Resume Errors

Oh, and crying babies
When our little boy was young, approximately 12 month old, he was a terrible sleeper. We tried everything and as new parents we were struggling. When sleep for all three of us got to less than 2 hours a night, for quite a few nights in a row we got help. Not being experienced in these areas we were clearly being manipulated by a 12 month old and easily. So off we went to see a sleep specialist, actually a Psychologist working in this area. This was not out first exposure to Psychologists and Social Workers having worked in youth Justice and Child Safety previously. So we went through the normal questions, asked a number of options for each bit of advice. We were getting the usual yes you can do that if you like etc., essentially trying to make it easier for ourselves. Eventually we stopped and just said, lets cut the rubbish, you are the expert tell us what to do. And she did and it worked.

What has this got to do with resumes?

We talk to customers every day about their resumes. It is a customer based environment and we don’t want to put people offside or insult. So we sugar coat and try to be nice. What is going on in our heads is a different story. So want to know what we are really saying when you ask advice. Here it is, straight up, no sugar coating. Don’t do these things in your resume or job application:

– Don’t include date of birth, age, marital status, hobbies or interests
– Don’t listen to just one person (including us) on what your resume should look like
– Don’t mess with our formatting, it is consistent and well presented
– Don’t listen to recruitment agents, their agenda is based on one employer
– Don’t limit your resume to one or two pages unless you have just finished high school
– Don’t rubbish your old boss
– Don’t include a photo unless you are a flight attendant or a famous actor
– Don’t include every single thing you have done from 1972 etc.

When we go to the point with the Psychologist we started to say “but can we…. NO. What about…. NO. What if…. NO.

The same applies to you and your job application. Get help if you need it, but stick to the rules, don’t make these resume errors and you will be successful.

Professional resume writing is here.

Templates with real content is here.

John Matthews