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In the US, the pandemic threw more than 20 million people out of work and unemployment rates spiked to nearly 15%. It’s an unprecedented level not seen since data collection started in 1948, according to the Congressional Research Service.
So in these miserable times, looking through your resume, building a nice portfolio, or rethinking the way you present yourself in your CV may be a top priority. But without realizing it, we all make similar resume mistakes when seeking a job and the good thing is that they can be easily avoided.
Thanks to the Twitter user Sli, who shared a handful of useful resume tips she learned while working as a recruiter at a Fortune 100 company, we now know the biggest faux pas that may cost us the place. Take notes, kid, ‘cause you don’t want to miss any of this.
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One Twitter user who worked as a recruiter at a Fortune 100 company shared a handful of useful tips to improve the resume
Image credits: StartupStockPhotos (not the actual photo)
Image credits: slizagna
Image credits: slizagna
Image credits: slizagna
To find out more about what it takes to perfect your resume, Bored Panda reached out to Dawn Moss, the founder of “Your Interview Coach” that helps both candidates and hiring managers through the complexities of the recruitment and selection process.
Dawn has worked as an in-house recruiter for 12 years, screened approximately 1 million CVs, and interviewed over 10,000 candidates for 100s of vacancies. From her experiences, “One of the biggest mistakes (and totally avoidable) is not tailoring the resume to the job,” she said.
Image credits: slizagna
Image credits: slizagna
“I understand it’s a full-time job looking for work and tailoring a resume takes a little more time and effort. And, that’s two reasons for tailoring; the recruiters screening resumes will know instantly that someone has taken the time and made the effort, which demonstrates an interest and a pride in their application.”
Image credits: slizagna
Image credits: slizagna
But for most of us, creating a good resume may be a truly daunting task. You never seem to know what the employee expects, and end up either guessing (sometimes in the wrong direction), or not caring too much and pressing the send button too early.
Image credits: slizagna
Image credits: slizagna
Dawn suggests not to hurry and take the time to review all the information you have available about the job and the company. “This will help you be selective about the information you share,” the interview coach explained.
Image credits: slizagna
Image credits: slizagna
Secondly, never underestimate the power of the introduction. “Include a relevant, punchy, and concise opening paragraph (summary or profile on the resume). Some hiring managers will read this first and won’t bother reading the rest if it’s not tailored or relevant to the job. It needs to grab the reader’s attention and entice them to read on.”
Image credits: slizagna
Thirdly, you may wanna keep the essays deep in your drawer. Dawn recommends keeping the information “concise and easy to read and pick out key information relevant to the job you are applying for.”
In the end, looking for a job is indeed a full-time job not to be taken lightly if you want some good results.
And many people on Twitter found the thread really useful
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What do you think ?
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Graduation date is only relevant if you're still in school. If you've graduated, you don't have to put the year, and the company can't ask you about it. In the U.S. at least, it's illegal to ask. That's to prevent age discrimination.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago (edited)
In my case, my graduation date for college is recent, but my graduation date from high school isn’t. I’m 60, but look 40-ish, and wish you could leave out anything that gives your age away, just to avoid the ageism, which I feel I’m encountering a lot. I can’t afford to retire anytime soon and come from a family that lives to +/- 100 years old, so can realistically plan to work til I’m well into my eighties (why spend a full third of my life not working and actively participating in society, and having to survive on a dwindling fixed income?). So, 20+ years. Just because I’m 60 doesn’t mean I don’t have bills to pay. I just need a decent paycheck to pay them with. It’s why I went to college as a mature adult (graduating at the top of my class, btw, better than people more than half my age). I’m like a Boomer (1960, so late boomer/almost GenX) with Millennial problems. I have student loans to pay off too. At. My. Age.
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Logically Reasonable 3 years ago
The problem with getting "advice" from people like this is that they are all full of crap. They are only giving you GENERALITIES of what resumes MIGHT or MIGHT NOT need to contain. EVERY company out there thinks they have to be "different", so they all want different types of resumes submitted to them. If you can't be bothered to contact the companies HR department and ask what type/style of resume they want to see submitted for open positions, then more than likely you aren't going to hear from them. There is no standardization in the job application process. It's all screwed to hell and back, every company wants something different. It's a HUGE guessing game that wastes professional job seekers hundreds of hours a year attempting to figure out WHY they aren't getting any "bites" on their submitted resumes.
Daphne Williams 3 years ago
I work in HR. We do not want people contacting us to ask about the style of resume we want.
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The Cute Cat 3 years ago
Add DON'T TYPO.. It show you as a lazy person when writing and never check before sending for a potential job.
Amy S 3 years ago
As a dyslexic person this worries me, have I missed opportunities because of my spelling? I always ask someone else to proof read for me because I just can't see spelling mistakes.
Load More Replies...
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Graduation date is only relevant if you're still in school. If you've graduated, you don't have to put the year, and the company can't ask you about it. In the U.S. at least, it's illegal to ask. That's to prevent age discrimination.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago (edited)
In my case, my graduation date for college is recent, but my graduation date from high school isn’t. I’m 60, but look 40-ish, and wish you could leave out anything that gives your age away, just to avoid the ageism, which I feel I’m encountering a lot. I can’t afford to retire anytime soon and come from a family that lives to +/- 100 years old, so can realistically plan to work til I’m well into my eighties (why spend a full third of my life not working and actively participating in society, and having to survive on a dwindling fixed income?). So, 20+ years. Just because I’m 60 doesn’t mean I don’t have bills to pay. I just need a decent paycheck to pay them with. It’s why I went to college as a mature adult (graduating at the top of my class, btw, better than people more than half my age). I’m like a Boomer (1960, so late boomer/almost GenX) with Millennial problems. I have student loans to pay off too. At. My. Age.
Load More Replies... Logically Reasonable 3 years ago
The problem with getting "advice" from people like this is that they are all full of crap. They are only giving you GENERALITIES of what resumes MIGHT or MIGHT NOT need to contain. EVERY company out there thinks they have to be "different", so they all want different types of resumes submitted to them. If you can't be bothered to contact the companies HR department and ask what type/style of resume they want to see submitted for open positions, then more than likely you aren't going to hear from them. There is no standardization in the job application process. It's all screwed to hell and back, every company wants something different. It's a HUGE guessing game that wastes professional job seekers hundreds of hours a year attempting to figure out WHY they aren't getting any "bites" on their submitted resumes.
Daphne Williams 3 years ago
I work in HR. We do not want people contacting us to ask about the style of resume we want.
Load More Replies... The Cute Cat 3 years ago
Add DON'T TYPO.. It show you as a lazy person when writing and never check before sending for a potential job.
Amy S 3 years ago
As a dyslexic person this worries me, have I missed opportunities because of my spelling? I always ask someone else to proof read for me because I just can't see spelling mistakes.
Load More Replies... Related on Bored Panda
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