Resume Tips and Career Advice

If you're in the market for a job the last thing you want to do is go around aggravating or annoying some of the most valuable people in any job seeker's network: recruiters. So what bothers them the most? This article sums up some of the most common pet peeves of recruiters when it comes to dealing with job candidates:

• People who are too immature to realize they have faults and weaknesses.
• Having no idea what job they've applied for because they aren't really paying attention
• Mass producing resumes and applying for anything and everything without tailoring for specific opportunities
• "Lazy introductions" like unsolicited and informal emails that say something boring like "I'm looking for a job, please see attached resume."
• Generic cover-letters that fail to connect what's in the resume to what's in the job description or advertisement.

So how aggravating have you been?

In a job market that's growing more competitive every day, having an effective, impressive resume that stands out from the crowd is key. Looking to fine tune yours but not sure where to start? No worries, our Resume Rescue series is here to help!

Headline or Objective?

Is it better to start your resume with an objective that states what you're looking for or a headline that says what you have to offer? Some experts argue that an objective is redundant because by submitting a resume it's obvious that both you want a job and that you want a job at whatever company you've sent it to. So wouldn't it be more effective to catch the reader's eye with a headline about what you bring to the table that other applicants might not? On the other hand, an objective gives a potential employer a better idea of what you want, which is just as important in determining a good fit as what you can do.

What do you think? Would love to hear arguments for both sides (objective vs headline) in the comments!

In a job market that's growing more competitive every day, having an effective, impressive resume that stands out from the crowd is key. Looking to fine tune yours but not sure where to start? No worries, our Resume Rescue series is here to help!


If you want your resume to stand out you can't use the same stale and overused phrases that have been used by applicants for years and are all but beaten to death. Some common phrases, like "team player," have become so automatic that they not only mean nothing but can actually harm you by portraying you as boring, run-of-the-mill, and totally uncreative. Instead try describing yourself in a more conversational way, using language you would use if you were just talking to somebody.

Here are some common resume phrases to avoid:

• Excellent communication skills
• Team player
• Strong work ethic
• Works well with all levels of staff
• Results or objectives oriented

Basically just try not to sound stuffy or "canned." Professional, yes. Articulate, yes. Stale and common? Not so much.

Interviewing for a new job is stressful enough without ending up in a situation where you're faced with an interviewer who's cold, abrasive, or even downright hostile. And since the current economy and sparse job market makes every interview that much more important, you might be inclined to try and "save" the situation. But is that always possible? Unfortunately (and realistically), probably not. But does that mean you shouldn't give it your best shot? Hell no!

So here are a few steps for making the best of a bad situation:

Best Buy is making trendy online social networking waves in the job market with a posting that appeared recently on their website that listed two preferred job qualifications: a graduate degree and 250 or more followers on Twitter.

Say what?

Yes, now your guilty online tweeting habit can be something to brag about on a job application. Of course you'll want to know your audience before you go pasting your follower count on every resume, but companies that want someone with online social media experience are getting creative with how they choose to weed out those who simply understand the internet and those who have a real online presence.

Geez, I don't even have 150 followers yet -- I better get tweeting!

(BTW, follow us on Twitter!)

Getting a job (or a promotion) is about so much more than just your resume and interview answers, your appearance and attitude play an enormous role also. As a matter of human nature people size each other up in a matter of seconds, forming opinions about you that might be difficult to change later (you never get a second chance to make a first impression!).

So be sure that whether you're going in for an interview at a new company or hoping to land a promotion at your current job you look and act the part that you want, as well as the part you already have.

In a job market that's growing more competitive every day, having an effective, impressive resume that stands out from the crowd is key. Looking to fine tune yours but not sure where to start? No worries, our Resume Rescue series is here to help!


Employers skim over resumes so fast it's surprising anybody ever gets a job, usually it's about 5 seconds or less for each one as they get sorted into the sought after "take a closer look" pile or the unfortunate but common "paper shredder and then trash bin" pile.

So you only have 5 seconds to catch a manager's eye, what to do? No, neon paper and sparkly ink is not the answer, but you should use the power of effective titles. Tell them what they need to know and they'll want to read more. So don't say simply "Accountant," but something like "Management of A/R and A/P and Recordkeeping" instead. See? Already they know so much more about how awesome you are.

Ever lied on a resume?

Statistics show that as many as 40% of us have -- that's almost half! So what are we all saying when we stretch the truth in an attempt to land a job? Employers say it's usually one of these:

• Stretching dates to cover gaps in employment
• Claiming to have a degree that you don't
• Inflating job titles and/or previous salaries
• Exaggerating technological/computer skills
  
• Claiming fluency in a foreign language (being able to count to 10 does not make you fluent!)

Just remember: while putting a little white lie or two on your resume might seem pretty harmless (you're a catch of an employee, right? Why not make it look that way on paper?) most employers and HR reps are onto the scheme and if they catch you in a lie, no matter how small, your entire application is likely to end up in the trash bin.

Those hours, days, and weeks between interviewing and waiting to hear back can leave even the most confident people questioning everything from their people skills to their personal hygiene habits. But how can you tell if you really bombed a job interview? For starters you can ask yourself these questions:

Did you make a bad first impression? Obvious reasons to answer this as 'yes' would be if you arrived late, noticed you were dressed inappropriately, or addressed your interviewer by the wrong name or title.

Did you come off as unfocused or uninterested? Signs of this are if the person interviewing you ever had to repeat questions, ask you lots of follow-up questions on the same topic because your answers were too vague, or if you struggled and were awkward when answering common/simple questions about the job and/or company.

Was there a general lack of rapport? Where you casually leaning back in your chair and cracking jokes when the interview started only to find the other person serious, stiff, and not amused? (Or vice versa).

Read more bad interview clues and tips here, plus remember that even bad interviews are good for something: experience!

Bullet points might be one of your resume's closest friends, but do you know how best to use them to maximize their effectiveness? Here are some points on how best to use bullets:

• Use them in moderation. Like most things you can get too much of a good thing, meaning that a page full of nothing but bullet points isn't much better than a page full of paragraphs.
• Prioritize and put your best points first, because the first thing they read is what a person is most likely to remember. Burying achievements several levels down in a list means they might not even be seen, let alone remembered.
  
• Bullet consistently, i.e. don't use them in one section and not another. Creating a clean, organized resume not only leads the reader to relevant information quickly, but also showcases your communication and presentation skills.