Posts Tagged ‘Spell Check’
Resume Mistake – it May be Costing You Employment
Employers know what they are looking for in a resume. If they see a resume mistake in any one of the resumes they are reviewing for a position, that resume will likely get filed in the “do not follow up” pile. If you want to be noticed, you need to make sure that your resume does not contain any errors that will irritate employers.
One thing that stands out is gaps in employment history. If you do not show why there is a gap between employment entries, it looks like you’re trying to hide something. Often, all that is needed is a simple explanation. If you were attending school or having a baby, state so. This doesn’t always have to be stated on the resume. You can include this information in your cover letter.
Another thing that turns employers off is typos and grammatical errors. Always spell check your resume. Have someone else look over it. You may not see a resume mistake, but someone else may be able to spot it quickly.
Avoid including too much information about what you do with your free time. Clubs and organizations are fine to include as long as they relate to the type of job you are applying for. If the information does not relate to the position, leave it out. An employer does not care what you do in your personal life.
Photos and personal profiles should not be used unless you’re an actor or model. Most managers do not want to know what potential candidates look like. They only want to know the facts. Discrimination complaints are rampant, and employers do not want to be accused of choosing an applicant based on their looks, gender or race.
Complicated and elaborate fonts do not make your resume stand out positively. Artsy resumes often get thrown in the trash. They are a nuisance to read and they are distracting. They also give the impression that you are not professional. Always stick to standard text and resume paper.
Another resume mistake that job candidates make is to not update their resume before they forward it. School activities may be important when you graduate from high school, but they look ridiculous on your resume when you are 35. Technology and skill sets change as well. Do not include skills that are not needed in today’s workplace. For example: Word processors have been replaced by computers and software.
By: CK Tan
About the Author:
One thing that stands out is gaps in employment history. If you do not show why there is a gap between employment entries, it looks like you’re trying to hide something. Often, all that is needed is a simple explanation. If you were attending school or having a baby, state so. This doesn’t always have to be stated on the resume. You can include this information in your cover letter.
Another thing that turns employers off is typos and grammatical errors. Always spell check your resume. Have someone else look over it. You may not see a resume mistake, but someone else may be able to spot it quickly.
Avoid including too much information about what you do with your free time. Clubs and organizations are fine to include as long as they relate to the type of job you are applying for. If the information does not relate to the position, leave it out. An employer does not care what you do in your personal life.
Photos and personal profiles should not be used unless you’re an actor or model. Most managers do not want to know what potential candidates look like. They only want to know the facts. Discrimination complaints are rampant, and employers do not want to be accused of choosing an applicant based on their looks, gender or race.
Complicated and elaborate fonts do not make your resume stand out positively. Artsy resumes often get thrown in the trash. They are a nuisance to read and they are distracting. They also give the impression that you are not professional. Always stick to standard text and resume paper.
Another resume mistake that job candidates make is to not update their resume before they forward it. School activities may be important when you graduate from high school, but they look ridiculous on your resume when you are 35. Technology and skill sets change as well. Do not include skills that are not needed in today’s workplace. For example: Word processors have been replaced by computers and software.
By: CK Tan
About the Author:
CK Tan is the owner of JobAsiaSearch.com, a web site dedicated to assisting job seekers secure a job in Asia. If you need help in your Asia job search or looking for a job opening in Asia, visit http://www.jobasiasearch.com
Resume Makeover Tips: Some Simply Effective Ideas
Your resume is the key to getting into those great interviews and, ultimately, getting the job. So what types of things do we all need to look out for when preparing or reviewing our resume? Included in this article are some of the most important tips a person can receive according to a few acquaintances in corporate human resources departments.
The first thing an individual should do once they begin the resume review process is to make sure there are no spelling errors! Yes, this seems obvious, but have you really looked it over thoroughly with your naked eye and not just the word processor’s spell check? You would be surprised how many things the spell check option will miss when solely depending on it as your ‘editor’. This is one of the most important things as it says a lot if a person does not spell correctly and/or tends to overlook the typos. Would you like to hire that person if you had 100 prospects for one job?
After the spell check has been completed and any errors have been corrected, start getting rid of the extra words such as “I” or “me” and just give the prospective what they want: a solid resume that is to the point. All the extra stuff does nothing but aggravate as this, too, is a sign that a person is not thinking about the potential employer or reader, but only about themselves. The employers just want the resume to get to the point as they are quite busy and do not have much time to look into each specific detail about your past history.
Speaking of history, one thing that is surprisingly common is for resumes to be in chronological order. The first job the interviewee ever had is, you got it, on the very top of the resume. Why? The only reason I am told is for a more functional resume for when a person is going into a completely different field and wants to show their consolidated experience in blocks. So the most recent employer/job should almost always be at the very top. The next tip I have received is, again, simplifying the resume for the reader. Only this time it is about getting rid of those extra statements that only the interviewee believes makes a difference at all. Rather than putting out a resume that looks a lot like this article with a lot of words jumbled together, shorten sentences and create bullet points in order to get to the point. Bold, italics and underlining should all be used sparingly and mainly for headings as too much can rally create a sense of ‘overdoing’ it and it can also aggravate the employer. Yes, they are aware that you really want this job, so show them what you have done to deserve it.
Finally, read your resume to yourself as if you were reading it to the potential employers themselves. Does all of this sound like something you would love to listen to if you were the employer? Does it keep you on the edge of your seat or just kind of leave you in a slightly lethargic state? If it is going to be simply about your past jobs and you know there are others waiting for the same interview, be the considerate one. Get to the point and let them decide based on your resume and who you are in person. They will already be able to tell a lot about you in the room during the interview just through your actions, so you won’t need to describe any of this in your resume. I hope these tips I have received were a little helpful if not more in giving you some helpful ideas on how to improve your resume today.
By: S. Michael Windsor
About the Author:
The first thing an individual should do once they begin the resume review process is to make sure there are no spelling errors! Yes, this seems obvious, but have you really looked it over thoroughly with your naked eye and not just the word processor’s spell check? You would be surprised how many things the spell check option will miss when solely depending on it as your ‘editor’. This is one of the most important things as it says a lot if a person does not spell correctly and/or tends to overlook the typos. Would you like to hire that person if you had 100 prospects for one job?
After the spell check has been completed and any errors have been corrected, start getting rid of the extra words such as “I” or “me” and just give the prospective what they want: a solid resume that is to the point. All the extra stuff does nothing but aggravate as this, too, is a sign that a person is not thinking about the potential employer or reader, but only about themselves. The employers just want the resume to get to the point as they are quite busy and do not have much time to look into each specific detail about your past history.
Speaking of history, one thing that is surprisingly common is for resumes to be in chronological order. The first job the interviewee ever had is, you got it, on the very top of the resume. Why? The only reason I am told is for a more functional resume for when a person is going into a completely different field and wants to show their consolidated experience in blocks. So the most recent employer/job should almost always be at the very top. The next tip I have received is, again, simplifying the resume for the reader. Only this time it is about getting rid of those extra statements that only the interviewee believes makes a difference at all. Rather than putting out a resume that looks a lot like this article with a lot of words jumbled together, shorten sentences and create bullet points in order to get to the point. Bold, italics and underlining should all be used sparingly and mainly for headings as too much can rally create a sense of ‘overdoing’ it and it can also aggravate the employer. Yes, they are aware that you really want this job, so show them what you have done to deserve it.
Finally, read your resume to yourself as if you were reading it to the potential employers themselves. Does all of this sound like something you would love to listen to if you were the employer? Does it keep you on the edge of your seat or just kind of leave you in a slightly lethargic state? If it is going to be simply about your past jobs and you know there are others waiting for the same interview, be the considerate one. Get to the point and let them decide based on your resume and who you are in person. They will already be able to tell a lot about you in the room during the interview just through your actions, so you won’t need to describe any of this in your resume. I hope these tips I have received were a little helpful if not more in giving you some helpful ideas on how to improve your resume today.
By: S. Michael Windsor
About the Author:
S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for The Windsor Express Daily, which features daily exclusive articles based on improving the things which matter most in our daily lives. Visit us today at http://www.TheWindsorExpress.com and subscribe for free!
