After checking out a resume that a coworker sent me to chuckle over that had a smushed bug attached to it, I realized that it's been a long time since I offered up a nugget of resume wisdom. Let's discuss words of embellishment today.
Be prepared to back up your resume claims with actual data. Better yet, put that data in your resume. Example in the resume we saw today: "Dramatically improved customer relation ratings". Really? Says you? By how much? Measured how? According to who? Dramatically? I think that you're fibbing more dramatically than the improvement of your customer relations.
In addition to being able to back up this bold claim, just go ahead and avoid words like "Dramatically", "Drastically" and all other over the top embellishments. How to fix this? Make it true. "Improved Customer Relation Ratings by 13% from 2011 to 2012 according to Customer Satisfaction Surveys issued in January 2011 and January 2012."
I understand that it is possible that you improved customer relations without having solid data like this to back up your claim. In that case, again, keep the embellishments out, and list a specific way that you accomplished this. "Improved Customer Relation Ratings from 2011 to 2012 by securing funding for the Customer Service Team to attend a course in Customer Service Best Practices in January 2011."
If you are unable to provide specific data and/or a specific example, then guess what? You are embellishing, (i.e. lying) and should not have it in your resume.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Welcome!
I am not sure about exactly how I want this blog to develop and what my final goals are, but this is what I do know.
I am a Middle Manager in the Field of Accounting and I have read thousands of resumes in the past seven years following my first promotion into Management. I have interviewed hundreds of candidates. I have hired dozens and have unfortunately fired a handful.
My jaw used to drop in shock over the blatant errors that I found in resumes. Usually now I just laugh. For the past year, I have taken the best of the worst and used snippets to educate and entertain my friends on Facebook. At this time, I'm finding so many unbelievably bad and shocking errors through the resume, contact, interview and follow up process that I wanted to take this to another level.
I want to entertain you with what I find in real every day resumes. That is a fact. However, my ultimate goal is to educate you. I want you to be employed gainfully every day of your life. I am the Middle Manager that stands between you and the door, so please allow me to help you get your foot in. There is absolutely no excuse for spelling, printing or grammatical errors in your cover letter, resume and continuing communication with a potential employer. None. Did you hear me? I said NONE.
Parents continually whine, "My son graduated with a Degree in Accounting last year and can't find a job so he's working as a janitor to pay the bills since the economy is so bad." I am here to tell you that there IS a job for your son. Your son has one of three problems (or all three in some cases). He is lazy, he is dellusional and/or he is stupid. This is a fact and if you send me his resume and allow me to interview him, I can prove it.
All that being said, let's go! I have so much to share with and teach you. I have every intention of making this blog pretty and updating it frequently, but that will have to wait because lunch is over and I have to get back to reading your resumes!
I am a Middle Manager in the Field of Accounting and I have read thousands of resumes in the past seven years following my first promotion into Management. I have interviewed hundreds of candidates. I have hired dozens and have unfortunately fired a handful.
My jaw used to drop in shock over the blatant errors that I found in resumes. Usually now I just laugh. For the past year, I have taken the best of the worst and used snippets to educate and entertain my friends on Facebook. At this time, I'm finding so many unbelievably bad and shocking errors through the resume, contact, interview and follow up process that I wanted to take this to another level.
I want to entertain you with what I find in real every day resumes. That is a fact. However, my ultimate goal is to educate you. I want you to be employed gainfully every day of your life. I am the Middle Manager that stands between you and the door, so please allow me to help you get your foot in. There is absolutely no excuse for spelling, printing or grammatical errors in your cover letter, resume and continuing communication with a potential employer. None. Did you hear me? I said NONE.
Parents continually whine, "My son graduated with a Degree in Accounting last year and can't find a job so he's working as a janitor to pay the bills since the economy is so bad." I am here to tell you that there IS a job for your son. Your son has one of three problems (or all three in some cases). He is lazy, he is dellusional and/or he is stupid. This is a fact and if you send me his resume and allow me to interview him, I can prove it.
All that being said, let's go! I have so much to share with and teach you. I have every intention of making this blog pretty and updating it frequently, but that will have to wait because lunch is over and I have to get back to reading your resumes!
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