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.

Brand Matters: Lessons from Home Depot

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Creating an employer brand… Branding is not just about image, but about authenticity. Check out this article by ERE.net’s Sheila Hibbard:

Who knew? Management lessons from Home Depot

Thursday, April 19, 2007 | by Sheila Hibbard

I recently finished reading a few of almost 600 pages of postings on MSN’s message board concerning an article by Scott Burns, entitled Is Home Depot Shafting Shoppers?

In a very short period, this article received confirmation that indeed Home Depot was shafting its customers, at least that’s what over 5,000 authors believed when I last looked. MSN Money reports an additional 10,000 emails.

What a corporate nightmare! First, the company suffers from the obvious public relations blowout by having the negatives of the store being flaunted so publicly.

Second, Home Depot employees used this public forum to outline how company policies have not only burned their customers, but also their employees.

Third, the current and relatively new CEO, Frank Blake, publicly apologized to customers and employees, pleading for “a chance” and says “the company is taking steps.” They’re going to be hiring 15,000 new employees to address these problems.

Hmmm. I’d say it’s a pretty bad day in Atlanta.

Read on!

Great Places to Work: The List

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Want a nice place to work? Check out this information from Fast Company:

The Center for Companies that Care, a not-for-profit organization, strives to make businesses more conscious of the human toll of their decisions and recognizes companies that have put in the extra effort for their employees. Marci Koblenz, the Center’s co-founder and president, says, “There were a few things that emerged as very clear differences among companies. Some employers were concerned about the well being of their employees and it permeated everything they did.”

The Ten Characteristics of a Caring Company:

1. Sustains a work environment founded on dignity and respect for all employees 2. Makes employees feel their jobs are important 3. Cultivates the full potential of all employees 4. Encourages individual pursuit of work/life balance 5. Enables the well-being of individuals and their families through compensation, benefits, policies and practices 6. Develops great leaders, at all levels, who excel at managing people as well as results 7. Appreciates and recognize the contributions of people who work there 8. Establishes and communicate standards for ethical behavior and integrity 9. Gets involved in community endeavors and/or public policy 10. Considers the human toll when making business decisions

Read the article for the list of 35 companies on the 2007 Center for Companies that Care Honor Roll:

http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2007/03/companies-that-care.html

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.
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