If you have more than one career objective, you need more than
one resume.
Over the years as a recruiter and career 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 professional resume writer
can 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 writer 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.
A professional resume writer can build a hybrid resume
that will win response.
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.
About the Author:
Deborah Walker, President of Alpha
Advantage, Inc., is a nationally respected career coach with
extensive experience as a former headhunter and corporate
recruiter. Her clients include top executives at
Pepsi, Ford, Motorola, Target, Sun Microsystems and
AT&T. Read more resume
and job-search tips at www.AlphaAdvantage.com
