Five Mistakes Job Seekers Make on Their Resumes

I think I'm beginning to sound borderline preachy with my resume and cover letter advice. But I also feel I have a duty to share with job seekers the blunders and mistakes they make that prevent them from getting the interview and ultimately the offer. After ten years of working as a human resources manager and recruiter I've seen my fair share of job seeker mistakes. So here's my list of the five biggest mistakes job seekers make on their resumes.

MISTAKE #1: Outdated formatting

The first impression your resume gives is critical. How do you want the hiring manager to perceive you? Professional and accomplished? Or sloppy and disorganized? Old and outdated formats only reflect poorly on you as a viable candidate for the position.

MISTAKE #2: Using an objective

If your resume has an objective, please remove it. That is an outdated practice that is no longer relevant in today's job market. Objectives will only land you in the "bland, just like everyone else" pile-not the "oh yeah, don't let me forget to call them today" pile.

MISTAKE #3: Forgetting important keywords

Don't forget to use industry specific keywords. Also, make sure you know where to place them. The top section of the resume is the best place because that's where the hiring manager's eyes will be drawn. Short keywords are a great way to tell the employer about your expertise.

MISTAKE #4: Length and text density

Too long or too short and you've lost your hiring manager. Keep paragraphs to 3-5 sentences-and the same goes for the number of bullets you use in your resume. Why? Any longer and you lose the audience in information overload-any shorter and you appear under qualified.

MISTAKE #5: Listing responsibilities instead of accomplishments

The hiring manager doesn't want your resume to be an exact replica of the job ad. He already knows what he needs. What he needs to know is how you're going to meet their needs. Utilize statements that demonstrate your expertise and accomplishments in a given area. Certainly there was a challenge you faced while working for your current or previous employers. How did you address these challenges and what were the results? The answers to these questions make for GREAT bullet points on a resume.

To receive a free resume analysis send your resume to info@greatresumesfast.com or visit us online at http://www.greatresumesfast.com

Avoid 10 common mistakes in the job search

Five out of six Americans plan to look for new jobs in 2011, according to a survey by manpower. If you're one of them, look at 10 common errors made by job hunters and how to avoid them, by Ulrich as athirn, executive search consultant and Silicon Valley author of strategies "career success" (Silicon Valley press, 2010).

Playing the cards: design your search on specific industries and functions: specialization.

Bloated CVS: employers checking resumes in seconds. Remove extraneous words and phrases your experiences and achievements in the introduction.

Target your missing: focus on your goal. Learn about jobs that are looking and looking and how companies could form your experience to gain people's attention.

Hibernate online: go out and communicate with your network and others encountered along the way. The participation of 15-second elevator pitch "with anyone, whether you're at home or exit lane at the supermarket.

Misguided networking efforts: the first commandment: thou shalt Networkers ask about posts while networking. The sole purpose of networking to seek advice and information.

Preparation of minimal — or not at all — for interviews: before each interview do your company, know the Executive team to learn about key industry issues and trends and competitors.

Missed opportunity on social media: employers and recruiters looking to your profile on the Web: LinkedIn, Facebook and other social networking Web sites. See adequacy published online, and take it one step further: view your own brand. You'll always have the opportunity to verbally tell your story (including any time between posts) even say online walmrabh your brand.

Weak communication skills: choose one of the connections that need your attention, such as listening, viewing, or persuade or capture messages, and is committed to improving. Take a class or a "practice interviews" with friend or career coach or join a group like Toastmasters.

Failure to put in hours: full-time job search. Don't be a part by investing a few hours in your search.

Going it alone: the job search group meet or talk on a weekly basis. Together, you can create the structure and support for your searches plus help boost accountability.

[Last modified: March 24, 2011 at 11: 09]

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Copyright 2011 St. Petersburg Times

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Mistakes to avoid in cover letters

Your future relies on each action that take you a job search. The cover letter is no exception. There are a number of errors which, while common, instantly makes your letter as written by someone who does not know how to navigate in the professional world. Persons aged pros and young people, just for starters have done so much these errors, but if you want to get the job, you have to make sure to avoid them.

The best way to use this list is for writing your cover letter, and then pass by it as a checklist so that you can remove and replace errors which would have been you. Everyone makes mistakes, but when you want to get this job, you cannot afford to put forward nothing less than your best effort.

1 - Not your search - starting with "Dear Sir or Madam" or "to whom it may concern" is your covering letter of the ticket in the trash. It shows that you don't do research to find out who will treat your application for employment. Remember, if you get the job, you work with this person! Thus, you may discover that it is now. If it is just impossible to do so, start the letter with "Dear hiring Manager."

2 Using the same letter anywhere in the world – people will be able to say if you send a letter with each repeated shape. Ideally, your cover letter should mention the company for which you are applying. It is only half a page to a page in length. It is not the length that counts. It must be well written and convincing to coax the reader to take a look at your coaching resume.

3 - Making claims without justification - many job seekers first time think that they need to cushion their cover letter and resume with fuzzy phrases like "I have excellent verbal and written skills" without anything to back up. Employers are much more interested in a sentence like, "at my previous job, I helped to implement a more efficient system for the processing of payments.". They want to see actions, not only of words empty.

4 - Inappropriate tone - your document should be two professionals a cover letter and conversation, but not exceed the limits of corporate communications. Depending on how the company brands itself, you can modify your conversational tone a little more or a little more professional, but you shouldn't use jokes or humor. The prose should be clear and powerful.

5 Obtuse verbosity - your employer is interested in you that you are useful for them. They have specific targets, they want to achieve by you engaging. Therefore, you must make your concise points with plain language, strong. If you go too long and demonstrate esoteric, irrelevant, vocabulary that you run the risk of an employer to be bored, defining your resume the undo and goes with a person whose cover letter served its purpose.

6 - Do base - errors please to proofread your cover letter it sent offshore to ensure, there is no spelling or grammar mistakes! Professional writers resume also write letter s so if you have a problem with one of these points, you should obtain assistance. Your resume and covering letter to matter too much to take risks.

7 - Omit Information Contact - all too often people get so excited about the content of their letter they forget important parts of the form. You must provide a way for your employer get a hold of you both by email and phone.

Some aspects of the research process are subjective. But there is no doubt that you have to offer a quality cover letter to succeed with your resume.

Paul Freiberger is President of shimmering CV, CV writing, interview preparation and career counselling. Shimmering resumes have offices in San Mateo, California and Menlo Park, California. Resume shimmering provides services nationally. Paul is the author of several books and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner. He can be reached from the box of info on the website of shimmering resume, or by phone at 877-796-9737.

Avoid the Top 3 cover letter errors and Get job interviews

So, do you want first - the good news or bad news?

The good news is that you understand the importance of the cover letter. If you are a decent writer, this article will help you to write letters that will get job interviews.

If the idea to write a letter makes you sweat, however, this article will always help. At the end of the article link takes you to a cover letter resources - non-ecrivains or lazy or more - stress ed job seekers, as - product letters that get interviews of employment and work more offer you could possibly imagine.

But, first things first.

The bad news...

The bad news is that competition for high-level jobs in decades. Most hiring managers get hundreds of applications for each job they post. Ironically, this news is not all that bad.

Hundreds of applications receive handlers of hiring, the vast majority understand letters filled with typos, bad grammar and uninteresting content. Many are really bad and make the hiring manager susceptibility, or worst, laugh. Obviously, these applications get levees in the stack "no, thank you."

Then, how to avoid the stack "No, thanks" and interviews work? Avoid the top mistakes of the letter accompanying three is certainly the starting point!

Cover letter Error # 1

The worst mistake is to send a mass mailing to "Dear hiring Manager." Instead of this, discover who will read applications for the position you are applying for and resources Add your letter to that person. Customize the content of the letter... write a different letter for each job showing that you've done your research and think that you are the best match for the position.

Cover letter Error # 2

The second mistake is to rewrite your resume in your letter. Cover letter and resume s are not the same! Curriculum vitae are factual. Covering letter are personality. Think about your letter your inclination of thirty second "lift". If you had 30 seconds of time to the hiring manager, what would you say? It is your cover letter!

Cover letter Error # 3

The third error is a big. Do not take the time to your letter of proof is ridiculous. This is your first impression. We're going to an interview with a large stain on your shirt? Of course not. At least, execute functions of spelling and grammar - check in your word-processing program. Ideally, ask someone else to read your letter. It is clear? It only represents you? If you have no one to ask, read aloud your letter. Slowly. Word for Word. Store your letter for a day or two. Proofread prior to sending it. You'd be surprised how different your letter looks like when you look with eyes.

If you are looking for job interviews, avoid the top mistakes of the letter accompanying three certainly is the place to start.

Good luck in your job search!

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