Avoid the Top Five Resume Mistakes

Over the years as a recruiter and resume coach, I've seen
the consequences of poorly written resumes. Unfortunately,
most people don't seek professional career help until they
experience the frustration of a long and fruitless job
search. It's surprising how many of their problems can be
traced to the top five resume mistakes.

#1 No resume focus.

The most effective resumes leave no doubt as to the job
seeker's career objective. A one-size-fits-all resume
gives the impression that the job seeker is uncertain of
his career goal. An employer once told me that if a
candidate is interested in two completely different
positions, he must not be very good at either. If you have
more than one career objective, you need more than one
resume.

#2 Lack of marketing strategy.

Job seekers rarely see their search for what it is-a sales
campaign. Think of your resume as marketing material
designed to create a powerful first impression and win a
multitude of job interviews. A resume coach can help you
translate your career history into an effective marketing
piece by selling toward the reader's buying motives:
solving problems, saving money, or increasing profits.

#3 No accomplishment statements.

95% of all resumes lack accomplishment statements. These
statements allow employers to visualize your contribution
to their company. A resume coach can help you move from a
job description type resume to a resume with quantifiable
statements that motivate employers to call you before their
competition does. These statements can dollarize your
worth and increase your bargaining power.

#4 Lack of resume keywords.

These days, resumes are screened by both humans and
computers. A resume lacking in keywords runs the risk of
being read by neither. An average screening of a resume is
15 seconds or less, so more attention is paid to resumes
using the same words found in the job description.
Candidate-tracking software retrieves resumes by keywords.
A keyword-focused resume will put you front and center.

#5 Incorrect resume format.

Basically, there are three resume formats: chronological,
functional and hybrid.

Chronological: The chronological is best known and easiest
to write, a timeline style resume. This format works well
if your objective is to remain in the same industry or
occupation.

Functional: The functional resume places transferable
skills and accomplishments at the beginning of your resume.
However, a poorly crafted functional resume can be
confusing, causing the reader to believe the candidate has
something to hide.

Hybrid: The hybrid resume combines the best features of
other resumes. It showcases skills and accomplishments
while maintaining ease of reading. This is the best format
for job seekers of all level, but it is also the most
difficult to write, requiring thoughtful planning to
identify the most critical transferable skills that will
attract potential employer attention.

Once your resume is designed to avoid the top five resume
mistakes, you will be well on your way to winning
interviews and reaching your career objective. How much is
you old resume costing you in lost opportunities?

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Deborah Walker, Resume Coach, has spent years studying the
art of fine resume crafting. Her career-long focus on all
phases of the employment process provides a solid base of
knowledge for resume advice and coaching. Learn more about
resume coaching at
http://www.AlphaAdvantage.com