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Top 10 Resume Blunders
By Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert
Make sure your resume is in top-notch shape by avoiding the top 10 resume blunders:
1. Too Focused on Job Duties
Your resume should not be a boring list of job duties and responsibilities. Go beyond showing what was required and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company, providing specific examples. When developing your achievements, ask yourself:
• How did you perform the job better than others?
• What were the problems or challenges faced? How did you overcome them? What were the results? How did the company benefit from your performance?
• Did you receive any awards, special recognitions or promotions as a result?
2. Flowery or General Objective Statement
Many candidates lose their readers in the beginning. Statements such as “a challenging position enabling me to contribute to organizational goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement” are overused, too general and waste valuable space. If you’re on a career track, replace the objective with a tagline stating what you do or your expertise.
3. Too Short or Too Long
Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they’ve heard resumes shouldn’t be longer. By doing this, job seekers may delete impressive achievements. Other candidates ramble on about irrelevant or redundant experiences. There is no rule about appropriate resume length. When writing your resume, ask yourself, “Will this statement help me land an interview?” Every word should sell you, so include only the information that elicits a “yes.”
4. Using Personal Pronouns and Articles
A resume is a form of business communication, so it should be concise and written in a telegraphic style. There should be no mentions of “I” or “me,” and only minimal use of articles. For example:
“I developed a new product that added $2 million in sales and increased the market segment’s gross margin by 12%.”
Should be changed to:
“Developed new product that added $2 million in sales and increased market segment’s gross margin by 12%.”
5. Listing Irrelevant Information
Many people include their interests, but they should include only those relating to the job. For example, if a candidate is applying for a position as a ski instructor, he should list cross-country skiing as a hobby.
Personal information, such as date of birth, marital status, height and weight, normally should not be on the resume unless you’re an entertainment professional or job seeker outside the US.
KatWinter
13 days ago
2 comments
I'm with Esmeralda here. I keep reading how one needs to focus on 'achievements' but as an Admin, just how do you go about that without sounding ridiculous? "Successful at answering phones", "Kept President on time" just sounds absurd in my opinion. Except for a Cost Analysis project that I completed that I myself, can assign a dollar amount to, other than showing functional skills, how exactly is an Admin supposed to focus on achievements? Obviously you kept your job BECAUSE your were successful at doing a whole bunch of tasks. That's an achievement in itself.
susandavies
13 days ago
10 comments
I've almost given up trying to create the perfect resume. I've read over a dozen "how to" articles on resume writing and each one was different. Nobody can agree on what the best format is. I've used bullet points for my skills, I've added a separate SKILLS section and listed my skills, I've removed my skills completely from the resume on the advice of a recruiter (presumably I would be asked about my skills in the interview and could list and expand on them at that time), I've cut my resume down to one page on the advice of another recruiter, I've lengthened my resume on the advice of another recruiter, I've removed the PERSONAL PROFILE on the advice of a recruiter, I've lengthened or shortened the PERSONAL PROFILE to target a specific job, again on the advice of a recruiter. Out of 158 job applications over the past five months I have had exactly SIX interviews, and been successful at none of them. I am finished with how-to articles; I will write my resume to portray my work history in a way that I think works best and hope for the future. Admit it - nobody knows what one system will work in every situation. Each interviewer has his or her own pre-set ideas of what they want to see, and because they don't request a certain resume layout in the job description then we're left hanging trying to figure out what it is that this particular interviewer wants. There is no right or wrong way - except in the eyes of the interviewer, and unfortunately none of us will know until AFTER the interview if we've met their silent criteria. Again - this article was not slanted towards Admin Assistants as it should be if it's going to be presented in Admin Secrets.
Esmerelda
3 months ago
6 comments
How about some examples for admin support people? An example of what you can say you did to improve the running of the office, for example. Improving sales isn't really relevant is it?
Account Removed
8 months ago
I'm tired of the whole "write the perfect resume, cover letter", etc. There's no such thing as the perfect anything. What ticks one person off may be exactly what someone else appreciates. I get that these articles are trying to help, but sometimes what was frowned upon one day, is the new way to do things the next. Just trust your gut and click "send" and if you get a response, than there you go.
unicornkd
8 months ago
2 comments
This was a great help as I have been unemployed for a year. I will check over my resume looking for the items listed in this article. Plus friends are constantly asking me for help with their resumes now I will be able to send this advice to them along with my own comments.
FoundingEditor
8 months ago
2 comments
Lovely List of Tips - if you are a writer, visit: http://lyricalpassionpoetry.page.tl
Good Luck!
AResumes
8 months ago
22 comments
These are all excellent tips! Job seekers would benefit from following them.
Traci Thompson
ADMIN Resumes
aresumes@bellsouth.net
http://www.adminresumes.net
OLANREWAJU
8 months ago
142 comments
Great Deal for those who have ears.
To foresee is to rule
josiane1612
about 1 year ago
2 comments
Excellent tips, the only thing I wish is that you would give couple resume samples from the beginning to the end to have an overall better picture of what really reads well .
thank you Josiane
Isis311
about 1 year ago
4 comments
Good examples. Bullet statements are crucial...don't worry about making "complete sentences." If you get the interview you can put together complete sentences while speaking. The best suggestion is a Summary of Qualifications directly after your objective or career statement. This puts your knowledge in a nutshell. You don't have to repeat it for every employer listed in your experience section, which allows you to bullet the most specific examples of your contributions in each job. As an Admin everyone knows that you can answer a phone and type.
taoandrew
about 1 year ago
2 comments
Number 4 is good in principle, but the example you give is not a complete sentence. I should think that complete sentences are a requirement of sound business communication.
jagumbs
about 1 year ago
10 comments
Refining your resume is almost a full time job. Number 1 tip was extremely helpful. Any ideas on how to get beyond the electronic posting of a resume into an actual job interview?
AnnAnderson
about 1 year ago
2 comments
Great information. I whole-heartedly agree with number 1) to include 'results' bullets. Employers know that most everyone applying will meet or exceed the required skills, they need something to sort you out of the bulk of the resumes coming in. Adding bullets or rephrasing a typical duty to read as a 'results' or 'benefit you added to the company will stand out.
And number 8) keywords are necessary in this day of electronic job boards and searches. I used to work for a resume writing company, and I actually changed my resume to have 3 columns of 'keywords' at the top of the resume for the job boards that replaced the typical summary and called it SKILLS. I listed key duties from jobs that now rolled off my resume that I could explain via email or at an interview. Words such as the job titles were listed, Executive Asisstant, Office Manager, Purchasing, Data Entry, 10-key, Human Resources, Payables, Receivables, etc. Any duty or skill that can be put into a one word skill.
With my background being in programming and database management, I realized I had to do something to get my resume picked up on the job board searches. I received many emails within the day and many from legitimate agencies and employers. However, I do not present this 'keyword' resume style to employers face-to-face. It is only to fit the electronic procurement on the job boards.
It's still a very difficult economy, I"ve been out of work over a year, but at least still getting temp work and noticed more than some of my former 7,000 co-workers.
bdersch
about 1 year ago
2 comments
Good pointers. I will remove "I" where I can in my resume.
Thank you!