You might be wise not to broadcast when you got your university degree.
Been applying for work and have little to show for it? Don’t assume the lousy job market is solely to blame. Your résumé could be working against you as well. Best practices for resume writing have changed in recent years, said Wendy Enelow, a management trainer and author of “Expert Résumés for Baby Boomers.” If you have not held, your document can be a sign that you passed your choice.
1. Exaggerate contacts
Multiple phone numbers to summarize the look, you’re a dinosaur, if you specify a fax!
The solution: Instead, simply enter your mobile number and e-mail – without labeling them as such, “said executive coach Donald Asher, author of” The Night Summary.”
2. Relying on clichés
Some language has become so common in resumes that he is now virtually meaningless.
The solution: Skip these words and phrases that LinkedIn to be the most overused in resumes online: innovative, motivated, broad experience, results-oriented, dynamic, proven team player, fast, problem solving, and entrepreneurship. Instead, use keywords from the job, which will help you go beyond the resume-scanning programs, many businesses use today.
3. Do not describe former employers
A young manager of recruitment may not have the same scope of industry knowledge that you are doing, and will not be able to put your experience in context.
The solution: “Unless it’s a Fortune 500 company, add a line like” private company that manufactures pencils in the world, “says Patricia Lenkov, CEO of Agility Executive Search in New York.
4. Using the format obsolete
For your first resume, you may have learned to put dates on the left, but this is not the way he did more.
The fix: List of years – not months, which are only relevant for recent graduates – on the right after your title and company,” said Asher.
5. The sub-self-employment
Job seekers are often too vague on the timing of self-employment, which makes them look like periods of unemployment, “said Lenkov.
The fix: Be specific about the projects you discussed and the names of some of your customers, if you have permission.
6. Lead with a goal
“It’s all about what you want from the company,” says Enelow executive coach. “What is the management company? Are you the scoop in this market.”
The solution: Start with a profile or career summary focusing on what you can contribute. This person might say 15-plus years of experience “the spearhead of the global campaigns of business development. (Why not 28?” Fifteen-plus communicates well qualified, but not on the hill, “says Enelow. ) You can also leave a bulleted list of expertise, such as “developing new clients” or “make financial projections.”
7. Reveal When you got your degrees
Scary as it is, the hiring manager may not yet born.
The solution: Take off grad dates. “Are we fooling anyone by doing it? No, Enelow says, “but at least we’re not slapping them in the face.”
8. Delving too deeply into the past
Your first work experiences are probably far from the level and type of work you do today.
The solution: In general, return just 15 years unless you have significant achievements before, Enelow said.
9. Showcasing Run-of-the-Mill Skills
Declare your familiarity with MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or gives the impression that if you just come on board.
The fix: List as specialized software (such as Quick-Books) or new technologies (platform programming Ruby on Rails, for example), said Garrett Miller, a former hiring manager for Pfizer, which now holds CoTria, a consulting firm in workplace productivity.
10. Noting the passive activities
While recreation can create common ground, “said Miller, you do not want to highlight those that make you seem sedentary or without energy.
The fix: Sports such as cycling or running to demonstrate the vibrancy, as well as the activities in which you give – organize a fund-raising, for example. Experts recommended time noting the religious activities such as singing in a church choir, but that has changed and these activities telegraph integrity, a quality that is very important to hiring managers today said Miller.
11. Give little attention to the recent experience
Many older job seekers are hamstrung by outdated rules requiring resume to fit on one page, and so they have their recent crisis – and relevant – the experience until he says nothing.
The solution: Expand your resume to two or three pages is perfectly acceptable for someone in their forties or fifties. Devote half a page to your most recent job, Lenkov said. Ball and action-oriented highlights, making sure to include quantifiable accomplishments such as “Reduced costs by 16% over two years.”
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