5 Résumé Mistakes You're Probably Making

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I truly do not see any lack of "Team" in supplying numerical measures from which a recruiter could derive some quantifiable level of applicability of said candidate to said posting.
It is un-fair and unreasonable to those currently in the company to bring someone in who's only managed project worth thousands when your core need is for millions. This is more prudent and essential in this "economic mess" than ever before. If a recruiter cannot see the bottom line in your resume in 2 minutes then you are not worth the risk to those already there.
To be blunt this is not amateur hour here, you need to sell yourself, be direct and concise. If you cannot sell your self, how can you help any company advance? I'm certain someone who's acting as a "firefighter" should be savvy enough to reflect back on their work history and calculate / collate common activities which they performed into tangible numbers. How about average occurrence and type of help calls supported?
Being someone who been on both side of this desk and having just successfully jumped from thousands to billions, I implore everyone to heed the sound advice noted in "Re Cynical as well".
On the side, 1st impressions are crucial. So proper spelling should also be considered. Professionals expect higher levels of work in Industry... so does a recruiter.

Glenn 3:09PM January 29, 2009

You have great things to put on your resume! Created Processes that allowed decreased lead time... or increased profitability or stremalind time employees spent... resulting in improved morale and lower cost of...
I love hiring fixers and firefighters. Sometimes you have to fix how you do things, or it is a smart move to do so. Sometimes it isn't how you do things, it is should you even be doing them? Seeing the big picture and how to make it better is huge.
As a potential employer, seeing a description of duties means you showed up at work. Seeing your ideas and what they contributed gives me an idea of what you are going to do for me. That will get me to schedule and interview. In the interview, you can tell me how you are a team player by relinquishing control of a project or starting it for another group.

Babs of FL 2:38PM January 29, 2009

Nicely put. The bottom line is: if you think that a resume is ultimately what gets you hired or gets you a call back, you should be considering staying at home and raising the kids. Plenty of resumes WORK JUST FINE. As long as you stick to general guidelines of grammar, punctuation, layout, don't lie and put some thought into it. Otherwise, what gets you hired is NETWORKING. PEOPLE. A resume is such a small part of that game, it is not even funny...
So, get organized in calling people, setting informational appointments, going to events, calling back, be good about thank you notes, invite people out to lunch to ask about their company, do whatever the heck you can to network, be respectful, but forget about shame. Put yourself out there. Good luck!

of PA 9:31AM January 29, 2009

Many of what is discussed in this article depends on your field (numbers,etc.). As a business owner in my industry when I look over resumes I don't just want bullet points of everything you did. I want clear concise paraphrases of projects and accomplishments. I save the details for when I bring them in for an interview. Then I would expect the potential candidate to elaborate more on their work.

Didier Zuendoki of RI 9:18AM January 29, 2009

So then you are sayingI shouldn't be the thpe of worker who does whatever is necessary to get a project completed. That I should only focus on "waht's in it for me" and only approach projects that are quantifieable. Boy...people like you are the reason we are in this economic mess. I've worked with the selfish folks who only do what in it for them...then watched that behavior tank a company. What about the team approach? There are times I lead, there are times I follow...isn't that what a company wants? All chiefs and no indians tanks a company just as quickly as poor leadership skills. (in fact, that is poor leadership!) I spoent 6 years at a company with the role of "firefigher". I fixed what ever had to be fixed, did what ever had to be done. Some times I started a poroject then handed it over to the next team. Nothing quantifiable there other than the comments of fellow employees like "we'd be screwed if you left". How to you measure (on a resume, recommendations can cover the other end) that invaluable function one brings to a company/project? Most projects I worked on provided benefits long term...I created processes that were not there.
Then there's the age descriiminationt that occurs from listing your entire career...I want to be honest, but I was told by one recruiter that was hurting me, aloing with my zip code! You HR types are missing out on good people with these filters you have put in place. I've seen this happening for 5 years bnow...not just in this newly tanked job market. Take a good look at the people you have hired and how they have contributed to the mess we are in. Many of the folks with "numbers" have them because they are not team players...they are only in it for themselves. Do you really want that type of person working for you in this economy?

Deb of MA 8:43AM January 29, 2009

Another big mistake I see are accomplishments with no context behind them. Don't just write about the statistics, but show the rationale behind why something was done and who it was important to. Resumes are about creating a compelling message of value and by communicating a clear story of success you are more likely to get the hiring manager's attention.

Barbara Safani of NY 11:49PM January 27, 2009

I agree with the last statement. Although having specifics about your accomplishments, as the article says, is probably better then not being specific, I have found that every single person has an opinion on what is an "effective" resume. Even those who are responsible for hiring may both look at the same resume, and probably both think it's not "being done right". And forget about colleages, every colleage in your field will have a completely different opinion, no matter how much research you have done your resume will always seem "ineffective and silly" to them. Here is why - when we do our research for how to model our resume we chose the examples and advice that makes the most sense to us. This is our filter, and since advce on this is a dime a dozen, we can always find advice to support what we may already think is a good idea.
My point, it's a crapshoot, because the person reading it will have his/her own preconceived notions as to what an effective resume is or isn't.
For example: the 1-page rule. I have been under the impression that a resume should never exceed more than 1 page unless it absolutely has to, and most, even with 20 years experience in a field, never have to, but i have heard that I am in the wrong in thinking this, by both H.R. people and colleages.
Look, the only way to "know" is the same as everything else in life, to "ask". So, if I were to give advice on this I would call and find the person who is going to be reviewing your resume and ask them what type of resume they would prefer, maybe even see if you could set up an appointment. Of course, this is a ridiculous dream because most places say "no phone calls please".
I may be over-cynical, but I think resumes are a joke. You have to put them out, but really, the only way you are going to even get a call back (outside of nepotism, contacts, networking, etc) is if the person reading your resume happens to be in a good mood at the exact time that they are looking at your it and it just happens to stand out in such a way from the other resumes in the specific preconceived ways that the person looking at it is looking for, whether or not they are the actual qualifications that are in the job description.
My advice:
keep your fingers crossed, apply at Mcdonalds, and spend 8-10 hours every day doing th emost organized job search you have ever done, with call backs, recruiters, talent agncies, temping, networking, and considering a career change.
Good Luck

Michael Oxenrider of IL 12:12AM January 27, 2009

Excellent suggestions for a homemaker ready to return to teaching after 10 years. I had planned to work on my resume tomorrow so this article was timed perfectly. Thank you!

FLNonny of FL 5:33PM January 26, 2009

Sorry, Rob G, but I disagree 100%...
If you cannot find a measurable number that shows what the result was of solving problems, then I, as a hiring manager, do not care. So what if you solved hundreds of problems? If the fix for those problems do not produce a measurable improvement to the business, then your time should have been spent on something else. Every org will have problems - the person I want to hire is one who can sift through the problems, working on the ones that actually improve the business.
If you spend all your time fixing problems, and cannot measure an improvement, then I absolutely will throw out your resume.

Max of CT 1:20PM January 26, 2009

I am continually cynical about what all the "experts" tell people about looking for work! The economy is broken and the many, in not most qualified headhunters come out and say just that! How can you find out WHO is responsible for hiring for the job or jobs that are now available when the "hiring manager's" name is completely kept secret. As far as companies go....that is the job of the HR Department whose objectives are not always the same as those of the hiring manager! As far as "networking" is involved.....that too is broken! How many people know people who work at a factory/institution where you wish to obtain that open job? Resumes! Well, they are just a big laugh! It depends upon a myriad of factors, and they are NOT just related to experience and education but they are also related to such factors as company dividends, outsourcing, temp jobs etc. With the average person changing to typically four to six jobs in the lifetime, how can anyone , especially a HR manager determine whether that person has been one of those "chronically unemployed individuals due to repetitive recession cycles or changes in careers/career objective due to the recession. Prime examples are those people who have been laid off from investment banking companies and construction companies. The bottom line is "money!" When these people who have been laid-off from such companies as Bear Stearns, Morgan Stanley, Citi-Corp start looking for work they will see on their resume the amount of years spend at their previous places of employment. So, now experience, education, and their accomplishments by saving money for their employer is no longer applicable! It is only applicable in times of easy credit and growth of the company! The are hundreds of people out of a job with similar if not identical "good resume" records. But with those records comes the idea of having to pay for those resume accomplishments. As it stands now, companies are thinking of their stockholders, their dividends. These Resume "Mistakes" don't address what new graduates, who have little accomplishments other than a good work record can do to show to their employer that they should be considered. And, what about the chronically employed, you know, those men and women who worked in chronically depressed industries! How do you tell these managers that YOUR expertise are in those jobs that very little promise in employment now or probably five to ten years from now!
When it comes to "these experts" on resume mistakes. Take it with a "grain of salt" and realize that the same "techniques" touted during the 1970's NO LONGER WORK in Today's market! It is going to take a lot of ingenuity to get employment in today's market place! I would like to see these SAME "experts" go out and look for work by using a a resume NOT as a HR/hiring manager; but rather a resume in those depressed job areas that are now feeling the lay-offs from today's economic depression!

D.R.G of WI 12:29PM January 24, 2009