Resume Writing

Top 10 Resume Blunders

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

By Anne Fisher, Fortune senior writer

You’ve worked hard on your resume, trying to squeeze all your experience in
and make yourself stand out from the crowd, and chances are you’ve done a
pretty good job. But even if your resume isn’t perfect, it’s unlikely to
include any real howlers.

Not everybody can say that. Job site CareerBuilders.com recently asked
pollsters Harris Interactive to survey hiring managers and find out the
wackiest resume items they’ve seen lately. Out of 2,627 responses, here are
the top ten:

A job candidate…

1. … attached a letter from her mother.

2. … used pale blue paper with teddy bears printed around the border.

3. … explained a three-month gap in employment by saying that he was
getting over the death of his cat.

4. … specified that his availability to work Fridays, Saturdays, or
Sundays is limited because the weekends are “drinking time.”

5. … included a picture of herself in a cheerleading uniform.

6. … drew a picture of a car on the outside of the envelope and said the
car would be a gift to the hiring manager.

7. … listed hobbies that included sitting on a levee at night watching
alligators.

8. … mentioned the fact that her sister had once won a strawberry-eating
contest.

9. … stated that he works well in the nude.

10. … explained an arrest record by stating, “We stole a pig, but it was a
really small pig.”

Feel better now?

Boston Globe interviews William Arruda

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

A few posts back we talked about lying on your resume. What happens? MIT dean of admissions resigns for just this thing. Hear what personal branding guru William Arruda has to say.

Discussion: Lying on your resume
(4/30/07 4:20 p.m.) MIT dean of admissions was forced to resign last week after admitting she lied on her resume 28-years-ago. Why did it take so long for MIT to figure it out? William Arruda comes to NECN to talk about it.

By the way, Arruda’s personal branding program Reach is a global leader. Check out our Reach certified branding programs.

And here’s our previous post on resume fibs.

Avoid Resume Analysis Paralysis

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Saw this one in Monster.com.

Time to take action!

Many job seekers get stuck in resume critique mode, bringing their resume from person to person in hopes of getting that magic feedback that will help land them a job. But too much analysis and not enough action can stunt your job search. Get the right kind of guidance so you can move your resume past critique and into potential employers’ hands.
Read more

Free Job Search Help – Download eBooks

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Exciting news! My pals at Career Hub – and myself of course – have a new eBook to help you with your job search, namely expert tips and advice on how to make the most of your next interview.

If you don’t have Career Hub’s earlier eBooks, you’re missing out on similarly great advice about resume writing and job search strategies. Now, for the first time, we’re making all our eBooks available without email sign-up. Simply download the PDFs and start reading! And to stay regularly updated with all the best in career advice, bookmark this site, sign up for our RSS feed, or have the articles sent directly to your email box.

Guide To Interviewing Insider’s Guide to Interviewing

Expert advice on how to succeed in interviews – topics covered include effective interview planning, tips on taking control of the interview situation, advice on closing, and best approaches to salary negotiation.

Click to open in browser or right-click to save to hard drive

Download

Guide to Resume WritingInsider’s Guide to Resume Writing

In this book, our experts tackle all aspects of effective resume writing, including defining your branded value proposition, the value of story-telling, the secret ingredient of context, common resume mistakes, and how you can go beyond the resume in your career marketing.

Click to open in browser or right-click to save to hard drive

Download

Guide to Job Search Insider’s Guide to Job Search

This is the first book in our Insider’s Guide series. From determining career direction, through resume writing to networking and interview skills, each of our experts provides real-world strategies for job search success.

Click to open in browser or right-click to save to hard drive

Download

Enjoy the free stuff! And please let us know how they’ve helped you with your career search. 😀

Liar Liar Pants on Fire: Resume Fibs Increase

Wendy Terwelp 3 Comments

I know, you heard it before, don’t lie on your resume. Now you can hear it from the employer’s point of view — and what they’re doing about resume fibs.

Here’s what Net-Temps In-Focus Recruiter News said:

Resume Fraud Is On the Rise

Former FEMA director Michael Brown is not the only person accused of fudging his resume. In a survey of 414 staffing and recruiting firms conducted by StaffingU, 92% reported a significant increase in fraudulent information being included on resumes and employment applications. That survey echoes what background search firm ADP Screening and Selection Services found in a 2003 study. Their research revealed that more than 50% of the people on whom they performed employment and education checks had submitted false information, an increase of 10% over the previous year.

The incidents of fraud are not limited to one or two groups, but are occurring at all levels, including staff, management, and executive positions. The most common “lie” is degree-related, with applicants claiming credentials they don’t have or misrepresenting the type of degree they earned. In 2002, Bausch & Lomb CEO Ronald Zarrella was found to have falsified his credentials by claiming to hold an MBA from the Stern School of Business, a school he attended without earning a diploma. The same year, Kenneth Lonchar, CFO of Veritas Software, was forced to admit that his highest educational accomplishment was an undergraduate degree from Idaho State University and not the Stanford MBA he listed on his resume.

Read on to find out what recruiters and employers are doing to uncover these fibs.