Aggressively Written Resumes
Are you tired of your job search being turned down because your resume doesn't stand out from the crowd? Are you looking for a way to get more attention in the job market and make sure recruiters are impressed with what they see? If so, this is the blog post for you.
In today's tough economy, employers have a lot of qualified candidates to choose from. They are often spending days sorting through resumes, going through hundreds of individuals who want the same position.
It's easy to get lost in the crowd. That's why you need to be aggressive. How? By taking the time to write a resume that is well-formatted, clear, concise and compelling. Write it so it successfully makes it past the trash can and into the hands of recruiters.
Doing this does not mean you need to put your accomplishments down on paper like a robot. Instead, use words that show off your personality and skills while demonstrating real growth in your career. Spend some time figuring out what an employer will want to see in your resume instead of just listing old jobs.
Doing this will make your resume stand out and capture the attention of employers. This is key to getting that first interview.
Let's take a look at some of the top mistakes job seekers make when writing their resumes.
Mistake #1: Basic Resume Template Resumes are boring and nearly everyone who has written one has done so by following some kind of cookie cutter resume template. And if you've just finished with college (or high school), you're more likely to have been raised on the idea that these are the only kinds of resumes that can be considered useful. Your resume needs to stand out, but it doesn't need to be "bizarre. " All you need are some basic, easy-to-read resume guidelines.
Mistake #2: Bad Writing Resumes shouldn't be boring and they shouldn't be too personal either. Most job seekers have nothing but the job description they applied for in mind when they write their resumes. They don't even read the whole document before hitting "send." They type it out, format it and send it off. What these people don't realize is that your resume should tell a story about your work career. A story that will paint you as an applicant with a powerful resume you want to call your own one day that stands out from the crowd.
Mistake #3: All About Accomplishments The best way to build a strong resume is to focus on your achievements, but you need to be careful where you direct them. Don't center your resume around the fact that you have attended this or that school, or done this or that job. Instead, tell the story of the work you did during this time and how it prepared you for your work career. Identify your accomplishments and explain how they were able to provide real value for your company's bottom line.
Mistake #4: Poor Layout Many resumes are poorly arranged as well. They're not overly long and sleep inducing like every other resume on file at the company. But they're not so short that they're bland and boring either. You need to avoid the "I saw this template and I just copied it." approach by creating a resume that actually tells a story. One you've made up in your head, but one an employer would like to see in their inbox.
Mistake #5: Too Much of Nothing That brings us to our next mistake: not using all of the 74 pages of your Word document for good reasons. It's no wonder employers might find some resumes are difficult to navigate through in just a few minutes before tossing them away because it's just too much information crammed into one document all about you and not them. Your resume is not the place to jump into all of your most interesting hobbies or travel experiences. That's a bad blog post idea.
Mistake #6: Missing Skills in Your Resume After you've listed your accomplishments, what do you need to do? You need to help recruiters understand what skills you bring to the table, and how they will help them achieve their goals. How can they benefit from thinking of you instead of just another candidate? This is why it's so important to list the skills and attributes you have that make you great. Your resume should tell a story about your strengths and weaknesses as a candidate, not just dump everything on the page in different categories with no real sense of what all these things mean together.
Mistake #7: Not Using Your "Real" Name instead of "You" When you're submitting your resume for a job, use your real name in the section where you list all of that stuff about yourself. This is one of those things that might seem obvious to some, but people slip up and leave their real names out when submitting their resumes. Once recruiters pick up on this, they won't be interested in them because they know nothing about them. Instead write your own story, and then answer the questions correctly in the space provided. Don't write answers or make assumptions about how the interviewer will react to you based on what they know (or don't) about other applicants.
Mistake #8: Color in Your Resume Sure, you think that your resume looks fine, but every word and line on there is actually important. The definition of "overkill" is a resume that makes you look unprofessional. Use color in the background to draw attention to certain words or lines. Use it to highlight keywords and key information. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to use a lot of colors though. If your resume is readable with basic black and white, then you don't need to make a bigger deal about it.
Mistake #9: Resume Is Too Long When creating a resume, the most common problem many job seekers have is that they are long and boring. They list everything except what's important. They list their skills, but they neglect to identify how they can benefit their employers or clients. Instead of listing all of those things that you did at some point in your life, tell the story of how you became successful working for someone else by writing an analytical document that makes sense to employers who are looking to fill a specific job opening they have. Remember: recruiters don't care about every job you've ever had. They're only interested in the work you'll be able to do for them.
Mistake #10: Not Providing Contact Info Just like your resume needs to speak to recruiters (not potential employers), it should provide contact information that tells a story about what you're all about. This is not the place to list your street address and phone number, but it's where you should explain why an employer would want to call or email you for a second interview. This is where you can offer specifics that have nothing to do with your contact information, and everything to do with what's on their mind when they see "your" name in their inbox.
Conclusion Remember: just because you're writing a resume to present yourself as a candidate for a job doesn't mean it has to be boring. Make sure you're keeping in mind all of these mistakes when you create your own resume. Come up with a great story that will help you stand out from the crowd, and then make sure that your resume format and layout is easy on the eyes. Last but not least, make sure everything is spelled right and use appropriate formatting to keep everything looking clean and professional.