Recently I was assisting an employer with the hiring process and reviewed many resumes that were sent in. I couldn't help but be concerned that so many people are not having any job search success because they are using a very poor resume to represent themselves to potential employers. A poor resume drags out a search for new employment.

A candidate's resume typically gets a 15-second glance, if it gets looked at all. Employers complain that they receive hundreds of resumes for any listed opening but 90% of the applicants are not qualified to do the advertised job.

In recent hiring trends many resumes are never being seen by human eyes. An electronic computer scans it, looking at keywords and eliminating all others. Employers confess to getting so many resumes that the speed of applying is a hiring factor. Employers told me they look through the resume stack until they find four or five good ones, call those candidates in for an interview, and may leave hundreds of resumes unread.

Today it is only a well-written resume advertising accomplishments and past performance results that gets noticed. Of course you know that, but when I look at the resumes being sent out to employers I cringe because so many avoidable mistakes are causing job hunters to be rejected. In my books Winning Resumes and Winning Cover Letters, we published a survey of over 600 hiring managers to learn exactly what gets attention and what gets rejected. A few of the major mistakes revealed included:

• Lying. Employers reported they are on the lookout for the significant increase in lies or serious exaggerated claims made in people's resumes. Common deceptions include accomplishments, salary, or size of the team managed. Helen, an HR Executive Recruiter inside a prominent company, wrote on her survey form: "Never, ever, lie. One person I hired lied about having a college degree when she did not have one. We fired her when the lie was uncovered."

  ACTION STEP: Don't Lie. Most employers catch you in the interview or when they do reference checks, so inflating your qualifications into fabrications is NOT the same as using good self marketing to get hired.

• No apparent accomplishments. Employers report that many people's resumes are just dull job descriptions but candidates do not list any kind of results achieved on the job. The surveyed employers heavily criticized generic resumes as a worthless effort.

  ACTION STEP: Results sell! Use specific facts noting demonstrated skills, and past accomplishments achieved. Our formula for success is using actions=results bullets that command attention. Be sure to include figures on how large, how many, what you did, and how it turned out. Stress actions that resulted in an increase in revenues, and any cost or time savings.

• Lengthy resume. Surveyed managers reported that resumes only get a 15 second review. "More is not better," noted Martha, an HR Director. "Long careers often travel into numerous pages and important accomplishments get lost. We won't read anything beyond a page especially with so many people applying."

  ACTION STEP: Write a concise one-page resume noting top achievements. Highlight only the relevant recent information related to doing the targeted job. Use action words to create more powerful sentences.

• Spelling mistakes and use of micro-type. A top complaint with every manager and HR person in our survey noted: "I stop reading when I find spelling mistakes." Employers felt typographical errors reflect the poor quality of work they can expect from you. Reducing the font size to cram more into a resume often results in making it harder to read and many employers noted that they simply skip reading the ones with very small type.

  ACTION STEP: Proofread! Perfection is a necessity to remain competitive. Use size 12 font and a nice layout that is easily read. Use clean fonts (i.e. Arial) so phone numbers and email contact information is easily read.

• No cover letter. Employers report that fewer candidates today use cover letters since many applicants are just blasting their resumes everywhere with a quick click on the send button. Surveyed employers stated cover letters are very influential and can snag an interview by themselves. They repeatedly noted was that it is a BIG MISTAKE using no cover letter at all.

  ACTION STEP: Take the time to create a targeted letter addressing the specific employers needs. Opening with a couple sentences that advertise your top skills and accomplishments is the secret ingredient to getting your letter read. Then highlight exactly how you can perform the job and show definitive actions and outcomes.

A great resume is an essential career tool. It sends an employer this key message, "I'm a pro in everything I do, and someone you definitely want on your team."

- Robin Ryan

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Are you stuck in the notion that the job interview is just about the job duties - it's NOT! Here is what the interviewer is really looking for.

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Recently I was assisting an employer with the hiring process and reviewed many resumes that were sent in. I couldn't help but be concerned that so many people are not having any job search success because they are using a very poor resume to represent themselves to potential employers. A poor resume drags out a search for new employment.

A candidate's resume typically gets a 15-second glance, if it gets looked at all. Employers complain that they receive hundreds of resumes for any listed opening but 90% of the applicants are not qualified to do the advertised job.

In recent hiring trends many resumes are never being seen by human eyes. An electronic computer scans it, looking at keywords and eliminating all others. Employers confess to getting so many resumes that the speed of applying is a hiring factor. Employers told me they look through the resume stack until they find four or five good ones, call those candidates in for an interview, and may leave hundreds of resumes unread.

Today it is only a well-written resume advertising accomplishments and past performance results that gets noticed. Of course you know that, but when I look at the resumes being sent out to employers I cringe because so many avoidable mistakes are causing job hunters to be rejected. In my books Winning Resumes and Winning Cover Letters, we published a survey of over 600 hiring managers to learn exactly what gets attention and what gets rejected. A few of the major mistakes revealed included:

• Lying. Employers reported they are on the lookout for the significant increase in lies or serious exaggerated claims made in people's resumes. Common deceptions include accomplishments, salary, or size of the team managed. Helen, an HR Executive Recruiter inside a prominent company, wrote on her survey form: "Never, ever, lie. One person I hired lied about having a college degree when she did not have one. We fired her when the lie was uncovered."

  ACTION STEP: Don't Lie. Most employers catch you in the interview or when they do reference checks, so inflating your qualifications into fabrications is NOT the same as using good self marketing to get hired.

• No apparent accomplishments. Employers report that many people's resumes are just dull job descriptions but candidates do not list any kind of results achieved on the job. The surveyed employers heavily criticized generic resumes as a worthless effort.

  ACTION STEP: Results sell! Use specific facts noting demonstrated skills, and past accomplishments achieved. Our formula for success is using actions=results bullets that command attention. Be sure to include figures on how large, how many, what you did, and how it turned out. Stress actions that resulted in an increase in revenues, and any cost or time savings.

• Lengthy resume. Surveyed managers reported that resumes only get a 15 second review. "More is not better," noted Martha, an HR Director. "Long careers often travel into numerous pages and important accomplishments get lost. We won't read anything beyond a page especially with so many people applying."

  ACTION STEP: Write a concise one-page resume noting top achievements. Highlight only the relevant recent information related to doing the targeted job. Use action words to create more powerful sentences.

• Spelling mistakes and use of micro-type. A top complaint with every manager and HR person in our survey noted: "I stop reading when I find spelling mistakes." Employers felt typographical errors reflect the poor quality of work they can expect from you. Reducing the font size to cram more into a resume often results in making it harder to read and many employers noted that they simply skip reading the ones with very small type.

  ACTION STEP: Proofread! Perfection is a necessity to remain competitive. Use size 12 font and a nice layout that is easily read. Use clean fonts (i.e. Arial) so phone numbers and email contact information is easily read.

• No cover letter. Employers report that fewer candidates today use cover letters since many applicants are just blasting their resumes everywhere with a quick click on the send button. Surveyed employers stated cover letters are very influential and can snag an interview by themselves. They repeatedly noted was that it is a BIG MISTAKE using no cover letter at all.

  ACTION STEP: Take the time to create a targeted letter addressing the specific employers needs. Opening with a couple sentences that advertise your top skills and accomplishments is the secret ingredient to getting your letter read. Then highlight exactly how you can perform the job and show definitive actions and outcomes.

A great resume is an essential career tool. It sends an employer this key message, "I'm a pro in everything I do, and someone you definitely want on your team."

- Robin Ryan

Source: "Winning Resumes" and "Winning Cover Letters" Books by Robin Ryan.

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Have you ever written a letter or email and after you signed off, suddenly realized you have one more thing to say? Or you wanted to remind your reader of something already stated? It's easy to remedy. Just add a P.S. (short for postscript).

This powerful little addition is also an effective tool to use in your job search cover letters. Oftentimes the P.S. will be the first line to grab the hiring manager's attention. These two letters of the alphabet strategically placed at the end of your cover letter can be more powerful than all the paragraphs that precede them. Decide now to add a P.S.-intentionally. Why? Because it's impossible not to read it and it's your chance to call your reader to action once again- namely to make an appointment with you for a job interview.

Saying Something Again in a New and Fresh Way

Add a bit of pizzazz to all your cover letters by using the P.S. to restate what you've already said in a way that will attract attention, motivate action, and promote connection between you and the hiring manager. Here are two examples to follow. Use your own wording, of course, so your reminder is unique.

P.S. On June 10 I will follow up with a phone call to be sure you received my application. I look forward to meeting with you in person and interviewing for this position. Feel free to call me at 555-555-555.

P.S. Thank you for taking the time to read my cover letter. I honestly believe I'm the perfect fit for this position. I'd welcome the opportunity to schedule an interview at your convenience. Please call me at 555-555-5555.

P.S. Keep in mind that people will never skip a P.S. so be sure to include one in your next cover letter.

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, Amazing Cover Letter Creator. Jimmy is also the author of several career-related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job-Search Secrets." Visit Jimmy on the web at Amazing Cover Letters.com for your 'instant' cover letter today. In just 3 ½ minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!

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Congratulations! If you made it through your first job interview and got called for a second you should be feeling pretty good. This means you're high on the list of candidates to fill the position you're targeting. The hiring manager is interested in you and wants to spend a little more time with you before offering you the job. What can you expect from this next go-round? How can you prepare so the session will be successful for both you and the interviewer?

- Ask for an agenda from the person who set up the interview.

This will help you anticipate questions and plan your answers. Second interviews often involve people from various departments of the organization so you'll get a chance to meet and speak with people you'll be interacting with if you land the job.

-Learn even more information about the company.

Check the web site, company blog, message boards, etc., whatever venue will lead you to information about management, staff, promotions, company contracts, and so on. Then you'll be able to speak with knowledge and confidence during the second interview.

-Review the questions and answers from your first interview.

It will be worth your while to give yourself another practice round with a friend or relative. This will help you relax, take your time, and focus on the essentials before you walk into the interview room.

 

-Freshen and update your responses.

If, after the first interview, you realized you left something out or since that time you thought of something else you'd like to say, here's your opportunity. Reread your notes from the first interview, checking for anything you'd like to add or clarify.

-Follow up with a 'thank you.'

As you did the first time, send a thank you by note or email to each person you met with and restate your interest in the company and in the position you're aiming for.

As the saying goes; "the harder you work, the luckier you get!"

 

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new "Secret Career Document" job landing system. Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."

Visit our friends at Job Interview "Secret" and discover Jimmy Sweeney's breakthrough strategy that will have you standing out from the competition like a Harvard graduate at a local job fair? DURING your next job interview.

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