Does a Resume Get You The Job? A Brief Look into Common Resume Writing Mistakes and Misunderstandings.

Does a Resume Get You The Job?

A Brief Look into Common Resume Writing Mistakes and Misunderstandings.

So does a resume get you the job? No, if all it took was a great resume to get a dream job, I would be a much wealthier person as I feel pretty well equipped to put together a standout resume. There… my first blog complete…okay well that might not really help you, so let me add a little more.

The immediate purpose of a resume is to relay your information and experience to a prospective employer in a way that helps them understand why you are the best candidate for the job.  That sounds simple enough when you have the right experience on paper, but when there are potentially hundreds of other people applying to the same role that you are interested in, the task becomes a little bit more daunting.

The resume doesn’t get you the job, the resume gets you the interview. A resume has to be written in a way that is easy to read, easy to scan, and makes you look like a rock star. The resume needs to be honest, but also must show that you are indispensable to the organization you are in, or have worked for in the past.

Tip 1: Write a resume that the recruiter wants to read. So how do you write a resume that the reader (recruiter) won’t want to put down? Better yet, how do you write a resume that gets you through the gates of HR and into the door of the hiring manager? This is a very important thing to remember; most people write a resume with the hiring manager in mind, which is good, but you can’t forget that the recruiter needs to be able to understand your resume and appreciate that your background is in line with what the hiring manager is looking for.

Tip 2: Don’t write a resume that an expert in your field would understand. Write your resume in the manner that an English teacher would understand. It should have well-constructed bullets that are not too wordy but also don’t leave the recruiter wanting more.

Do you see what I said there? A resume should be bullets, not long sentences. If you are struggling to read this entire article then your attention span is no different than most people in today’s world. Write your resume thinking about the recruiter who has to read hundreds of resume “books” for a living. I don’t want to read a book to figure out if you are a match. I want to be able to find my “purple squirrel” candidate in shortest amount of time possible. That means bullets, not paragraphs.

Tip 3: Don’t over complicate things. As I mentioned above, the resume gets you the interview not the job. So when you write a resume, be sure you don’t over complicate it with generic words like, “self-starter”, “proactive” or “accountable.” I have never read a resume that said, “I am an unmotivated, unaccountable, sloth.” Everyone who writes a resume is trying to present themselves as an ideal employee, but you don’t do this with fancy adjectives that are not measurable. You do it by writing specific bullets that are quantifiable. The challenge is accomplishing this on your resume without sounding, and more importantly, looking like everyone else in the talent pool. These bullets must highlight your previous successes, awards and achievements, in a way that you can expand on when you have your face to face interviews.  I can’t tell you how many terrible interviews I’ve conducted, because within the first ten minutes of the interview, it became painfully clear for me, but more so for the interviewee, that I discovered my candidate did not understand what their own bullets meant, because guess what… they did not write them.

If you think you need help writing a resume, certainly reach out to someone that knows what they are doing. There is no real “right” way to make a resume, but there are many wrong ways to do it. Also, make sure that you are involved in the writing process of your resume.

It might take longer, but you will be happier in the end if you are part of the construction process of YOUR resume. People like me enjoy helping others who are invested in the process. Frankly, my success in helping you construct your resume masterpiece is tied directly to your involvement. If you’re not involved, you won’t get the job, you might only get the worst interview you have ever had.

To learn more and get a free resume review, click here: Free Resume Consultation | How To Get The Job.