Tuesday, October 25, 2011

How NOT to Get Hired-Resumania Part II

Working off of Niki's recent blog post about resume tips from PRSSA National Conference, I want to clarify items aspiring professionals may not even realize are hurting their odds of getting hired.

  • Keep it relevant. While it may make your resume longer, don't include jobs you held in high school or some of your first, basic internships. Tailor your experience to the employer that is receiving your resume. Also, leave out hobbies that don't pertain to your profession. These things can be brought up in an interview.
  • Be professional. This may seem obvious, but besides your name and contact information, personal details should not be included. Examples of inappropriate information include race, political affiliation, family information and religious beliefs. On a side note, it depends on the industry but a resume is not the place for a head shot, even though it may seem professional.
  • Salary expectations. Keep this out of your resume unless the employer specifically asks for it, in which you would provide a range. This can be discussed later in the interview process if you are being considered for employment.
  • Don't embellish. State your duties and responsibilities, but do not exaggerate for the sake of trying to impress a potential employer. Avoid dramatic phrases in these descriptions such as, "Implemented a very impressive social media campaign that gained a great deal of praise from supervisors". For that example, include statistics that show off your accomplishment such as, "Increased Twitter followers by 10%".
  • Negative experiences. Your resume is supposed to shed a positive light on your accomplishments. Do not include jobs you were fired from, or if you ended an internship early. The interview can be the place to share that information truthfully, if necessary.
Do you have any advice about what NOT to include on your resume?

No comments: