Are most people's resumes just bad?

I've been frequenting the resume boards on Monster.com and if they are any real indication of anything, I would have to say that most people's resumes are...terrible. It's really kind of sad.

The things I see that make them bad could easily be improved if the person would just take a little bit of time to do some reading and researching on resumes. That's what's amazing to me.
Poor grammar and spelling are big problems too.

It just makes me wonder about how many awful resumes employers get! :)

I'd imagine bad grammar and spelling would be a red flag (and a turn off) for employers trying to hire employees.

I have been a Human Resources Professional for over 10 years and have to say that the majority of the resumes that come across my desk are subpar. I strongly believe that, even if we write well, have great grammar, etc, etc. we are not objective enough to review our own resumes.

Linda is absolutely correct. Not only are poor grammar and spelling red flags, they increase the likelihood that your resume will not even make it past the HRIS screening systems that many companies are using.

I strongly suggest that one's resume needs to be reviewed by an objective person, whether it be a resource like the one I provide or a trusted professional contact.

K.C.
www.Tandemresumes.com

Thanks Tony. I have read those tips. Good stuff.

K.C. & Linda...thanks for your comments.

I just have been amazed at the resumes that people have put up on sites so they can get feedback. People will describe themselves with all sorts of exaggerated adjectives, especially complimenting themselves on their communication skills, yet their resumes are filled with poor sentences, incorrect grammar and spelling errors.

Like I said, it just makes me wonder what those who hiring have to look at! Yuck. No wonder a nice, clean layout and good spelling makes a resume stand out.

domino in Virginia said: Thanks Tony. I have read those tips. Good stuff.

K.C. & Linda...thanks for your comments.

I just have been amazed at the resumes that people have put up on sites so they can get feedback. People will describe themselves with all sorts of exaggerated adjectives, especially complimenting themselves on their communication skills, yet their resumes are filled with poor sentences, incorrect grammar and spelling errors.

Like I said, it just makes me wonder what those who hiring have to look at! Yuck. No wonder a nice, clean layout and good spelling makes a resume stand out.

From my point of view, a lot of sites don't allow you to post a resume the way it was intended to be read. Monster and Hotjobs, I think, have gotten better about this. I uploaded my Word resume. Careerbuilder does not seem to allow you do that, so I have a text resume posted. Many other sites are this way to. I've been out of work here in Southern Cal since last August and since I had my resume done professionally several months back, I have been getting in-person interviews and phone screens. However, no offers (yet). For what it is worth: www.paul-hughes.net

As a recruiter/resume sourcer, I have worked with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. I can say from my YEARS of experience that YES most resumes do stink.

domino in Virginia said: I've been frequenting the resume boards on Monster.com and if they are any real indication of anything, I would have to say that most people's resumes are...terrible. It's really kind of sad.

The things I see that make them bad could easily be improved if the person would just take a little bit of time to do some reading and researching on resumes. That's what's amazing to me.
Poor grammar and spelling are big problems too.

It just makes me wonder about how many awful resumes employers get! :)

Beyond misspelling and grammar problems, the biggest problem I see is people's need to confess negatives on a resume ("Fired because my boss was a bigot").

Equally bad is a lack of focus. If I am going to hire you as an accountant, I want to know if you have SOX, Excel and Oracle expertise; I don't care that you were a french fry cook in college.

Letters and resumes should describe, completely yet succinctly, why the employer should hire you. If you don't hire a professional resume writer, at least have a few people who know your career field and industry review it for you.

www.career-hunter.info

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Continued from above....

A functional resume format solves these problems IMO. A functional resume de-emphasizes employment history, and emphasizes knowledge, skills, abilities and achievements. After all, aren't abilities and competence what employers really want and what we're trying to sell? An employment record is secondary to what we offer employers.

With a functional resume, knowledge, skills and abilities are high on the page and are organized into paragraphs for easy review. HR does not have to jump from job to job to piece together your abilities. A functional resume can be drafted to emphasize particular skills for particular jobs, which benefits career changers. A functional resume eliminates redundancies which may irritate HR.

You would still list employers on your functional resume. Just put them low on the page to de-emphasize them. Hopefully, by the time HR has read through your functional resume, it will be more interested in what you can do for the company and less interested in when and where you have worked.

As usual, I am in agreement with DLP. For one thing, I think Tony Beshara is a legend in his own mind, and charging job seekers $90 to ask 3 questions is robbery, especially when he is regurgitating misinformation.

Recruiters want job seekers to make it easier for them to earn commissions, and only tangentially are interested in helping the candidate. A chronological resume is what we call a "tombstone resume": Here lies John, salesman, 1983-1997.

A good resume includes skills and education (keywords) relevant to the position, proof of those skills in examples (success stories), and a brief chronology that verifies the skills and puts the preceding in a frame of reference.

The format is simple, determining the content is the real work. A chronological resume is easy but ineffective and makes it easier for a recruiter to see your flaws.

GREAT POST FROM DENVER....JUST BECAUSE ONE HASN'T WORKED THERE MAY HAVE BEEN CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND CONTROL....TOO BAD MOST HR MANAGERS ARE WINGNUTS WITH NO IMAGINATION AND SIMPLY CANNOT REALIZE THAT PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE ALL NOT "COOKIE CUTTER"

I am thinking about changing my resume from a chronological to a functional since I have been out of work for awhile now. The biggest problem I have is the lack of quality jobs in my area. Have there been a few interviews that I have blown?, oh yea there have been a few, not many. But, the BIGGEST problem is the lack of quality jobs where I live, they talk about it in the local newspaper from time to time. "Cookie Cutter" from headhunters to HR's, if they see that you have been out of work for more than 3 months it is for some dopey reason suppose to be a red flag. I don't get it.

Yesterday, I was talking to a headhunter on the phone and he was telling me that that majority of resumes on Careerbuilder are people that don't have a bachelor degree, is this true anyone?

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Career Hunter in Denver, Colorado: "]Beyond misspelling and grammar problems, the biggest problem I see is people's need to confess negatives on a resume ("Fired because my boss was a bigot")."

Are you serious?? Do people applying to you for professional positions really include such garbage on resumes? Maybe some people really do need help designing resumes.

At the very least, if you must explain away a termination, come up with a less-shrill explanation, even if it is true. :(

"Equally bad is a lack of focus. If I am going to hire you as an accountant, I want to know if you have SOX, Excel and Oracle expertise; I don't care that you were a french fry cook in college."

On the other hand, for a younger applicant just out of college, wouldn't it be a positive that the person worked during that time, and may have paid for some or all of college that way, as opposed to leaving it off and implying, maybe, the person spent off-time drinking beer at the frat house? Of course, a more experienced candidate should not list college work experience on a resume.

Absolutely! In my experience, interviewers are most interested in what you are doing now, then what you did the last 5 years, a little in the 5 years before that, and hardly at all at anything more than 10 years ago.

For a fresh grad, having ANY experience shows that you can get to work on time and follow instructions, as well as initiative. (I have had fresh grad clients who DIDN'T and man, were those tough resumes to write!)

deansuraci said: I am thinking about changing my resume from a chronological to a functional since I have been out of work for awhile now. The biggest problem I have is the lack of quality jobs in my area. Have there been a few interviews that I have blown?, oh yea there have been a few, not many. But, the BIGGEST problem is the lack of quality jobs where I live, they talk about it in the local newspaper from time to time. "Cookie Cutter" from headhunters to HR's, if they see that you have been out of work for more than 3 months it is for some dopey reason suppose to be a red flag. I don't get it.

Yesterday, I was talking to a headhunter on the phone and he was telling me that that majority of resumes on Careerbuilder are people that don't have a bachelor degree, is this true anyone?

It may or may not be. Headhunters want to tie you up so that someone else doesn't place you at the same time they can't guarantee you a job.

What IS relevant is whether CB has jobs relevant to your career. Use Indeed and SimplyHired.com to search the relevant jobs, and don't waste time on just one board. Many positions are listed only on the employer's website because they don't want to spend $500 to put it on Monster or CareerBuilder.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Steve C in North Las Vegas, Nevada: "JUST BECAUSE ONE HASN'T WORKED THERE MAY HAVE BEEN CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND CONTROL....TOO BAD MOST HR MANAGERS ARE WINGNUTS WITH NO IMAGINATION AND SIMPLY CANNOT REALIZE THAT PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE ALL NOT 'COOKIE CUTTER'...."

....or coneheads for the same reason.

Or lazy salesmen. They eat what they kill, which is a crude way of saying that unless you are edible (easily placeable) they won't bother with you. Recruiters are not your friend. They are conehead salesmen who need to earn commissions as quickly and easily as they can, and they will manipulate candidates to accomplish that.

This recruiter was telling me that most resumes posted are Associate degrees or Trade school certificates, maybe it's just this area (I have a Bachelor).

In any event, I use Monster, Careerbuilder, Regional Help Wanted (a local board), Indeed, and even though it's time-consuming I'll pull the Fortune 500 list and go to each companies careersite and see what jobs they have that are relevant to my background.

Nearly all of the agencies where I reside find job-seekers temp type positions.

I always wonder how this middleman (Headhunter) came into existence? Why did HR fall for these people's sales pitch? I wish all companies would just post their openings themselves and hire themselves. I might add not all Headhunters are bad but when you mix commission sales with alot of competition (competing job agencies that is) it's not a good thing for a job-seeker. I'm rambling I know, it's time for me to go enjoy this day.

Writeguy62 in Los Angeles, California said: From my point of view, a lot of sites don't allow you to post a resume the way it was intended to be read. Monster and Hotjobs, I think, have gotten better about this. I uploaded my Word resume. Careerbuilder does not seem to allow you do that, so I have a text resume posted. Many other sites are this way to. I've been out of work here in Southern Cal since last August and since I had my resume done professionally several months back, I have been getting in-person interviews and phone screens. However, no offers (yet). For what it is worth: www.paul-hughes.net

Excellent concept. These resume warehouses that companies have disgust me. A simple one sheet resume on cotton paper or emailed PDF is much more pleasant than having your resume dissected and broken up into character limited force fields that employers desire. There is bad on BOTH the HR side and the employee side. It's really a pathetic exchange that needs much improvement.

What could possibly be a replacement for a resume?

I'm a recent graduate trying to find an accounting job. I do agree that many resumes I've seen look like garbage, but the more amazing thing makes me genuinely depressed is that despite these resumes, they managed to have those jobs in the first place. :(

These guys offer a free trial, take a look at their templates and layouts that provide downloads in web, doc and pdf formats.

www.webresumeplace.com

David in Carlsbad, California said: I'm a recent graduate trying to find an accounting job. I do agree that many resumes I've seen look like garbage, but the more amazing thing makes me genuinely depressed is that despite these resumes, they managed to have those jobs in the first place. :(

Sometimes it is who you know. Sad but true.

LindaM in Barrington, Illinois said: Sometimes it is who you know. Sad but true.

Having a great resume is part of the battle. Being an effective networker is another part of getting the job. Think of it as interviewing before the interview.

Additional proof of the level of disgust that I have with HR departments. I sent my resume (last Friday) for a job, admittedly I am overqualified but the job is with a company that has a government contract and the job was a contract job for two years. I like the idea of contract work because honestly, I don't see myself with any company for more than 2 years. I used to believe in all of that...my parents' generation involved doing whatever it is you started at 18 until death. I don't think my generation is like that. Two years is the most I can tolerate at a job because I get bored, get tired of being disrespected at a place, tire of the racism and sexism I face, tire of not being given performances reviews and raises when I am told I would be or advised in writing that I would be and I really really tire of the sexual harassment. I figure every year or two I need a fresh start since the previous place would reach its threshold of harassment.

Anyway, I sent the resume to this job. I get a rude reply back stating the job is level 0 and what do I want from them. Now that is a legitimate question but the tone that was used was accusatory and rude. Then the HR rep asked for all of this information that NO JOB asks for prior to an interview or at least in my experience has never occured. She obviously wanted to offend me so fine. I replied that I never have been asked such information prior to an interview and that I would respectfully like to withdraw my application from the position. Her reply was "Fine..." Who sends a reply like that? I get that the job market is rough but now this has given HR departments free range to be rude and disrespectful as if they didn't have a chip on their shoulder large enough already. She was also offended that I sent my resume as a PDF. Many companies like that, how would I know that would practically emotionally devastate her. Geez.

Youngandweary is in worse shape than me with the attitude. Sounds like he/she is a lot younger than me too. Twenty years ago I lacked the experience. Now I have the experience, I'm pretty good at what I do, but I'm 20 years older. Can't do anything about that. But I can maintain a reasonably upbeat attitude. Presumably, you're only looking for one job, not 20. (Which is what I used to say about girlfriends.) Screw the naysayers - there's one out there.

In answer to this thread's original question, there are a lot of bad resumes out there. I've received resumes from students/graduates from top undergrad and grad programs, and I've been flabbergasted. Likewise, resumes from experienced, extremely qualified employees may not show the skills and experiences needed for transferring to new companies or gaining internal promotions.

I agree with a lot said here but my biggest beef with application systems is that they want your resume in .doc format and refuse to accept .pdf (some do). DOC is a writable format and NOT MEANT to be used for presenting information, that's what PDF is FOR!!! So when my carefully crafted (I'm talking 20 hours of work) resume gets destroyed by the application system I'm majorly pissed. These systems can pull information out of the PDF format. Use the right format and you'll see a lot of the formatting issue go away.

Also, what's up with Monster.com screwing up my normal 1in margins? Yes monster, you're resume upload system sucks.

QuarterSwede in Colorado Springs, Colorado said: I agree with a lot said here but my biggest beef with application systems is that they want your resume in .doc format and refuse to accept .pdf (some do). DOC is a writable format and NOT MEANT to be used for presenting information, that's what PDF is FOR!!! So when my carefully crafted (I'm talking 20 hours of work) resume gets destroyed by the application system I'm majorly pissed. These systems can pull information out of the PDF format. Use the right format and you'll see a lot of the formatting issue go away.

I totally agree with you that they should accept pdf format. I'm a designer and can't have a plain boring resume otherwise what kind of crappy designer would they think I am? These online crappy looking forms make a resume look like barf.

I have gotten compliments on my resume design and how neat and easy to read it is. There aren't any spelling mistakes or bad punctuation so I don't know what is the problem with never hearing back from employers.

I honestly don't know what I could to to make it better other than printing in on bright orange paper to get it noticed :D

I am really not trying to advertise. I am trying to help people compete. There is a major problem out there and it needs to be addressed.

I do not expect I will be liked by all. But I do know that those holding legitimate credentials are tired of competing with those who lie.

Employers will appreciate not having a large percentage of submissions being false and I payed a lot of money for my degree. I am tired of being displace by liars.

I apologize but I do bwelieve my comment is in line with the discussion here and gives people an opportunity to fight back at what may be keeping them from landing a job they want. Those who have degrees are tired and have worked hard and being displace in large numbers by fraud.

Please goole resume fraud and you will see where I am coming from.

Ok, back to the resumes that don't look great topic - the subject of this thread... Is there a way to reach people and let them know that they need to have someone review their resume for them? I have a resume site and I genuinely want to help others. How do I get the information to the people who need it most? I don't want to spam anyone. I don't want to offend anyone. I just want to reach people who can benefit from the information. I'm thinking about offering a resume writing seminar at my local community center. I'll reach a few folks that way. How do the people who know about resume writing reach the people who need to know?

Sure thing. I wish you all well when your resume goes into the stack.

Then again, I wonder ... what do you have on your resume?

Most recruiters do suck. That's always been my experience.

How come my resume got me interviews and jobs before, but not now? My resume doesn't look any different than the last time I was hired other than the addition of another job. That tells me there are too many job hunters out there and not enough jobs to go around.

I have used a mix of both a functional resume and a crono resume. Let me explain: When applying to a position you need to find pertinent details about each company and the specific job that you are applying for. What are they truely seeking? You need to determine this from the job description, asking people that are in a similar position, researching online, ect.

Once you have determined what they are looking for you need to write a cover letter. The cover letter should include a few "buzzwords" from the job posting. If the posting says, "energetic person" put in your cover letter that you are energized when dealing with your passion (you should be applying to jobs that are your passion FYI).

The entire coverletter should be read like a functional resume - implying how your skill set matches what is advertised. The second page is your "resume". This includes where you have worked and job duties. Again, EVERYTHING HAS TO BE TAILORED TO FIT WITH YOUR PROSPECTIVE POSITION. You cannot have 1 resume that your spray and pray. I used one basic resume and have probably made 8 versions (I'm only 26) for each job I have applied to. For each job I also, from scratch, wrote a new cover letter. This is not something that is quick, or easy. I have spent about 2-3 hours for each cover letter and another hour perfecting my resume.

FYI I am now on my 3rd career since 22 years old. I would say 3 careers out of 8 seperate job applications is a pretty good ratio.

Another thing - always be honest. In my last interview I was asked if I was a hunter or farmer. I "knew" he wanted to hear I was a hunter, but I said I was a farmer and explained how that description fits be better. Turns out he was looking for both - I got hired to the career I wanted and my boss did not have to see through my BS if I had lied. I also look at the poor "hunter" that was hired and feel bad that he has no accounts and is always prospecting, while I maintain accounts.

I have rewritten my resume several times and often in accordance with the position I was applying for. The same goes for cover letters.

I recently saw a posting for a job that fit my background, skills, experience, etc and applied. It was posted by a staffing agency.

Less than a week later I have been hired. Had the interview today with the hiring company and heard back from the agent at the staffing agency less than an hour later.

Considering how long I have been looking (about six months) I am happy to say the least.

Still, I brought my resume with me along with references (typed up) and I had done my research. I didn't just rest on my laurels just because I was told by the staffing agency that I was a shoe in.

It is definitely worth the time to re-work your resume and to write specific cover letters for each position you are applying to (exceptions in my opinion would be if multiple position had the same job description).

And use these job boards. Check them religiously. Utilize the email alert. Have an email account solely for job searching.

Good luck everyone!

I think most of what you have said, most of us are doing already. It's a crappy job market and we all know it.

Steve C in North Las Vegas, Nevada said: GREAT POST FROM DENVER....JUST BECAUSE ONE HASN'T WORKED THERE MAY HAVE BEEN CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND CONTROL....TOO BAD MOST HR MANAGERS ARE WINGNUTS WITH NO IMAGINATION AND SIMPLY CANNOT REALIZE THAT PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE ALL NOT "COOKIE CUTTER"

Not only that, they penalize you for leaving off jobs you may have had in the 80's (and not burger fry chef jobs either). Their rationale is that you are a liar and must be hiding some big secret and if they hire you, you will embezzle a million dollars from the company. If these same wingnuts did not discriminate based on age, nobody would have to lie.

Did I mention that I hate HR people? They are probably almost all tea party wingnuts who want to amend the constitution to protect marriage, while unwittingly supporting the CEO who will eventually fire them as they relocate the company to India (while pocketing their fat salary).

Please people vote against the GOP and the Tea Party.

I'm not sure what people's political beliefs have to do with writing a good resume or who will hire them. There are other places to get on your political soapbox.

Samantha in Henderson, Nevada said: Recruiters only suck when candidate sucks, which is 90% of the time.

Ok Miss Expert then explain why I graduated with a 4.0 gpa, have worked very hard for every company I've worked for and even held the company record for perfect attendance at one place, which was 8 years. Yeah, sounds like I suck, doesn't it?

Recruiters never help anyone. It's like I always had to keep calling them to remind them to do their job of finding me something. I gave up on them. I've never had a recruiter find me a job. I've always gotten my own.

To say that only 10% of employees are worth a damn is a pretty stupid thing to say. I've worked in a number of places and I know more than 10% are good workers. Maybe you just don't want to admit you suck at being a recruiter because you're too busy surfing the internet.

Michael in Henderson, Nevada said: Without a doubt. It's kind of like American Idol. You know those people who honestly believe their singing is good, but it's not? It's hard to be objective when doing your own resume. Yes, nearly all are not very good and I've seen thousands.

Yes, there are some bad resumes, but I doubt it's as bad as you say. It still doesn't answer the question that why did that resume get us interviews/jobs before?

So what are you really doing to help people out without charging them an arm and a leg?

I've only dealt with one good recruiter. She really did try to find me things and she managed to find me some temp jobs. This was about 5 years ago. That would be the 2% you are talking about.

It's not really surprising. You probably remember back when there weren't that many places like this and then by the '90s recruiting businesses sprung up everywhere. Even back then I wondered how so many of these places managed to survive because I didn't think there was that many places to find jobs. I knew sooner or later some of them would be forced to close shop, because there were too many to compete against each other. I knew as soon at the economy slowed, they wouldn't all survive.

I just wonder how those recruiters are even making money these days. Collecting resumes can't be very profitable.

I want to know why all these recruiters in Hendersonville NV are more pigbitin mad that me. They are all unspeakably rude on these forums. Bow out of what? Maybe the only reson these recruiters see only bad resumes is because you have to be Naive to actually use one.