Why Recruiters Disregard Resumes
Errors in Spelling, Format, Design and More Can Spell Disaster
Jun 10, 2009
First impressions do count. Whether job seekers are meeting the hiring manager or recruiter face-to-face or whether they are just submitting their resume for consideration, it is important to make that all-out effort to impress.
Job seekers who believe that they can rush through the resume development phase of a job search and throw something together quickly, shove it in an envelope (or attach it to an email) and send it out the door are fooling themselves.
People who review resumes all day long, whether they are corporate recruiters or hiring managers, have seen enough resumes to know what does and doesn’t impress them. And just because a candidate has the requisite experience, if the resume itself is not letter perfect, the recruiter or hiring manager may be asking themselves if this person really is the right fit for the job.
The Biggest Resume Blunders That Job Seekers Make
As often as it is said that errors on resumes are a no-no, there still seem to be job seekers who haven’t gotten the message. Resumes continue to pour into companies with a variety of problems. What are the biggest errors? Typos, improper grammar, and formatting issues are the top three.
With the advent of spell check everyone thought that the day of the typo was gone. Unfortunately, this handy tool can only do so much for resumes. Switching words such as ‘if’ for ‘of’ can still occur. That is why it is vital for job seekers to review their resume carefully for these kinds of problems. And after they have scanned it for typos, ask a friend.
Using incorrect grammar on a resume means disaster. While typos indicate a lack of attention to detail, grammar problems say that the job seeker doesn’t have a solid command of the English language. And since probably 95 percent of job postings these days indicate that they are seeking people with great communication skills, being able to write is a necessary part of the package.
There are umpteen million ways that job seekers can format their resume. It’s all a matter of preference. However, it is also important to consider readability. Make it difficult for a recruiter or hiring manager to find much needed information about an applicant’s qualifications thereby taking up too much of the reader’s precious time, and a resume could be quickly disregarded.
The Other Resume Problems That Job Seekers Make
Some job seekers don’t want to believe it, but there is no "one-size-fits-all" when it comes to resumes. Each one really does need to be customized for the job posting and employer. Sure it takes more effort; however, since most job seekers have a finite amount of experience, it should be rather simple to move the appropriate pieces of information around to fit the particular needs of the hiring company.
Finally, when it comes to the language actually used in a resume, the more succinct, illustrative, and interesting the words job seekers choose the better their resume will read. Choosing "wrote," "designed" and "created" over "assisted," "helped" and "aided" not only provides a clearer picture, these words read better. When selecting the right words for a resume, job seekers need to explore alternatives.
The idea is that resumes are still an important part of any job search. So if job seekers make sure to get it right by eliminating these kinds of blunders, then recruiters won’t have a reason to disregard their resume.
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