I am spending an inordinate amount of time reviewing resumes and one particular word keeps appearing throughout many of the resumes. The word is… proven Perhaps the most insipid phrase is this – “proven track record.” Every time I see this phrase I immediately want the candidate to prove it. In most instances, the quoted achievement would be difficult to prove to an outsider. That fact makes this throw-away phrase easy to included. My personal take is to have the candidates simply state their record in numbers.
Continue ReadingThe Value Of An Updated Resume
I am stuck in an ongoing cycle of sourcing. Just when I am about to be worn down, I come across a resume that lists the candidate’s technical skills. The first thing listed: -MS Windows 98 Seriously…Win98? My guess (hope) is that the candidate simply has overlooked that part of his resume for years. That is about the only explanation because I certainly hope he isn’t touting his technical proficiency with an operating system from 13-14 years ago.
Continue ReadingOf Scary Fonts
Just reviewed a resume written entirely in Comic Sans font. Scary.
Continue ReadingBad Wording
The opening line of a candidate’s experience as he listed on his resume: Hired by company to penetrate virgin markets… Honestly, this is a candidate for a high-level sales position. He doesn’t have enough sense to change that sentence?
Continue ReadingHigher Education
Honestly read this under the "Education” section of a resume: Completed Kindergarten on through 12th grade I think that is rather funny. I guess the old axiom that the longest journey starts with the first step is true. Education starts with successfully completing kindergarten.
Continue ReadingOdd Resume Inclusions
In first reading this I thought I was reading a line from one of Jeff Foxworthy’s jokes, “You know you are a redneck if you write on your resume, “hobbies include sitting on the levee at night watching alligators.” Nope, this is one of many odd resume inclusions from an article on CareerBuilder. If you have ever run a recruiting process you probably can come up with your own list, but CareerBuilder has put together some beauties: Candidate included that he spent summers on his family’s yacht in Grand Cayman. Candidate attached a letter from her mother. Candidate used pale blue paper with teddy bears around the border. Candidate explained a… Read More
Continue ReadingYou Must Have…
Red flags should go up if those words appear in a cover letter. These sentences are from a recent graduate’s cover letter for a sales position: Please do not contact me if the position is commission based, or involves cold-calling. Also your company must have a valid website that can help me to identify what your company does. I will be following his clear orders and not contacting him.
Continue ReadingFun From The Resume Pile
From the outstanding resume file – a resume I received yesterday for a Project Manager position: Personal Attributes I am highly enthusiastic, hard working, opinionated and motivated to work under my own initiative or as part of a team. 1. I have extensive practical experience of fault-finding… Which explains why his team wants him to work on his own initiative. In all fairness, the candidate goes on to finish item #1 with: …and problem solving systematically. Certainly a lot easier to do once you’ve established blame. There’s a sentence later in the letter that suggests English isn’t a strong suit – My team were involved in maintenance, repairing and servicing… Read More
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