PROOF READ –
Typos in your resume could short-circuit
your entire job search, because many readers
have zero tolerance for them. One misspelled
word or grammatical error can land your
resume in the trash. Solution? Get a friend
(or three) to read through your resume
for mistakes, because you’re too
close to the action to catch them all
yourself.
TOP 1/3 RULE –
Cover up the bottom 2/3 of your resume.
Now, looking at only the top 1/3, would
someone clearly understand what role you
want and what makes you qualified for
this role?
BULLETED POINTS -
People (and your message) get lost in
paragraph narratives.
CHECK FOR MISSING DATA
– Missing data in your resume is
just as costly as wrong data. I’m
always amazed whenever I see a resume
with no dates or job duties in the experience
section, for example. Again, show your
resume to friends for input on this one.
TOO LONG – Three
and four page resumes! You and your mother
are the only two people in North America
who will read every word of your resume,
if it is longer than two pages. Use the
two page maximum length rule on 99.9%
of all resumes. When people read hundreds
of resumes a day believe me, they want
it short and to the point. You can elaborate
on your experience once you get the interview!
DISORDER – Your
resume should follow a logical sequence,
from most recent to past history. Do not
go back more than 10 years on your resume,
unless the experience you had prior to
ten years is extremely relevant to the
position and you do not have that experience
elsewhere on the resume. List temporary
positions under one heading, so that you
don’t get labeled a “job-hopper”.
CONTACT INFORMATION
– Don’t forget to include
your name, address and phone number, along
with an email if possible. If employers
can’t reach you after a couple tries
they’ll discard the resume.
