7 Ways Your Resume is Just as Boring as Everyone Else’s
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Posted By:
Jessica Holbrook On: 3/24/2010 10:40:25 AM In: Job Seeker -
Resume
Here are seven ways your resume isn’t quite cutting it. So
take it out, brush it off, and let’s kick it up a notch.
The economy seems to be picking up a little, and more and more
job seekers are coming to us and letting us know about internal
opportunities within their organization that they would like to
apply to. But even as more opportunities open up, the
competition is as strong—or stronger than ever before. Here are
seven ways your resume isn’t quite cutting it. So take it out,
brush it off, and let’s kick it up a notch.
It’s still sporting that outdated objective.
If your resume is utilizing an objective, you really should
trash it and start all over with a fresh, powerful introduction
that incorporates a personal branding statement. A tailored
career summary and polished personal branding statement will
catch the employer’s attention and give him or her the best
information up front—the information he or she needs to make a
decision to call you to schedule an interview.
The design/format is generic or elementary for your
professional level and experience.
There is a strategy behind resume formatting and design. If you
are an executive, yet you are using an entry level resume
format, you will look unprofessional and under-qualified.
It’s missing important keywords.
Omit keywords and the software system scanning your resume can’t
find you. The recruiter giving your resume a quick once-over is
looking for specific keywords as well. Leave them out and you’ll
be left out of the interview process.
Generic and/or vague statements.
Avoid using the same old terminology that everyone else uses in
their resumes. Yes, we know you can problem solve. But instead
of telling me you’re a problem solver, show me the result of a
problem you solved.
Soft skills vs. hard skills.
And the championship goes to … hard skills. I used to be a
full-time recruiter, and I used Monster and CareerBuilder to
search for candidates. Not once did I ever enter the search
terms: great communicator, excellent verbal skills,
detail-oriented. These are universal statements that millions
use to describe themselves. Give me something tangible and
relevant to the position I am trying to fill.
Duties and responsibilities
Instead of wasting valuable real estate on your resume providing
me with a rundown of your job description (the same one I’ve
read a million times as a hiring manager), show me what you
achieved, what you accomplished, and what you contributed in the
past. WOW me with something other than the predictable, mundane
job description. I want to know the challenges you faced in your
previous roles, how you addressed them, and the results you
obtained. This makes you different from everyone else. No two
people will have the exact same experiences. Your experiences
are what make you outshine your competition—USE THEM TO YOUR
ADVANTAGE.
Are you passive or active?
Using terminology that is passive is boring and lacks action.
Instead of using phrases like ‘served as’, ‘duties included’,
‘promoted to’, ‘worked with’ … choose strong action verbs.
Action verbs do just what they say: they convey action and,
ultimately, results. The hiring manager is interested in results
you can provide about what you did along the way. Choose terms
like: Launched, Catapulted, Spearheaded, and Pioneered. These
terms tell me something. They show me the action you took and
captivate my attention so that I want to read on to discover the
results you achieved.
Your resume needs to do two things: It needs to capture the
hiring manager’s attention—and it needs to motivate him or her
to pick up the phone and call you for an interview. If you look
and sound like everyone else, you have no competitive advantage.
And therefore, you’ve provided the HR person with zero
motivation to pick up the phone, call you, and schedule an
interview. Stop creating a ‘same old, same old’ resume that
looks and feels just like everyone else’s. Start today by adding
some variety and focusing on your accomplishments.
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