What Recruiters Hate About Resumes And Cover Letters

Today, I'm going to share with you the awful truth about resumes and cover letters.

Here it is: Most of them stink.

That's not just my opinion, although I've read nearly 15,000 resumes and cover letters over the years and found glaring mistakes in about 85-90% of them.

It's also the opinion of most of the hiring professionals I've spoken to over the years.

Where do most resumes and cover letters go wrong? And how can you avoid the typical mistakes that most job seekers make?

To find answers, I spoke with two experienced recruiters. Their candid advice can help you avoid typical pitfalls, and get hired faster

Here it is ...

1) Don't Use The Same Resume For Every Job

Would you grab any old suit off the rack and rush off to church to get married? No. First, you get the suit tailored, so it fits. That way, you won't look ridiculous.

Unfortunately, job seekers can look ridiculous when they rush to apply for jobs without tailoring their resumes. It's a real pet peeve of most hiring professionals, including Larry Harris, a Minneapolis-based recruiter and President of American Consulting (americanconsultingcompany.com)

"Why don't candidates customize every resume they send out, to fit the job they're applying for? That makes my job a lot easier when I forward that resume to my client, the hiring manager."

According to Tony Haley, Director of UK-based Fenton Chase International (fentonchase.com), most resumes come across as generic, with no consideration about a particular position or company.

"The most surprising group of candidates who do this is Sales Managers and Sales Directors. These people spend their days reviewing resumes from candidates and yet when it comes to their own, they cannot sell themselves," says Haley.

Solution?

Customize, customize, customize.

Every company, every position, every manager reading your resume -- they're all different. So tailor your resume for every position you apply for. Bring out the details of your experience that are most relevant to each opportunity and company.

2) Don't Be Boring

One of the worst sins you can commit with a resume is to be boring. The rule of thumb is simple: If they snooze, you lose (because your resume will go in the trash).

Resumes get boring when you fill them full of jargon, or dry job descriptions, or a lack of specific results, according to Haley.

"Consider the reader. Remember, the people reading your resume might not be that proficient at it. If they cannot see what they are looking for almost immediately, they might reject it, and if it's full of technical jargon, they might not understand it," says Haley.

Solution?

An easy way to eliminate dull wording from a resume is to read it aloud to 2-3 friends. If eyes glaze over or brows furrow, you've likely lost your audience. Revise the resume until it holds your friends' attention all the way through.

Haley offers another way to create a compelling resume: "Use the 'So, what?' test. Any sentence on a resume that causes a reader to think 'So, what?' probably means it's waffle. Reword it or take it off."

3) Don't Forget The Cover Letter

You wouldn't want to alienate anyone who could help you get a job, would you?

Yet, that's just what you do when you forget to send a cover letter with your resume. Because a missing cover letter creates extra work for busy hiring professionals, as they try to figure out what job you're applying for and how you heard about it.

Solution?

Write and include a cover letter with every resume, including those you send by email.

Even a one-line cover letter in an email is better than nothing, according to Larry Harris: "You could simply write, 'I'm applying for your telemarketing software sales position. I spent five years doing that exact job. I'd be perfect for it!"

Here's hoping these tirades and tips from hiring professionals will help you write a better resume and cover letter next time you apply for that dream job.

Now, go out and make your own luck!

Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1996, he and his team have provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in all 50 states and 23 countries. Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, CBS MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal's National Business Employment Weekly, CBS Radio, and many others.

As a reader of this publication, you're eligible for a special offer. Get your Free Job Search Kit ($25.00 value) at the Guaranteed Resumes Web site - http://www.gresumes.com

---

Career Strategy When Your Boss is a Bully

Q. Right after I accepted my new position, the manager... Read More

5 Simple Rules for A Great Job Interview

Many years ago, when I was a young job-searching greenhorn,... Read More

Job Search Blurts

I coined this word to draw attention to the nervous... Read More

15 Tips for Writing Winning Resumes

The thought of writing a resume intimidates... Read More

Why You Need To Be An Intrapreneur

When a client asks me if I think he or... Read More

Multiple Skills for the 21st Century

(excerpted from The Weekend Seminar - Skills for the 21st... Read More

Career Change Success Is Yours If you Follow The Formula

Recent surveys suggest that, given the chance, about four out... Read More

Conduct An Informational Interview

Informational interviews are designed to get as much information as... Read More

What To Do When A Co-Worker Turns Nasty

A friend of mine laments that work would be great... Read More

Career Success: Don?t Be Caught With Your Pants Down

Do you want to know how to jump-start your professional... Read More

Seven Ways to Stand Out in a Sea of Applicants

Is your résumé getting lost in a flood of résumés?... Read More

The 10-Step Resume Critique

Your resume will generally receive a 15- to 30-second scan... Read More

Dynamic Pre-Hiring Practices

The pre-hiring process can be a challenge. Much time and... Read More

How to Improve Your Work Situation

buWhy are so many people unhappy in their work situation?... Read More

Can You Tell Me Something About Yourself!

Interview Question, "Tell Me Something About Yourself?""Tell me about yourself"... Read More

Get Your Dream Job!

Anyone who is a jobseeker knows that looking for a... Read More

Words. Words. Words.

They're only words. Some believe the school-yard taunt: "Sticks and... Read More

Changing Careers? How to Get Around the Three Major Mental Roadblocks to Success

A part of you can't wait to dive into your... Read More

Look in the Mirror

Take a moment to step outside yourself. Now, be honest... Read More

Effective Resume and Cover Letter Writing - Part One

To begin, make a decision to discard any former knowledge... Read More

Competency Based Interviews - 6 Steps to Success!

Competency based interviews are intended to get the best from... Read More

Closing the Gap on Your Career Goals

If you still picture a steady progression up the ladder... Read More

The Hidden Job Market: Real or Imagined?

The hidden job market has been touted as the place... Read More

How to Make More Job Contacts Faster, through Viral Marketing

Are you in the job market? Sick of every blog-byte... Read More

Should You Join a Modeling School for Petite Modeling?

If you are thinking of breaking into the petite modeling... Read More

Job Search Advice for Desperate Job Seekers

Another morning of job hunting lies ahead of you. You... Read More

5 Things Every New Caterer Should Know

It has been over twenty five years since I started... Read More

Losing A Career Can Feel Like Getting A Divorce

Most of us are aware that we need to grieve... Read More

Invest in Your Career Change--Put Your Money Where Your Dream Is

You say you want a new career, you say you... Read More

How to Choose Your Ideal Career

They say that most people do complete and total career... Read More

Make Your Career Offshore Proof

There has been a lot of talk recently about American... Read More

Have Some PASTA with Your Interview

When cyclists prepare for a big race, they always make... Read More

How to Use Flow In The Job Search

What is "flow"? Flow as described by the psychology professor... Read More