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Jonas Axelsson

Comment Kudos Save Share Email Spam Resumes that make me scream, and not in a good way Posted in Human Resources & Recruitment

For all of us looking for jobs at this time, with national unemployment rate at 9.7%, there's a lot of competition out there. More to that, 9.7% represent only people who are actually unemployed, not counting all those, who have jobs and still looking. So how many people are we competing with? A friend of mine, who works as an HR manager at a small company, was recently looking for a new cleaning person for her office, and a simple ad on craigslist returned over 100 resumes in a matter of days! That's a lot of competition, especially for a position where the only requirements are to be physically fit and available to work morning hours. Now, I assume that visitors of DandyProject.com are looking for something better than a janitorial position, which makes it even tougher for them to get noticed among all other over-qualified, over-educated and over-experienced candidates. So what can you do to get noticed, if you've never had a chance to get a Ph.D. from Yale, or to work for the United Nations? You know the answer, don't you? It's RESUME MAKEOVER! I've browsed through many resumes on DandyProject.com to compile a short list of how you could give your resume a better edge.


Is your resume summary screaming? Most of the ones I've seen do, it's just that not all of them do in a good way. Here are two examples of resume summaries that were forwarded in response to the same position: "Objective: to gain professional employment with opportunity to grow..." and "Over ten years of hands-on experience in the industry leading company...". If you were a recruiter with hundreds of resumes in your mailbox, which resume would you continue reading?


No cover letter, really? It doesn't cost you anything to submit a cover letter with your resume, so why don't you? True, many recruiters don't have time to read cover letters, and I don't blame them, I only wish you could see what some people write. Here are two real examples of cover letter opening statements, pick the one you would keep reading if you were a recruiter: "I really need this job because I have a family to support, and my unemployment is running out..." and "Being a top performing nurse in my hospital, I know what it takes to succeed. I truly enjoy helping people...".


Recruiters are not aliens, they are just like you and me. This means you can talk to them, make them a part of your network and ask for feedback. Why don't you ask what exactly they are looking for? Chances are, you have that particular skill or experience, but failed to emphasize it in your resume.


Networking, networking, networking! DandyProject.com gives you a personal space that can be used to advertise you and your expertise, and it wouldn't hurt if you fill this space with some information about yourself. Recruiters are always looking for innovative ways to find qualified candidates, and your profile could speak louder than your resume.


Good news! Finally! Yes, there is some good news. Now that you have this information, why don't you take a look at your resume and find ways to make it scream in a good way? Most probably you've been trying to land on a job for a while now, and maybe even realized that you might have been doing something wrong. So now it's time to take a different approach, and once you do, you'll see the difference simple steps can make for you!


I look forward to hearing from you. Are there any suggestions or success stories you would like to share?

Comments

Tampera W.	Profile Comment Spam It's the same old argument- how can I get experiencce if no one will hire me and give me a chance to get trained?. I am looking for a new job, have put in a lot of resumes, and am doing everything in my power to get that next job- best of success to all those job seekers out there!.
Richard P.	Profile Comment Spam Jennifer I am sure you are correct. I have made numerous alterations to my resume at the request of recruiters I have talked with, most of which can barely speak English. I have received interviews and most of them were with people that spoke very little English. That makes it almost impossible to answer a question when you don't what they are saying even after requesting to repeat the question or even rephrase the question. Resumes are not always the problem. I have had interviews with companies that received government contracts that had NO FORN at the top of the contract and half of the development staff could not speak English. Now how does that work. I am not a developer any more but I do have to interact with people that barely speak English and write it even less. Why is it they get positions when I cannot? I thought that communication is part of the getting the job.
Anonymous user	Comment Spam I have talked to a number of professionals that groom you for specific position you are qualified for. They make you and your resume over, coach you for the interview, and even claim to know big people on the inside of large corporations. Now I know where the so called golden boys come from. For a, what they are calling a small fee of half of a months wages in advance, they will make you over and get you the job within a three month people I have been told. Now I don't know about you, but I have been out of work now for nearly 10 months and I don't have and I didn't have the funding to put into this. There is no real guarantee is there that you will be able to get the job? I have had interviews and have followed every professional methodology and haven't landed job 1. I send anywhere from 25 - 100 resumes a week to perspective clients. I have two resumes that I alter for position; a detailed version and a short version.
Anonymous user	Comment Spam Has anybody here ever tried the professional resume writing services?
Jennifer T.	Profile Comment Spam I agree, you would be surprised with some stuff that I see in resumes from applicants. Sad...........

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