HIRING, RESUMES
Wondering how to write a resume that gets those all-important callbacks and interviews? As recruiters, we present candidates to hiring managers daily, so we know what it takes to make the cut.
We see hundreds of resumes weekly, some from candidates who’ve spent a good amount of money on a resume writer. Unfortunately, most resumes that cross our desks don’t have what hiring managers are looking for.
Here are some of the most common mistakes:
Trying to Hide Your Age
It’s funny—candidates of all ages think it’s best not to reveal their age. Older candidates worry they might be eliminated due to a lack of career advancement, while younger ones fear they might not be selected due to lack of experience.
Eventually, you’ll meet the hiring manager, and they’ll have a pretty good idea of your age. So why all the effort to disguise who you are? Be proud of where you are in your career. Lead with your age as a strength.
Older? You bring experience and balanced judgment to the table.
Younger? You have flexibility and a natural tech know-how on your side.
Not Documenting Your Success
Hiring manager are most interested in what you can do for them and their company.
The best way to show them is to document what you’ve achieved at your current company. To add value, you have to either make money or save money.
Make sure that you document one or both of these accomplishments in your resume. Use bullet points to make it succinct and to the point.
Here are a few examples:
Sales reps should use their rankings.
- #1 out of 50 sales reps in 2023
- #3 out of 50 sales reps in 2023
Scientists should demonstrate their success in developing a product that made money for their company.
- Created a product that generated $500,000 in sales revenue in the first year on the market
Confusing Formatting
Accomplishments A new trend I’m seeing is candidates listing their accomplishments at the top of the resume before the chronological listing of the positions they’ve held. The problem with this is that hiring managers want to see your accomplishments as they pertain to each position you hold and the different places you work.
Stick to listing your accomplishments under each chronological job title. Dates Some candidates don’t add dates to their various positions. Remember—hiring managers use resumes to eliminate candidates, not to decide who to hire.
Anything that creates questions is usually perceived as a negative, suggesting the candidate is trying to hide something. Not adding dates of employment is a big mistake.
Many resumes we review only show the year of employment and do not include the month. For example:
ABC Company 2010 – 2013
It’s best to include both the month and year.
ABC Company February 2010 – December, 2013
Cutting the Resume Short
Many of our more tenured candidates try to document their careers on two pages or even squeeze it all onto one page by eliminating important first jobs. Sometimes, those first jobs are meaningful to employers and can help candidates get interviews. Two pages may be appropriate for a junior-level candidate but not for someone with 20+ years of experience.
The key is ensuring your resume captures and holds the hiring manager’s attention from the first line, concisely showing your value the whole way through. Some employers spend as few as six seconds scanning a resume before putting it in the ‘call’ pile or tossing it in the trash.
With this in mind, work to ensure that your resume is easily skimmed, no matter the length. Use bullet points and short lines of text to explain your accomplishments. Another note worth mentioning regarding length: readability is always more important than fitting your resume on X number of pages. It doesn’t matter how long or short it is if the hiring manager has to pull out a magnifying glass to read the tiny font!
If you need help crafting a resume that gets results, please contact a Connexis Search Group recruiter. For a complete listing of our team members, click here.
For additional information on creating a great resume, please read the below
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