Ah ha! So you’re curious to see what mistakes people are making on their resumes? Well, as a firm that reviews hundreds of applications per month, we are absolute experts on how to never get a job in the MSP world.
Let’s take a closer look…
An average job post will receive between 100 to 250 responses right off the bat. In fact, one we posted recently received 70 applicants within just a few hours. Putting yourself in the shoes of the recruiter or the hiring manager, are you really going to read every word of each of those resumes? Nope. In fact we tell clients who consult with us on their internal hiring process that they should take between 12 and 34 seconds to review each resume. Sorting through dozens of resumes and extracting only top candidates is a grueling process and one that helps us as a company, be successful. Employers hate reading resumes so much that they come to MSP Hire for us to take on this hideous task.
I am not saying this to be controversial or cruel, in fact it’s just the opposite! I’m trying to help you. Here is what you should consider before submitting your next resume to the next opportunity…
Is EVERYTHING on your resume applicable to the job descriptions and qualifications listed? Is there anything that is NOT useful? Get rid of the fluff and unnecessary details. I know, this means that you may have to tailor your resume a little for each position you apply for. Strange concept as many applicants like to have one resume to rule them all and spam job posts with it. This is exactly what you want to do if you want to be one of the 98% of the applicants who never get called back for an interview.
We will have more resume/interview hacking tips next week, so check back, but this week let’s focus on some details that you do not want to include in your resume…
• Objective Statement – Waste of space and no one will read it.
• Full Mailing Address – Again…waste of space. Just include something to allow the employer know you live in the area in which they are recruiting.
• Outdated or irrelevant social media profiles – again, waste of space and a waste of time for hiring managers or recruiters.
• Personal details – information such as marital status, nationality, spiritual beliefs, etc…should 100% be removed as employers legally cannot consider these when placing a candidate.
• Buzzwords and fancy stuff– keep the language relevant to the position you are applying for. Trust me, we will be scanning resumes for “keywords”. If you inundate us with extravagancies, then your ornate articulations will be inversely proportional to our interest in conversing with you. See what I just did there 😉
• Elaborate formats and embedded images – come on…do not make us hunt for the information we are looking for…because we will not.
• Too much past information – waste of space, and seriously…when’s the last time an employer asked you to present your high school diploma or ask about your greatest achievement in grade school.
• References – too early in the game for this. If we need or want them, we will ask.
To summarize – keep it short and relevant. Less is more!
Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. Tune in next week for more resume tips and tricks!