Resume Mistakes & Fixes – part 1

Did you know that a 10% response rate is the average when applying to a posting? So when you apply to 10 positions you can expect one interview out of that bunch. That can be discouraging. You may think “Is my resume ineffective? What am I doing wrong?” I’ve talked to literally thousands of people looking for help with their resumes who begin the conversation that way.

We’re here to help you structure your documents so that you’ll get more attention, cut through the competition, schedule more interviews and land the kind of position you would love to have. We’re going to give you a better understanding of how screeners (hiring managers and recruiters) are reviewing your background relevant to their needs. We’ll also give you guidelines to set up your resume to get through applicant tracking systems and avoid landing in the reject pile.

A professionally produced resume will give you a much higher return rate for response to your resume than the numbers quoted above. The resumes I write very consistently generate a 20-50% response rate on applications. As a career counselor for over 20 years with a Master’s degree in career counseling, and with the designation of certified professional resume writer, I can help improve your job search results.

For today let’s dive into what you can do right now to minimize mistakes and build specific strategies for your resume. We’ll start with some of the big mistakes we see too many times.

BLURRY FOCUS

If a recruiter can’t determine what you’re aiming for in 5 to 10 seconds you’re communicating a blurry focus.

If your application makes it through the application tracking system (more on that in a bit) and you’re lucky enough to have it viewed by human eyes, you get only 5 to 7 seconds to capture their interest. In all the years owning and running my business I’ve hired a number of employees and even for a small position I’ve received over a hundred applicants. Getting someone in the door to fill the existing need is the priority. Hiring managers are not kicking back with a cup of tea saying “Oh gosh, this person’s background is so interesting! It looks like maybe they could offer this or that.” Instead they’re just whipping through those resumes trying to find enough clues that a candidate would be worth interviewing. So if your resume is not communicating quickly – in those 5 to 7 seconds! – what you have to offer toward a specific opening, the odds are you will be tossed into the reject pile.

Many clients ask us to help them represent their broad and varied background. This kind of general resume is not effective. Being a Jack of All Trades can be confusing and off-putting. A targeted resume, one that positions you as a qualified candidate, is the goal.

THE FIX:  An effective fix around a fuzzy focus is to run your resume content through the filter of the position requirements and prioritize what you include and highlight. Look at the job posting to determine what are the most important requirements for that position. Make sure you are as objective as possible. You may see parts of the job description that are more interesting to you, but see what they’re listing first and then go through the content of your work history. I call this your Career Closet. Which pieces of your background are most relevant to the requirements they’re stating? Highlight and prioritize these items in your resume. Clarify that fuzzy focus!

ATS BLOCKERS

ATS stands for application tracking system, a system that employers can implement to help them process resumes they receive to determine who makes sense for them to interview.

I have had many heated conversations with job seekers frustrated by application tracking systems, but from an employer’s standpoint they make sense. Imagine a human person going through hundreds of resumes looking for content that is relevant. How long would that take? And how focused can that individual remain for hours (days!) on end?

An employer can program an applicant tracking system to look for keywords and phrases to pull out resumes that provide the best match for them.

THE FIX:  A number of stumbling blocks can hold you back from getting through an application tracking system.

• PDF FORMAT. Often people like to save their resume in PDF because it “freezes” the format and looks better when submitted. Applicant tracking systems have a difficult time processing content as a PDF. I’ve converted PDFs to Microsoft Word files hundreds of times and have seen the funky things that happen to the content when trying to convert. Submit your resume as a Microsoft Word document to avoid this blocker.
• FANCY FONTS. Stick with mainstream fonts that convert on all platforms. Cambria, Calibri, Verdana and Times are a few that look professional, attractive, and work across the board. You can also do a quick search on ATS-friendly fonts.
• GRAPHICS AND TABLES. Anything with columns can kick you out of the system. You can get away with presenting information in an organized fashion without using a table. Clean, simple design is the key.
• CONTENT IN HEADER OR FOOTER. Sometimes an application tracking system can’t read a header or footer, so avoid any important information beyond your contact info in the header or footer.

INVENTORY VS. CURATED COLLECTION

More is not necessarily better. Listing everything you can think of about your history (doing an inventory) hoping there will be something in there a screener will get excited about comes across as hodgepodge, and is inelegant and ineffective.

Think about this:  most people hate reading history. I heard this comment in a resume skill-building webinar and it’s true. Most people hate reading history! Yes, some people love it but imagine the reader’s experience. Making them dig through your career inventory, with time so limited…  5 to 7 seconds, remember?

THE FIX:  What do you want to prioritize? What do you want to make easy for them to find? Ask yourself what are the 10 most relevant aspects of your background for this opportunity? Look through your Career Closet. Put your list of 10 through the filter of accomplishments, job responsibilities, training that you’ve completed; all that are in line with what you’re targeting.

Next time we’ll reveal two more huge mistakes you need to know about and how to fix them.