Resume Basics

Mel Rappleyea, SPHR,CSP

Mark was exasperated when he called me . “This doesn’t make sense” he shouted "I have had my resume out on the job boards for months and not one phone call or email” . We talked more and he became even more upset. “I am a great Corporate Counsel, I graduated from Duke. This makes no sense that no one is interested in hiring me”. I asked him to email his resume over so I could look at it. He did and as I looked over the resume I was puzzled. It was fantastic. In the legal world he was a rock star. Then I went painfully line by line through it. Found the issue.

I called Mark and said “Hey, great resume . Mark what are the last four digits of your phone number and what is your email address?” He states the phone was 2341 and the email was his name at Yahoo.com. I told him I found his issue. “Mark who did this resume for you?” He said he paid a service $400 to write his resume. I said “Get on the phone and get your money back because the phone number is 2391 on the resume not 2341 and the email is mostly right but instead of yahoo.com its yahoo.con . they mistyped the com and saw the 4 as a 9. Simple mistake and honestly looking at his resume it seems simple but easy to miss. Mark had looked at so many versions of his resume he missed it entirely. Its kind of like having a picture hang in your house for years and a stranger points out a scratch on the glass that you never noticed.  

Mark immediately made the change to his resume and re posted it to headhunters and job boards. Within a week he was getting contacted for interviews. Mark told me “Mel, I feel so stupid. I make well into six figures and I missed something as simple as that” I told him what I am going to tell you now in this article along with other simple but costly resume and interview mistakes.

1)     Always have at least four people check your resume. Give them the address, phone and correct email.

2)     Applicant tracking systems will try to send questionnaires and follow up robo emails to gather more info. If you have an issue with a wrong email ( I should be L , .com is .con or org, upper and lower case issues, a space between the @ sign and the name (ATS cannot read that) ) you wont get the email.

3)     Don’t get cute and use extra-long emails like Sarsaparillagorilla15678tophat1234@ (too many chances for error )

4)     Don’t get unprofessional and use heather69@ or Ou812@ .You look like a fool using these. Its you’re calling card . This isn’t Facebook.

5)     Put your current address down. If you are applying for a job in Dallas and you moved to Dallas then change your Portland, Maine address on your resume. Most if not all headhunters and recruiters wont give you a sniff because SHOCKER companies are not paying relo like they did in the Eighties and Nineties unless you are Tech or Executive or Professional. I am telling you it makes you look lazy when the recruiter calls and asks if you are moving and you say I am already in that city.

6)     Check spelling. I had a $250k a year CFO send me his resume saying he graduated from the University of Alabema . Really.

7)     Empty your Voice Mail. Nothing is more annoying that to try to call someone to schedule an interview and you hear “ The person you have called has not set up their Voice Mail”. Translation: Lazy. Or “ The mail box is full”. Translation: disorganized. I am telling you, recruiters don’t have time to play tag.

8)     Leave your name on your voice mail. What, are you in witness protection? Its annoying and some recruiters won’t leave a message it they are not 100% sure it’s your email.

9)     Put the dog or cat out or go into a room that is quite when talking to a recruiter. Trying to talk to someone about a job with a beagle barking is excruciating. Having Miss Purrs the cat constantly on your shoulder meowing while I discuss a job with you is unprofessional.

10)  Take out the damn Bluetooth, Darth. A recruiter constantly repeating a question because your earpiece is going in and out like a Wendy’s drive thru is awful.

11)  Don’t eat or drink or smoke when talking to a recruiter. Hearing you blow smoke is not professional.

12)  Put the baby down and leave the room the kids are in to talk on the phone with a recruiter.

13)  TURN THE TV OFF when a recruiter calls. Its basic etiquette.

14)  Keep a list of the companies and titles of the jobs you have applied for. Nothing says you are “shot gunning” out resumes randomly, like not knowing what you applied for.

15)  Do research on the companies you apply for. Its awkward to talk to a candidate that literally has no idea what your company does.

16)  Put the resume in basic WORD format. Most Applicant Tracking systems have problems with other formats

17)  Don’t call and check on the “Status” of your resume. You will get the answer of either its under consideration, its under review or we have no interest at this time. Believe me if a company is interested in you, they will let you know. Don’t put the recruiter on the spot.

18)  If you are not being considered for the job then don’t debate the recruiter. The recruiter will put a note about this in your perm file and if another job becomes available, they will probably pass on you.

19)  Never ask “What job do you think I am qualified for?” What am I your guidance counselor?

20)  Never say to a recruiter “well can I talk to someone above you or a decision maker” I am sure that recruiter will be most pleased you want to disrespect them and leap frog to “someone important”. In my past job, the CEO had a headhunter and an applicant go around my recruiters and contact him personally which he was not to fond of. He told me the names of the headhunter and the applicant. In all honesty we never used that headhunter after that and the applicant received a letter from one of my recruiters saying their resume will be kept on file. Follow the chain of command. Don’t get cute and start calling Board members and CEO’s. Its like borderline stalking and I am telling you honestly, most CEO’s I know do respond well to that tactic.

21)  Don’t put fancy fonts and art in your resume. ATS Applicant Tracking systems don’t scan those well and your resume will encrypt and look like gibberish. Your resume then will go into an unreadable file and you will scratch your head as to why no one calls.

22)  Mel’s $50,000 tip of the day..Snail mail your resume. No one mails resumes anymore. That means the recruiter will have to open it and scan it, the average time a recruiter gives your resume is about 20 seconds. Unless they use Taleo or another ATS to rank the resumes in which case a human may never see your resume because the keywords in the resume were not picked up. A mailed resume buys you another 40 seconds.

23)  I hate cover letters and most recruiters don’t read them. If you do write one, keep it simple.

24)  Send a thank you after the interview.Even if it was a phone interview or Skype. It will keep your name in the recruiter’s head.