Check out my latest Monster podcast on one of my favorite subjects: How to Write a Cover Letter for Your Career Change.

No cover letter templates, please! You’ve got to write from the heart. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

P.S.: I’ve been offering free resume critiques for more than a month now, and I’m about to close the offer because my schedule is getting super crazy. So if you haven’t yet submitted your resume for a free critique, hop on over to this thread and follow the instructions for posting your resume. Hope to see you there! - Kim

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It’s always challenging to write a dynamic career change resume, and I’ve heard from hundreds of people who struggle with this daunting task. But it must be done, and can be done well by using a few effective strategies (and no functional formats — my pet peeve!).

I discussed some of these resume strategies with Monster’s Connie Blaszczyk. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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[Note: If you prefer to listen to Five Ways to Send Your Resume to the Trash, click here to open the mp3 file. You may also download to your computer by right clicking the link and selecting “Save Link As.”]

I’ve written about common resume blunders, surefire ways to diminish the power of your resume. But what will really send your resume to the “Delete” bin? Here are five unforgivable errors that will likely doom your resume. Check your resume to make sure you’re not guilty of the following:

1. Typos. Hiring managers hate them! It’s like showing up for a job interview at a Wall Street office wearing ripped shorts, a Jethro Tull t-shirt, messy hair, and old tennis shoes. Your resume is your introduction, and typos are saying, “I really don’t care.” So, carefully proofread your resume before sending it out.

2. No clear goal. The late, great resume writer Yana Parker said it best. She wrote, “Somebody knocks on your door. You open it and say, ‘Hello, what do you want?’ They say, ‘Duh…’” Honestly, if your resume doesn’t have a clear career focus, a busy hiring manager will not take the time to figure it out for you. You don’t need to use a formal Objective section — you can weave your goal into a tagline at the top of your resume or add it to a Qualifications Summary.

3. Information overload. If your resume is jam-packed with information and reads more like your autobiography, and you’ve used tiny fonts and little white space, it’s unlikely that a hiring manager will be wading through all of your data. Make your resume a quick read - it’s possible to include a lot of juicy information without going overboard.

4. A virus. Yes, a virus! If you send your MS Word document along with a nasty computer virus, you will not endear yourself to the hiring manager. Please, run your file through a virus checker before hitting “Send.”

5. Too much personal info. I recommend letting your personality shine through on your resume, but avoid including highly personal information like political or religious views (unless you are 100% sure the hiring manager shares your viewpoint). For example, if you put hunting down as a hobby and your resume has landed in the hands of an animal rights supporter, guess what? There’s a good chance that your resume will end up in the trash. Also, don’t link to a personal website that reveals a side of you that you wouldn’t want prospective employers to see. Keep your resume ultra-professional and you will avoid the dreaded trash bin.

 

  Five Ways to Send Your Resume to the Trash [3:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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