Do you have misteaks in your resume? Sure, everybody knows that making a blatant spelling error is a surefire way to sabotage your resume. But there are many other, less obvious mistakes job seekers can make in their resumes that can undermine their job prospects - Leadership And Management

Healthcare Financial Management, August, 2003 by J. Larry Tyler

Ironically, the desire to avoid errors often leads individuals to make one of the biggest mistakes of all. Too often, job seekers ask several people for advice about what to include in their resumes and then try to incorporate everyone's suggestions. Rarely, if ever, does "resume development by committee" result in the creation of a first-class resume.

If you really want to develop a resume that stands out in the pack, it is best to seek advice from a single authoritative source. An old adage applies here: A man with one watch always knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure. Hiring executives and executive search consultants are logical choices because they typically are the ones who determine which individuals make the first cut.

Minimizing Missteps

Through my years of experience as an executive search consultant, I have developed my own list of mistakes that job seekers should avoid in preparing their resumes. Here are just a few:

Mistake #1--Failing to delineate between responsibilities and accomplishments. These features should be listed in separate, distinct sections--not intermingled. "Responsibilities" refers to the breadth and depth of your work, whereas "accomplishments" refers to what you did in your work to make a positive difference. Also, be sure to discuss both your responsibilities and accomplishments in quantitative terms. It is not enough to say "significantly reduced costs" or "streamlined operations." Describe your accomplishments in terms of FTEs, percentages, and dollars. Keep a "career file" so that each time you accomplish something significant, you can jot it down and toss it in the file. That way, you won't overlook it months or years later when you update your resume.

Mistake #2-Submitting a functional resume. Functional resumes are a red flag to search consultants. They suggest a spotty employment history or something to hide. Considering that almost without exception, employers and search consultants are seeking candidates who have progressively and successfully assumed increasing job responsibility, there is only one way they want to see information presented--chronologically. Even if you have a stellar track record, avoid the functional resume.

Mistake #3--Improperly formatting start and end dates for multiple jobs with a single employer. All too often, individuals list their start and end dates for multiple jobs with a single employer down the left-hand side of the resume. Dates for each employer, not for each job with an employer, belong there. Dates for each job should be to the right of the job title. Otherwise, for those doing a quick initial screening of resumes, it will look like you are truly a job-hopper.

Mistake #4-Assuming the reviewer is familiar with the organizations you list on your resume. Never assume that those who review your resume will necessarily know anything about your employers. Always include a brief descriptor, such as, "Elkins Memorial Health System, a four-hospital system with 6,000 FTEs and net revenues in excess of $300 million."

Mistake #5-Forgetting to include an e-mail address or listing a "cutesy" e-mail address. Let's face it--e-mail is often our first means of business communication these days. Including an e-mail address on your resume makes good business sense and makes you look computer-literate. If your e-mail address is meant to amuse, though, you probably want to change it. A potential employer may not get the joke.

Mistake #6-Providing too much personal information. Yes, search consultants and potential employers want to know that you have a life outside of the office, but they don't need all the details. It is fine to say you are married with children. It is quite another thing to say (and I did indeed receive a resume with this information) that you are in the process of toilet training your youngest child.

Mistake #7-Allowing careless mistakes. Everyone who writes a resume wants it to be error-free. Nevertheless, I still receive the occasional resume with a typo or grammatical mistake. To prevent this from happening, you should not only proofread your resume several times yourself, but also have it proofread by someone who is known for attention to detail. Just as important, have someone check that the date progression on your resume tracks. All too often, there are unintentional gaps or overlaps in employment dates. Such errors indicate carelessness and can be avoided with a review by a second set of eyes.

Further Ways to Avoid Resume Rejection

If you avoid the aforementioned mistakes, you are off to a good start. That said, here are some additional suggestions:

Keep it short. Try to limit your resume to two or three pages.

Do not list a job objective on the resume. Although many resume consultants advocate listing job objectives, in my opinion these objectives typically are so broad as to be meaningless or so narrow as to eliminate you from consideration from a job you might be interested in and qualified to do. Your job objective is best discussed in your cover letter.