11 Executive Recruiter Analysis
11 Executive Resume Blunders
As an executive recruiter, I read a hundred resumes or more every week, and a lot of that time is spent muttering to myself "Are you kidding me?" It's mind-boggling how many of the resumes I receive make some very simple mistakes that put the candidate out of the running before they even got started.
A sloppy, incomplete or unprofessional resume represents you as a sloppy, lazy or unprofessional candidate, sort of like showing up to an interview in clothes that are torn, stained and inappropriate. You'd think senior executives would know better but in fact, many of the worst resumes I see are from people from top management.
The good news is that it's easy to have your resume stand out in this sea of mediocrity. …show more content…
No company descriptions.
Your resume is a story about you, and understanding what the companies you have worked for actually do is a big part of that story. Don't make me go to Google to find out what ABC Company did, what products they sell, and what markets they serve. Incorporate that information into your resume. Adding the company URL as a link is appreciated, too.
5. Poorly written.
Resumes have their own kind of language, and a lot of people have a problem writing clearly in a resume format. Make sure your resume tells your story in a way that is easy to read and to understand. Avoid trying to impress with overly complex business gibberish. To see if each sentence works, read it aloud. If you sound like a robot, try it in simple English.
6. Written in the third person.
I get resumes all the time that say "Mr. So-and-so has been a visionary leader for 25 years." That's just weird. Your resume is your presentation of your background, not a press release, article or corporate bio. Third-person writing doesn't make you sound more important; it just makes the document feel less personal, and that's not good.
7. Badly …show more content…
Both of these are less than readable.
Your resume layout must allow people to skim and scan and isolate certain types of information easily. Use a font, paragraph and line spacing that make it easy to read and absorb the information. If you don't know how to design a beautiful resume, find one you like and copy the formatting exactly or get outside help.
8. Trying to do it yourself.
Sending an ugly typo-laden mess to represent your fit for a leadership role just doesn't make sense. No one expects a CEO or senior executive to be able to create perfect marketing materials on their own, but we do expect that you care about the quality of communications you put out. A leader knows their limitations and when to ask for help.
If you don't know how to create an elegant well-organized document in MS Word, your resume will be ugly, I guarantee it. So get some assistance and do it right. It's the difference between getting overlooked or getting interviewed.
9. Not enough focus on
As an executive recruiter, I read a hundred resumes or more every week, and a lot of that time is spent muttering to myself "Are you kidding me?" It's mind-boggling how many of the resumes I receive make some very simple mistakes that put the candidate out of the running before they even got started.
A sloppy, incomplete or unprofessional resume represents you as a sloppy, lazy or unprofessional candidate, sort of like showing up to an interview in clothes that are torn, stained and inappropriate. You'd think senior executives would know better but in fact, many of the worst resumes I see are from people from top management.
The good news is that it's easy to have your resume stand out in this sea of mediocrity. …show more content…
No company descriptions.
Your resume is a story about you, and understanding what the companies you have worked for actually do is a big part of that story. Don't make me go to Google to find out what ABC Company did, what products they sell, and what markets they serve. Incorporate that information into your resume. Adding the company URL as a link is appreciated, too.
5. Poorly written.
Resumes have their own kind of language, and a lot of people have a problem writing clearly in a resume format. Make sure your resume tells your story in a way that is easy to read and to understand. Avoid trying to impress with overly complex business gibberish. To see if each sentence works, read it aloud. If you sound like a robot, try it in simple English.
6. Written in the third person.
I get resumes all the time that say "Mr. So-and-so has been a visionary leader for 25 years." That's just weird. Your resume is your presentation of your background, not a press release, article or corporate bio. Third-person writing doesn't make you sound more important; it just makes the document feel less personal, and that's not good.
7. Badly …show more content…
Both of these are less than readable.
Your resume layout must allow people to skim and scan and isolate certain types of information easily. Use a font, paragraph and line spacing that make it easy to read and absorb the information. If you don't know how to design a beautiful resume, find one you like and copy the formatting exactly or get outside help.
8. Trying to do it yourself.
Sending an ugly typo-laden mess to represent your fit for a leadership role just doesn't make sense. No one expects a CEO or senior executive to be able to create perfect marketing materials on their own, but we do expect that you care about the quality of communications you put out. A leader knows their limitations and when to ask for help.
If you don't know how to create an elegant well-organized document in MS Word, your resume will be ugly, I guarantee it. So get some assistance and do it right. It's the difference between getting overlooked or getting interviewed.
9. Not enough focus on