Age Factor

• Why is this job seeker revealing his age? He thought that he had no choice, wanting to show his maturity and long-term career success, and mistaking his 'real age' with his 'resume age'.

• Notice that the date of his degree gives away his age.
  

• Age Factor Depending on income, industry and discipline, age can be a minor or major factor, and it will punish this job seeker immediately. Sales and technical disciplines are especially vulnerable to the age factor. Giving hints to age in the resume can be helpful only to the potential employer — he just made it easier for them to narrow the field and eliminate his candidacy. Most job seekers will choose one of two alternatives: 1.) Remove older jobs and make themselves younger, but trade-off with weakened long-term skill sets; or 2.) Keep the jobs, show their true age but trade off on long-term, proven job skills. Worst is removing all dates! However, there is a third solution, and the best solution! He can still show the depth and breadth of his experience and not allow the age factor to weaken his resume. He can make himself "younger" in the resume and prevent any employer or recruiter from disqualifying him.

Unemployment

• This job seeker is between jobs. Honesty is always the best policy which we subscribe to, but it has nothing to do with honesty.

• Notice that he presently is unemployed.
  

• Unemployed In this employment climate, he’s not alone if he is unemployed, and nothing to be ashamed of. However, the appearance of being out of work serves as a weakness: "There must be something wrong with you." And, of course, this is a false and common assumption. The popular approach of stating in a resume why you are not working puts you on the defense and apologizes for this dilemma. "The company downsized or relocated," "cared for ailing parents," "company went out of business," or "recruited by another employer" will cast consternation. This, too, is a replacement weakness. Whether you have been out of work for a few days or more than a year, there are approaches that eliminate the unemployed appearance with no offsetting defect.

Weak or incorrect titles

• Are his titles weak, incorrect or conveying the wrong message? This is blatantly unfair and victimizes the unwitting job seeker.

• In this job seeker's most recent position, his job description 'district territory' and 'manage other 'Accounts Representatives' — clearly under-selling his role as an 'Account Representative' are out-of-sync with his objective statement.
  

• Why should a job seeker reduce his or her marketability because of an incorrect or weak title, or a title that sends the wrong message? Weak or incorrect titles— and less common, titles that are sending the wrong message — assigned by employers wreak havoc on employees. Ask yourself: "Why should a job seeker reduce his or her employability because of an incorrect title given by the employer? Is this fair?" This very common resume aberration affects at least 40% of job seekers, according to our extensive survey. And no, permission from employers is not required, nor is there a concern with reference checks. This solution has salvaged many careers and it has worked flawlessly for hundreds of thousands of job seekers.

10-year rule

• Why did this job seeker go back less than 15 years when previous experience would bolster his resume? Knowing his graduation date, he excluded approximately 14 years — a background that 'rounds out' his skills sets.

• Although his previous experience is not the type of work he wants to continue, it could be important for an employer or recruiter knows that he understands the discipline or environment. He also considered the experience irrelevant when, in fact, it showed tangential abilities that most employers desire, but he was unaware of this.
  

• 10 Year Rule Or is it 5 years or 15 years? Don’t go back more than 3 jobs is another rule. Confusing? These "myth-conceptions" are promulgated by employers and recruiters who want to make their jobs easier and remove a job seeker's candidacy. Age factor and resume length notwithstanding, most or all experience should be included. Why diminish marketability by excluding relevant, useful and valuable experience?

Quantification

• Are there any numbers in his resume? Numbers give credibility and validate the resume. Although it's not always possible to show, some self-reflective, free-associated thinking can reveal some interesting facts. This job seeker should try it and he will probably be surprised. If some guesswork is required, do not exaggerate; magnitude is the operative word.

• Throughout this job seeker's resume, there are no numbers, either relating to the scope of his environment or level of achievements. It leaves the employer or recruiter guessing and they will usually guess wrong.
  

• Quantification and measurability Always try to quantify the scope of the environment or the measurable level of achievements or accomplishments, in combination with percentages, if possible. Conversely, if the numbers are small, use percentages only to illustrate successes. Use all digits to show magnitude whenever possible because they will be more noticeable. For instance, instead of three hundred thousand dollars, use $300,000. Alternatively, $3M and $3 Million are also acceptable. Strive to show numbers even when it's extremely difficult because the reader will relate to and identify with the job seeker more. Achieved "President's Club" is only half the message, though it sounds impressive. Better is somehow showing how many were eligible, if possible. For instance, "Received Achievement Award for Outstanding Performance (1 of 3 out of 350 employees)" Now the reader can get his or her "arms around" the level of outstanding accomplishments.

Resume language

• Notice that his last 3 positions begin with 'Responsible for' — weak and unexciting. Grammatical structure is low, especially as it relates to his career station.

• Employers and recruiters do not expect superlative writing skills from a non-communications jobs seeker, but when a resume delivers a powerful message, it sets the job seeker apart from other candidates.
  

• Language This job seeker’s language is bland, grammar is weak and it appears to be sending the wrong message. Resume language is engaging, persuasive and compelling with a cohesive message, different from the narrative, journalistic or explanatory approach. Repeating words can also downgrade his resume. Central to presentation, try using words that bring life to the resume. Instead of the standard action terms that most resumes use, insert other interesting words, such as catalyzed, parlayed or monetized. Different, yes, but it conveys a more powerful presence.

Typos

• Did you find it? Typos are human-error issues and none of us escape.

• Take a close look at 'Steel Imports, Inc.' and you will notice that his title is 'Customer Service Manger'. Recruiters and employers relate to these oversights as an indication of the type of work the job seeker does. Unfortunate and unfair.
  

• Typographical errors Inexcusable with the advent of spell check, but it lives on. Human error creeps in and our eyes play tricks on us. We have found errors on billboards, TV ads, expensive marketing brochures, and, yes, even the dictionary where an 'i' was masquerading as a '1'. Some are almost invisible, such as Power Point or PowerPoint (both misspelled; should be PowerPoint); PC's should be PCs (many people confuse plural with possessive); or Manger for Manager (both are words that escape spell check detection). What is the difference between principal and principle, capital and capitol, or compliment and complement? These human errors can aggregate and disqualify the job seeker. Reliance on spell check helps but people mistake it as the perfect tool. It's close, but it will accept the incorrect word out of context even if the word is correctly spelled.

Theme

• What is the theme of this job seeker's resume? Does he want sales management where it appears that he does not qualify? His background is steel but he's applying for non-steel positions — a typecasting halo where his transferable sales talents will be nullified. All his positions collectively do not support his stated objective.

• This job seeker is well suited for a sales management position but it's unclear. Unfortunately, his other defects interfere with the cohesive theme of his resume, which all can be corrected.

• Theme Thematic and cohesive flow of a resume is the most critical factor for employment candidacy traction, and without it — no matter how good a job seeker is — (s)he will be disqualified! A resume, a marketing piece promoting a unique matrix of talents, must have continuity, tell a compelling, persuasive and interesting story, and it must sing — and sing the right tune. Most resumes are "contaminated" by career path aberrations — common issues that can be corrected. The theme can be complex and / or multidisciplined that is understandable, relatable and inviting. The career progression, coupled with an 'interesting story with a plot' — a unique combination of marketing and story-telling, catapults a resume above all others.

Contact information

• Reachability Did he forget to include his email address? Is the listed number a home or cell number?

• Most employers and recruiters require immediate communication and without it, they move on to the next candidate.

• Be reachable This is the most basic area of a resume but some people believe it's the least important part of the resume. Make sure that an email address is at the top of the resume with all telephone numbers, including a cell number, if you have one. Voice mail, with frequent checking, is needed, especially if a job seeker cannot answer a call. Most frustrating is a no-answer or a busy signal. In this technology age, these issues belong in the typewriter heap.

Education section of resumes

• 3 errors are noticed in the education section. As a marketing piece, this job seeker's approach affects his marketability.

• Because his work experience is more important at this stage in his career, his work experience should be placed before his education.
• 'Dean's List' is not preferred if a 'major' GPA is 3.5 or above.
• The major is unrelated to his present career path and should not be included.

• Education first A job seeker who has hands-on experience, if it's consistent with a career path, should always place employment before the education section. A resume, which is a marketing piece, should have the most important information first. Those job seekers, who were told, usually when they graduated, that education should be first, were correct. However, that rule changes when career experience is gained but job seekers only remember that the education should be first but don't realize why.
• Major GPA It can be argued that an old GPA should not be included in the resume. However, if a job seeker excelled, normally in the 3.5 GPA range, intellectual level and academic achievement will shine, and it's timeless. Also, most people fail to calculate their major GPA, believing that the overall GPA is the rule. Most overall GPAs are dragged down by unrelated courses. If a major GPA is in the 3.5 benchmark range, include it. It was earned and it will always be impressive. After all, it only uses 7-12 characters.
• School Major There is no resume rule that states a major should be included. If the major is unrelated to a career path, just include the degree. In fact, if a major GPA is high, the major, not the major GPA, can be excluded. The emphasis here is to express intellectual level and academic perseverance, which is always impressive, not necessarily the major coursework that was studied.

Resume grammar

• Tense, person and voice Proper grammatical structure is paramount.

• In this job seeker's most recent position, he starts his job description with 'Develops' — an incorrect grammatical resume approach.
• In his oldest position, 'Other duties include' is also incorrect.

• Tense, Person & Voice Grammatical terms that are critical, and it will gravely affect candidacy. Even communication experts and professional writers succumb to these human-error issues. Using present tense for a previous position, writing in third person (i.e., "possesses" instead of the correct "possess"), or composing in a passive voice will weaken a resume. Using the wrong word can also be lethal: Should you use complement or compliment? What is the difference between principle and principal? All common oversights that renders a resume from further consideration. Effective resume writing is stylistic — it's persuasive and compelling but different from other types of narrative writing, journalistic composition or copywriting. Although a writing style may not be a strong suit of the job seeker, the resume — a unique type of marketing piece — should be flawless in this area.

Resume formats

• The format chosen is inconsistent with his professional level. Formatting is an integral part of presentation and it must fit the job seeker.

• At this job seeker's level, other designs, formats and presentations are available.

• Format This job seeker’s format is popular for lower-level job seekers, and he is now a professional. There are alternative presentations that can bring life to a resume, make it interesting to read and improve his candidacy dramatically. He can also use stylized bullets, spot bolding, symbols and possibly a sprinkle of color. Why colored ads (a resume is a type of ad, an ad selling him) always outsell black and white? Also, beware of resume templates, like the choices from Microsoft. Although some of them have value and have appeal, a background and presentation may not fit these cookie-cutter formats. It's risky and mainstream.

Resume objective

• Objective Nothing of value is stated here — basically a non-statement.

• At this job seeker's level, he is using an opening statement that is incongruous with his position and career level.

• Objective The objective is sophomoric and usually states nothing of value. Although used primarily by entry-level job seekers, there are more effective and much more substantive approaches that convey who the job seeker is, where (s)he’s going (the objective is embedded) and what (s)he can do. This primary piece inserted at the beginning of his resume sets the tone for the reader and initiates the all important theme, persuasively and compellingly.

Employment gaps

• 2 employment gaps are in the resume. Why allow any weakness be questioned when it's easily resolved?

• Usage of months is unnecessary and only serves the purpose of spotting gaps.

• Employment Gaps The bane of many job seekers. Elimination of months usually does the trick, but not always. Employment gaps that bridge two years can be difficult to resolve. However, there are several proven solutions depending on certain variables that need to be examined. Yes, sometimes contiguous jobs can be combined but caution is in order. This technique will resolve the gap issue and even improve the theme of the resume.
• Use of Months Usage of months is usually unnecessary and it only wastes valuable resume real estate.

Only telling part of the story

• This job seeker failed 4 times to convey his achievements effectively. He's undermined his own resume without realizing one of the most important areas in resume presentation.

• In his most recent position, he states: 'Increased sales and exceeded quotas.' Was it 1% or 25+% — a very big difference indeed.
• In the next line '...that led to new sales' is vague and uninspiring.
• In his previous position, the same mistake occurs. Was he #2 out of 2 or 200? The difference would be significant.
• Again, in the next line, the award tells the employer or recruiter absolutely nothing.

• Telling only part of the story Common, and unfortunate, job seekers will only tell part of an achievement, leaving the employer or recruiter guessing. For instance: "Received the AAA Sales Award." The employer or recruiter will either assume that everyone received the award, or that only 2 or 3 employees were eligible, nullifying any positive effect. Better, with much more impact, would be: "#1 in sales out of 25" or a similar quantifiable statement. Achievements are relative and should be, in most cases, related to some type of numerical reference. Alternatively, if in fact there were only a few peers, then "#1 in sales" is better. This approach offers credibility and it validates a resume. Notice, too, that the name of the award was not included because the reader of the resume would not relate to the name of the award — another common error of job seekers and, in effect, wastes valuable resume real estate.
• Achievements can be expressed in any discipline whether it's in quality, customer relations, finance, administration, support, operations or any other area. It will require more insight and thought. Remember, if a job seeker knows that (s)he performed well, there is a way to express it, and make it stand out! Recognition and awards are not a perquisite to state how well a person has excelled.

Resume length

• This 1-page resume is too short to fit a long-term career. This job seeker excluded valuable information that would have increased his employability.

• 1-page resumes are popular for entry-level, younger and career-changing job seekers.

• Resume Length Why reduce marketability because of the 1-page myth? 2 pages is common and acceptable; 3 pages is also acceptable but common for job seekers who have extensive and / or complex backgrounds. Consider the converse point of view: If they read the first page, they will read the second page; if they don't read the first page, they will never read the extra page(s). To complicate this, it's also as difficult to know what to include as it to know what to exclude.

Resume pronouns

• There are 4 pronouns in this job seeker's resume. Notice his objective with 3 pronouns and 1 pronoun in the first position.

• Most employers and recruiters would wonder why a professional was unaware of this 'rule'.

• Pronouns 'My', 'I', 'myself', 'they', 'their', 'we' and other pronouns should be excluded from a resume. Resume presentation is stylistic, written in 'first person' with an understood 'I'. Third person approaches, which enjoyed some acceptance many years ago, are now taboo.

Position titles

• What's more important? Title or the name of the employer? This job seeker bolded his employers and placed it before his titles.

• The titles are much more important than the employer names.

• Title vs. Employer In a resume, the mission is to convey experience, talents, achievements and functional duties — paramount in marketing effectively. However, often overlooked, job seekers will emphasize the employers by capitalizing, bolding, underlining, or italicizing the name of the employer, and placing it before the title. Employer name recognition is secondary, or tangential, to a title. Similarly, in the educational section of his resume, degree(s) and other credentials are always more important than the name of the institution.

Resume inconsistencies

• In the city and state parts of his resume, he presented the information 3 different ways. Inattentive, possibly overlooked but incorrect.

• Zip codes should not be included and the 2 letter nomenclature for Massachusetts is incorrect.

• Inconsistencies The tedious part of developing a resume. Whatever style is chosen, make sure it's consistent throughout.

Resume typecasting

• This job seeker's resume screams 'steel' — a halo that will pigeon-hole him. This unfair disadvantage will defeat any attempt to enter a different industry.

• If this job seeker believes that employers and recruiters will recognize his transportable experience, he will be disappointed.

• Typecast If a resume, in its present form, screams industry-specific experience, employers and recruiters assume that skills and abilities are non-transportable and non-transferable. If a job seeker is exploring opportunities outside his or her industry, (s)he has unwittingly caused a major defect. Talents ARE useful but employers and recruiters will eliminate candidacy because it's easier to disqualify than to qualify candidates. Remember that resumes go through a "disqualification process" because it's more efficient and simpler. To combat this mind set, a resume can be "sanitized" or "inoculated" where industry-specific knowledge would be scrubbed away, leaving intact a track record of success and demonstrated talents. A resume assessment can help "un-typecast" a resume and vaccinate a job seeker against these disqualifies.

Get your own professional resume assessment, at no charge, and benefit from the same kind of professional critique in resume challenge #1 and #2. You can see how this kind of information is invaluable to your resume's improvement.