The 3 Most Avoidable Resume Mistakes

The 3 Most Avoidable Resume Mistakes The 3 Most Avoidable Resume Mistakes Its an often repeated fact that recruiters and hiring managers only spend about six seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether to keep it or toss it.If your resume only has mere seconds to capture a decision-makers attention, you need to becertain to avoid any of the triggers that can send it to the no thanks pile. Here are three such triggers that are incredibly common but easily fixed1. Hedging Your Bets with a Jack of All Trades ResumeIt seems perfectlylogical to try to improve your chances by cataloguing your entire skill set in the top half of your resume, but you must resist the urge. A hiring manager wants to immediately verify that you can do the particular job they are trying to fill, so they eagle-eye your resume for concrete examples of your aptitude. Give them satisfaction, not distraction. Too many bullets of industry jargon in a core competencies section or a dense, wanderingsummary ansic ht can land your resume in the digital dustbin.2. The Stalagmite EffectIf you stayed awake during eighth-grade science, youllknow that stalagmites grow into towering pillars of rock over millions of years. Up close, they are breathtakingly impressive. A stalagmite resume, however, is decidedly not.The stalagmite resume is the product of many years of adding jobs to your resume without removing any of the old ones or otherwise editing the document. This hasty cut-and-paste approach creates a towering stack of jobs, many of which are irrelevant to the role you want.Treat your resume as a living document. Every time you edit it, edit it completely from top to bottom, taking care to tailor it specifically to the job you areafter.Take a structured approach to explaining each relevant position. A predictable flow invites the eye to move through your resume with rhythm and interest. Start with a situational bullet that describes what welches happening at the company when you were hired. Fo llow that with a responsibility bullet that describes your mission in a brief but compelling way. Lastly, deliver a results bullet that quantifies the value you brought to the company or describes what you achieved with real numbers. Heres an exampleXYZ.com, VP Sales, New York, 6/2014 PresentSituation Recruited by a former boss to join XYZ.com, a top SaaS-based social sharing platform that suffered from lack of repeat customers and poor market visibility.Responsibility Restructure and revitalize the sales team of 3 directors and 15 account executives increase pipeline overhaul go-to-market strategy on a tight budget.Results Delivered consistent YOY increases from $3 million in 2014 to $18 million in 2017. Added 76 new clients. Resized team to 4 directors and 12 account executives.A time-starved hiring manager will skip to the results bullet of each of your jobs, and provided your achievements are concrete and convincing, they will move you to the yes box.3. Failing to Include a Pro file SectionRemember the good old days when youwould make a visit to the bookstore? You would pull books from the shelves, scanning each dust jacket for a compelling synopsis that would convince you to head toward the cashier.Your resumes profile statementshould perform the same function as these synopses, telling the hiring manager about your value to their company in 45-60 words. Here is an example of a cogent profile statement that got an interviewand the jobSenior enterprise-level marketing technology sales hunter with an entrepreneurial spirit and long history for value-based selling. Accomplished revenue generator who is comfortable working in matrixed environments built to fuel topline attainment and strong pipeline health. Accustomed to collaborating with product teams that are dedicated to uncompromising excellence and executive teams focused on responsible but aggressive growth.- The snap judgment of an overworked hiring manager is never completely avoidable, but if youski p these three resume mistakes, you will net far more positive results. Above all, be sure to approach the process with one mission in mind Show the value you can bring to employers.Sherry Ailsworth is a recruiting partner for Chameleon Collective.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.