Five Top Mistakes to Avoid Making on Your Resume

I worked as a headhunter for some major communication companies in Utah in years past, and more recently have been involved in recruiting English teachers for teaching positions overseas. As such, I reckon I've had to review a couple thousand resumes, at least. It's not always a fun part of the job, but it's a very necessary part that can't be skipped or delegated to others; when I recommend someone be hired, I want to be sure they meet all the specifications and that I personally have confidence in them. There is so much that can be done with a resume to make someone like me, initially non-committal, want to stop and read in detail; on the other hand, there are a lot of ways to write your resume that will turn me off immediately, and cause me to put your particular resume at the bottom of the pile, if I don't throw it away!

What I'm going to share with you now is exactly what any Human Resource person would tell you; they do the same thing I do, going through dozens of resumes each day, trying to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you have a resume that they like, that they can digest easily in a matter of minutes, your half-way to your initial job interview. So here is a list of the top five boo-boos to avoid on your resume:

• A generic cover letter. You may think a prospective employer doesn't read them, and you'd be right, if yours is vague, rambling, and boastful. A cover letter is important to a prospective employer only if it clearly states what position the person is applying for and makes a very concise statement as to why that person should be considered for the position. ("I am applying for the position of technical writer; I have 2 years' experience working with your particular brand of widget, and can write about it in great detail, from experience.")
• If I give them my parent's phone number that works for contact information, right? WRONG. I realize that many recent college graduates treat themselves to long trips right after graduation, going off to Thailand or Mexico to relax on the cheap and think about their career while sunning on a tropical beach. I approve of it; in fact, I'm downright jealous of those young people who can do it! But if I'm trying to reach you and all I get is your mother saying that you are ‘somewhere' in Phuket, Thailand, with some friends wind-surfing, I am not likely to make the effort to track you down and offer you a job interview. If you suffer from wanderlust, make sure you get a cheap, used cell phone in whatever country you're in and make sure your contact person back home knows that number and gives it out. Also make sure that your contact person has the number to the hotel, hostel, or friend's hut where you are staying - and keep it updated! The rule of thumb in recruiting is: If I can reach you in two phone calls I'll try - if not, you're history.
• Phony/Ineffective references. It's true that more and more companies are relying on credit reports and criminal background checks in their hiring process, but you still can't beat a good, old-fashioned reference from a former employer or teacher. Make sure your references are ready, willing, and able to give you a thumbs-up, and make sure that their contact information is current and reliable. There's no telling when they might be contacted; it could be at nine in the morning, three in the afternoon, or seven at night. If they can only be contacted at certain times make sure that is indicated on your resume.
• My salary is negotiable. Oh no it's not! That kind of statement on a resume tells the prospective employer that you don't know your own worth and you don't know the standard salary range for the position you are applying for. In other words, you haven't done your homework! You need to find out what a beginning widget-maker earns, and quote that if you are applying for a widget-making position. If in doubt, ask for too much; your prospective employer may wonder why you think you're worth so much and ask you in for an interview just to find out.
• The folks that review my resume are just interested in the plain, unadorned facts, so don't waste much time and effort on it. How many resumes do you think an HR person has to read before they start to get burned out? Not a whole lot. You don't want a bored person reviewing your resume. I once received a resume printed on a perfectly good t-shirt. That person got an immediate interview, and I wore their t-shirt to it! Why not make a brief Youtube video about why you think you should be hired, and put the link on your resume? That would break up the monotony of my day, and I'd be glad to look at it. Here's an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTaRyM66aBM

About the author: Tim Torkildson has spent the last 7 years in Thailand, recruiting English teachers for various schools in Asia. He is also a free-lance blogger who works for companies such as http://www.insidesales.com/lead_management.php