If you are not receiving a response back from
employers about the resume you submitted,
there could be a variety of reasons. Perhaps you
do not have the particular qualifications the
employer is seeking. Or, perhaps you are not
properly communicating your strengths,
experience, and skills.
Take a hard look at your resume and revamp it
for effectiveness. Imagine you’re in the elevator
with Donald Trump (or another CEO) heading
up to the 18th floor and you had only 30 seconds
to make your pitch, what would you say? If an
employer cannot see what you have to offer or
understand how your particular experience and
skills are applicable to the job, you are not
going to receive that callback to come in for an
interview.
Common culprits that make a resume less
effective include:
1. Poor Opening
If your resume starts with an “Objective”
indicating what you are looking for rather than
what you have to offer to an employer, you have
already lost points right there. Even if your
resume does start with a “Summary of
Qualifications” or something similar to that
effect, you have to ask, “Does it immediately and
clearly tell the employer why I’m the right fit for
the job?” An effective opening creates a theme
that says, “Here is what I am best at” and this
theme would be continued to prove it by
showcasing your accomplishments in your
various jobs.
2. Not Using It As A Marketing Tool
A resume is used to help get your foot in the
door with an employer. It is not a legal
document and there is no need to include
information that is irrelevant. The more
irrelevant information you put on your resume,
the easier it will be for an employer to come to
the conclusion that you are not an appropriate
candidate for the job. Use your resume to help
demonstrate particular accomplishments,
experiences, and skills that the employer can
benefit from. Your mission is to simply put out
a sufficient amount of information to garner the
employer’s interest. Save details for the
interview.
It is similar to when you view a movie trailer –
it contains highlights of just enough
information to entice you to want to view the
movie, but it doesn’t tell the full story. Adding
information that does not provide impact
immediately on a resume is like viewing dull
scenes in the movie trailer, making the overall
package less effective.
3. Inappropriate Personal Information
Some personal information, such as hobbies,
may be explicitly placed on the resume to help
tell the employer more about your character.
However, if what you list is unprofessional and
inappropriate for the profession, it can ruin
your shot at making a good impression with the
employer. At the same time, there are instances
when personal information is included without
you fully realizing it. For instance, be cautious of
your e-mail address. Your username or domain
for the e-mail address can give off the wrong
impression if it reads something similar to,
“partyanimal@…” or “… @peoplehater.”
If you are including a website or blog address,
make sure the information you have on it is
appropriate and relevant for the job. Also, even
if you are not publicizing digital information,
employers may be screening your activity on
sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, so
check your privacy settings or make sure what’s
on your public profile is appropriate for a
potential employer to see.
Securing an employer’s attention is more
challenging today. There are many qualified
candidates available on the market for
employers to select from. Make sure your
resume shows impact from the start by telling
the employer why you are the right fit for the
job. Demonstrate what you have accomplished
to show for it, and present a clean digital trail
on the Internet for an appropriate impression.