A few months ago, I saw an article that stated that “There are no binding, always-applying rules for your resume. The bottom line…is you cannot really say something is clearly wrong or clearly right.” Really?
Related: 5 Resume Writing Rules To Engage The Reader
The author gave a rationale that because of the constantly changing job market there are no standards. While I completely support the rationale that the job market is constantly changing, and there are certainly some changing options for resume formats, there are also clearly some universally accepted standards. Let’s examine a few things by asking some questions:
Is It Acceptable To:
Leave your contact information off a resume?
Misspell words?
Commit multiple, or even one, grammatical error?
Leave out your current (or most recent) position?
Lie about your job responsibilities or dates of employment?
Contact Information
It’s been literally decades since I’ve reviewed a resume with most contact information on the bottom of a resume, so I’d be surprised to see that today. Name, phone number, and e-mail! Is there anything “right” about leaving this information off your resume. While an organization may decide to implement a “Blind-Name CV” policy to limit illegal discrimination, a job seeker cannot make that decision. If a hiring manager doesn’t see basic contact information quickly, what’s the motivation to even review the rest of the resume? It’s going to quickly land in the “C” pile of resumes getting less than a 5-second review.
Misspelled Words – Grammatical Errors
In an earlier posting, I’ve written about some of the grammatical/spelling related issues for resumes. I’ve also worked with hundreds of HR professionals and frequently surveyed them on hiring practices. While I found a very rare few who would overlook spelling and grammatical errors, the overwhelming majority reported that these types of errors were likely to place a resume in that “C” pile. A spelling or grammatical error often “stops” a resume review immediately. The implication, whether one agrees with it or not, is that a job seeker careless on his or her resume is assumed to be a more careless worker.
Current Position
There appears to be more of a consensus against “functional” formats for a resume than there was many years ago when they were frequently recommended. So possibly there’s significant room for debate on this point. But again, relying a lot on numerous contacts with hiring managers and recruiters, I know there’s a much stronger view of “the best predictor of future performance is past performance” as standard hiring criteria. Forced to vote, I’d call for a chronological resume clearly delineating a candidate’s current (or recent) position, followed by the position before that, and so on.
This point is very interesting and related to the final point. I’m currently coaching two friends, each undergoing a fairly challenging career search. The first was forced by a professional retirement to leave a health care position after 20+ years. The second sold his moderately successful small business after 30+ years. After several months of unsuccessfully searching, each secured a position that, within 30 days, turned out to be very dissatisfying for several reasons. So they have both immediately returned to the job market.
One has remained employed in the unsatisfactory position, and I have counseled her that she can include this position on her resume and LinkedIn profile while positively pursuing a position that fits her goals. Her current position doesn’t just show her need to work; it shows her commitment and responsibility. The second person found the job he’d accepted to be intolerable in terms of a culture that treated employees terribly and challenged him with unethical decisions. While this is more challenging, but not impossible to explain, his situation is tougher. But neither should conclude that it’s “right” to leave these positions off their resumes or LinkedIn profiles. The reason is simple: if discovered this is another of those automatic rejections.
Lies
No rule against lying about job duties or dates of employment? There’s evidence that falsified information about degrees, dates of employment, and exaggerated job accomplishments are still a relatively common problem. At the same time, organizations have improved hiring techniques and more thorough background checking has become standard. A well-trained interviewer will “peel the onion” enough during the interview to uncover any false claims about performance. The easiest facts to check in a formal background check are employment dates, salary, and degrees earned. The now classic limit to traditional reference checks is a company policy that will only verify “dates of employment” and salary if you have been given that information from the candidate. Do not lie in any way on your resume – that’s a rule!
Conclusion
Whether it’s a typical resume, a visual resume, or a LinkedIn Profile, there are some basics that absolutely must be included and some mistakes that are never going to be accepted.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.Photo Credit: Bigstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.