time permits. ...  read more

Top 10 Effective Resume Tips

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I have helped many friends and colleagues with their resumes and many have also helped with mine. It’s amazing how many of us make simple mistakes when it comes to writing our resume. Here are ten resume tips I have learned about writing an effective resume. Hope they help you.

  1. Executive Summary is a must – recruiters and hiring managers have maybe 20 secs or less to read each resume, so make it simple for them and summarize in one section why you are a good candidate for the job.  This is one of the most important resume tips that many people don’t use.
  2. Start with Action Verbs – when people don’t have a lot of time, they tend to read on the left hand side of the page, so use juicy verbs that best describe your experience like “led, managed, analyzed, researched, ” instead boring verbs like “did, worked, helped.” Which set of verbs would impress you more if you read it?
  3. Spell Check – duh. It’s amazing I actually have to include this in this list. I have seen a lot of resumes with spelling errors and it’s just not a great way to make a first impression
  4. Use Consistent Formatting – even more people actually make this mistake. You may have the best experiences but if your resume looks sloppy and have inconsistent format, it’s another thing that works against you. It’s like a good looking man showing up for a date in his sweat pants. You could be the best guys in the world, but the girl wonders whether you actual care.
  5. Brag – A resume is a first chance for you to market yourself to a potential employer so you have to sell yourself like you are a product. Take water for example, would you be interested in buying a bottled water if it just said “plain water in a bottle”? what about if it said “refreshing mountain spring water”? Also consider if you are not describing your best experiences in an impressive way but other candidate are, who is more likely to get an interview?
  6. But don’t lie – It’s one thing to describe your experiences in a favorable light, but it’s another to outright lie. A company will definitely not hire you if they found out you lied. Worse, you could become a story that circulates the Internet if your lie irritated the interviewer enough.
  7. Always include other interests – like your hobbies and your passions outside of work. Interviewers are human just like you and if you happen to have a hobby that coincides with theirs, you have another way to connect and make a lasting impression. Especially in today’s market where so many people are qualified and applying for the same jobs, it’s important to differentiate yourself somehow.
  8. Be Succinct – Remember the resume is only a teaser, so you don’t have to include every single experience – just relevant ones to the job you are applying for. Recruiters don’t have time to read paragraphs so use bullets (5 bullets at most per set of experiences and 1-2 lines per bullet.)
  9. Have Multiple Resumes – Those who only have one resume and use it to apply for all jobs are either lazy or is super focused on only one type of job. Most of us tend to interview for a few different variation of jobs. In that case, tailor your resume to the job you apply for. Don’t leave it up to the recruiter to figure it out. If your resume is too generic and another candidate took the time to tailor his resume for that job, guess who will get the interview?
  10. Ask People for Feedback – Set your ego aside and ask friends/contacts to give your feedback. It’s amazing how much your resume can improve. Ask at least 2 or 3 people – one that knows your work experience well (they can tell you if you are selling yourself short), one that does not know your experiences wel (they can tell you how you are coming across)l, and ideally also someone in the field you are applying for (they can tell you whether you are using the right buzz words for that field).

Go through these 10 resume tips and see which one you still need to apply to your resume.  It may take a little time but it will pay when you get  more interviews.  If you don’t already have a good resume template, click here to download one for free.  For additional resume tips, click here to see 7 other articles.  Good Luck out there! Don’t give up. A good job is out there for you.  I am always in your corner ...  read more