Really? You Put That On Your Resume?
If you are anything like me, you have read hundreds of articles and have watched many segments on ways to improve your chances for employment or resume mistakes to avoid.
This is probably the first blog you will read that cites common mistakes made by minority applicants.
To compile this list of faux pas, I enlisted the assistance of two experts. Both are seasoned and highly-respected Human Resource professionals. Together, they have more than 20 years of experience. Nope, these ladies are not recruiting novices.
Recruiter 1 handles human resources and recruiting for one OF the leading cable companies and works in the Chicago land area.
Recruiter 2 works in our backyard here in Appleton, Wisconsin and has worked in a number of different industries including factories and foundries.
Both have provided a list of the most common mistakes that minority applicants make. These include:
Crazy email addresses-Recruiter 1 recently interviewed a guy whose email address was listed as bootyman. Please do yourself a favor. Create a professional email address. Bootyman does separate you from the pack, but not in a good way.
Listing personal, non-business related organizations-It’s fantastic that you are a member of the church choir and are regularly-featured soloist. However, unless you are applying for spot on America’s Got Talent, this information is not helpful. Spotlight professional industry-specific organizations in which you are involved. For example, if you are a truck driver, your National Safety Council membership could help you stand out in a crowd of others applying for the same job.
Providing personal information like divorced mother of 3-There is no reason to provide this level of detail. In fact, employers are not even allowed to ask you if you are married and have kids. Leave these kinds of details for water cooler chat after you have gotten the job.
Omitting relevant information such as the telephone number where you can be reached. Recruiters have literally hundreds of resumes to consider. If they come across yours, but cannot quickly determine how to make contact, your resume gets filed in the oval filing cabinet otherwise known as the trash can.
Not leveraging volunteer experience-Recruiter 2 reminds us that volunteer work experience qualifies as work. The fact that you are a regular volunteer chaperone on your son’s kindergarten field trips would make you a great candidate for that job at the day care. Ask the teachers or any high-level contact where you volunteer to provide you with a strong letter or recommendation. They will gladly do so for a job well done.
Trying to be slick about convictions-Recruiter 2 says to just answer the question honesty and don’t say “will discuss in interview”. A conviction does not necessarily mean that you will not be considered and ultimately hired for the job.
Not listing skills-Sit down and take a self-inventory of everything you have done and know how to do. Identify those skills that will help you to be successful in the position you are applying for and highlight and quantify them as much as possible. Using our truck driver example again, do not write, “Experienced truck driver”. Write something like, “20-years of truck driving experience with over 100,000 miles of timely and accident-free driving experience.” Remember, dollars and numbers always look good.
Spelling mistakes-Check and double check your spelling. One great way to proofread is by reading text left to right instead of right to left. This takes the words out of context and allows your eyes to put more emphasis on the individual words. This significantly increases your ability to identify spelling errors. Always spell check the resume after you have typed or updated it.
So, there you have it. Great ideas that can help you to improve your chances of getting the job.
With any luck, Bootyman follows the blog and is now creating a job-winning email address.
Do me a favor and share this particular blog with the people you know. After all, when you know better, you do better.
blackvoicesofoshkosh 