It seems early this first Monday of daylight saving time so I thought we would start with some levity. From the email cover pile: I am THE sales SUPERMAN I am willing to relocate, I am your new Head Salesman. I put up big numbers… Really, what can I add to this cover letter?
Continue ReadingBetter Than I Expected
We’ve been working as or with sales for over 20 years and have to deal with many discussions involving candidate’s resumes. The bias that occurs is that hiring managers make broad, sweeping generalizations based on what they think they see in the resume. This anomaly occurs even after we have screened and assessed strong candidates. After discussing the possibilities of what may be wrong with the candidate, we usually get to a point where the hiring manager agrees to to the interview based on our recommendation. After the interview, we hear something to this effect: “He was much better than I expected.” Strangely, I suspect we will still be hearing… Read More
Continue ReadingResume Pile Perfection
More fun from the resume pile: Sales, If your looking for a rock star. I’m looking for a sale carreer with a strong base and benifits. I’m the best looking for the best.
Continue ReadingThe Cocky Resume
I just found this cover letter and red flags went off everywhere: College student nearing completion of a Computer Sciences degree looking for a full or part-time entry level position in a technical environment such as software testing, hardware installation, database development, or data entry. Get me secured in your company while I’m still sans degree, because there will come a day when my time will be very valuable. I would run the other way from this candidate. Again, confidence is good, cockiness is bad. Take a look at the close: Tuition reimbursement a plus, but not required. Please e-mail with any openings available for a resumé. Remember, this is… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Closer Resume
Straight from the resume pile: Got Sales Leads? I Can Close Them! If that hasn’t piqued your interest, I’m sure the rest of the cover email will: -References -Quick product knowledge -Reliable transportation -Available immediately A salesperson with confidence is a prerequisite, but they have to be able to back it up with more than “reliable transportation.”
Continue ReadingVideo Resumes
I found this site – RecruiTV – from the ERE.net newsletter. The company that runs this site is called Wetjello (I have no idea why, but it is memorable). From their website: Wetjello provides powerful online video recruitment solutions including recruitment campaign video development, video production and integrated web video solutions. Were helping create a new online recruitment medium with powerful, edgy and impactful video campaigns for companies around the world. Their claim to fame is that they feature video resumes. I have been drawn in to watching a few of the sales resumes (is that the proper word for these). I have to admit, some parts of the videos… Read More
Continue ReadingResume Knock-Out Factors
CareerJournal.com reposted an older article regarding resume errors that land in the “no interest” pile. From These Resume Gaffes Do Immediate Damage: These knockout factors invariably mean sure death to a person’s candidacy. They typically include: 1. An objective that doesn’t match current openings. 2. Inappropriate or insufficient educational credentials. 3. Incompatible salary requirements. 4. Poorly organized, sloppy or hard-to-read content. 5. Geographic restrictions incompatible with current openings. 6. A long list of employers in a short period of time. 7. Too much information. 8. A lack of U.S. citizen or permanent-resident status. The list is comprehensive, but I have to add one more item – misspellings. We’ve posted on… Read More
Continue ReadingWhat’s In A Name?
We’re still getting over the Super Bowl this morning so I thought we would start out with some lighter fare. Our local Pioneer Press offers up an interesting article on names – What’s in a name? Maybe your next job. The thesis is the fact that “old-fashioned” names tend to scream older applicant. I think the author is correct on this topic. Case in point: Larry, Mary, Linda, Lisa, Michael, James, Robert. … If one of these names is yours, you are apparently shouting to the world, “I’m at least 40, and probably closer to 60.” On the other hand, names like Taylor, Sidney, Ethan and Jacob all have baby… Read More
Continue ReadingResumes – My Weakness
Jason Davis at Recruiting.com points us to Resume Hell. I have a real weakness for poorly-worded resumes and cover letters. This site offers some entertaining quips. For example: “interests and hobbies none at present” Or maybe this one: “Hobbies I enjoy cooking Chinese and Italians” One final one: “Hobbies…Liposuction…” If you enjoy these items, check out the site – I guarantee you will laugh.
Continue ReadingThe Errors In The Resumes
From a CareerBuilder survey: Sixty-three percent of HR managers report that spelling errors are the most annoying mistakes they see on resumes. Other top mistakes include: Resumes not customized to the position (30 percent) Lies (23 percent) Including too many insignificant details on job responsibilities (21 percent) Resumes that are more than two pages long (21 percent) Lies would seem to be a “most annoying mistake” on a resume if I took the survey and spelling errors would be second. From earlier in the article: If you’re looking for a new job this year, be prepared for some competition. Twenty-seven percent of human resource (HR) managers say they receive more… Read More
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