Recently, a number of job seekers have asked me if it’s okay to drop undesirable jobs from their resumes. The reasons varied, but most had to do with holding short-term positions, leaving jobs on bad terms, getting fired, and changing careers.

In the past, I would have considered that approach. After all, a resume is a marketing piece and should present only the qualifications that would help “sell” the candidate. Now I’m revisiting this issue, and my advice is that you shouldn’t omit positions from your resume just to make your work history look more desirable.

Okay, I shouldn’t use absolutes. Someone asked if a job she held for several days can be dropped. Yes, it can! An extremely short-term job is not significant enough to be listed in your employment history. Also, if you’re only including employment history from the last 10-15 years or so, of course you can omit older jobs. As is the case for most resume strategy decisions, use your judgment.

Here are the top reasons why it’s usually not a good idea to omit jobs from the resume:

1. You will look like a liar when the employer finds out during a background check, and then you’ll have some explaining to do (if a job offer is still a possibility).

2. Although resumes aren’t officially signed, legal documents like applications are, employers are expecting you to provide a thorough, honest work history. The omitted job may go unnoticed for now, but could come back to haunt you after you’re hired. Your job–and reputation–could be in jeopardy.

3. In some cases, listing the job will look better than showing a “gap.” Yes, you were employed (even if for a short time), and that will remove the employer’s concern about what you were doing during that time period.

4. It doesn’t look as bad as you think it looks. I understand that it’s a competitive job market and everyone wants to have a “perfect” work history, but very few people offer such a history. You’re human. You took a job that was a bad fit. You got fired. So what? We tend to magnify our own flaws, even when others wouldn’t notice there’s a problem.

I’m not saying that providing a complete, truthful work history is the easy approach. You could be hit with tough interview questions, but you should do fine if you anticipate the questions and prepare responses before heading into the interview.

The bottom line: You will get a new job, and can proceed with a clear conscience.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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I’m sometimes asked if people should write their own resumes. After all, who knows more about the job seeker’s accomplishments than the job seeker himself? So I’ve compiled this list of the top ten reasons why you shouldn’t write your own resume:

Top Ten Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Write Your Own Resume

10. Last time you wrote your resume, it was confused with your six-year-old’s homework assignment.

9. Your self-composed resume left you amongst the long-term unemployed.

8. You struggle with how to word your Objective section and keep coming back to the old standby, “Seeking a challenging position with a growth-oriented company.”

7. The latest version of your resume leads with your 1972 babysitting gig.

6. You’re using an IBM Selectric to format your resume’s layout.

5. You think keywords have something to do with the Dewey Decimal System.

4. Your son’s resume is more impressive than yours, and he has never held a job.

3. You’re trying to sum up a long-term career history on a one-page resume.

2. You were always the first to be eliminated in spelling bees, but there’s always spellcheck, write?

And the #1 reason why you shouldn’t write your own resume…

1. Hiring managers have an uncontrollable bout of the giggles when reading your resume.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Newspapers, blogs, sales letters, and other marketing documents use headlines to draw readers in and make them want to continue reading.

Using the same concept as headlines for sales copy (Michel Fortin’s blog post on the subject is a must-read), adding one to your resume can give you an edge over other candidates.

If you’re boring employers to tears with a ho-hum “Objective” section that focuses on you and your needs, try using a headline instead and see if that makes a difference in your resume’s response rate. I bet it does!

The goal of a headline is to capture the reader’s attention, so it should contain your value proposition. Don’t even try to create one unless you can succinctly express why the employer should hire you. Once that is clear in your mind, you can create a headline that gets noticed and makes the hiring manager want to read the rest of your resume.

Have you replaced your “Objective” section with a headline? If so, I would love to hear how it’s been working for you. Feel free to post a comment below or send me an email .

To your success,

Kim Isaacs

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I loved Norma’s post on the Monster Blog about the right way to go after an internal transfer, and I’m glad Norma pointed out the importance of updating your resume to “sell” yourself for an internal move.

If you’re trying to move up within your company, check out this article that includes strategies for an internal promotion: Resume Writing Tips for an Internal Promotion

For lateral transfers, I would add that it’s important to demonstrate transferable skills that are relevant to the new position. Find out which skills are important in the job you’re targeting, and incorporate your matching skills and accomplishments in the resume. It’s also important to show that you’ve successfully met diverse job challenges and that you quickly learn and master new skills.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

P.S.: You guys are keeping me busy with free resume reviews! My schedule is starting to get pretty hectic, so I might have to close this offer in the near future. If you would like a free review of your resume, hop on over to this thread and post your resume in the “Comments” section — before it’s too late. Thank you!

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I just interviewed a recruiter who told me that he throws away resumes that contain just one typo or spelling error. No second chances there!

While not all recruiters are that much of a stickler, it makes me wonder how many job seekers are losing opportunities because they didn’t proofread their resumes. When you think about it in the context of lost wages or lost opportunities, the importance of proofreading your resume hits home.

I would also say it’s an excellent investment to hire a writer if you’re not comfortable with your own proofreading skills. You will probably see an enormous ROI.

All the best,

Kim Isaacs

P.S. - I’m thrilled that people are submitting their resumes for a free critique on this thread. If you would like your resume reviewed, submit your resume as a comment on that thread, and I’ll review ASAP.

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A few weeks ago, a career changer posted a message on Monster’s Resume Tips board and explained that he is using “the world’s shortest resume,” admittedly created using a Microsoft Word template. (Click here to read the thread.)

Can you hear me gasping?

His message has been bothering me not only because I know he will have a difficult job search (career changer after 39 years in his field), but also because he’s not alone — many others are trying to achieve major job transitions using inferior job search documents.

If you’re apologizing for your resume, you need to improve it!

If you’re using a resume that’s not the best representation of you, you will pay with a longer and more frustrating job search and possibly lost wages.

Job searching is hard enough for people on a steady career track, and although some can get away with throwing a resume together using a Word template, most require a well-strategized document that markets them effectively. This is even more true for career changers.

Don’t have the skills to write a resume that will open doors? Bite the bullet and pay for a professional resume service. There are many talented resume writers available to take on the headache of creating your resume. Whether you take the time to learn how to write a winning resume and do it yourself, or hire a professional resume writer — please make your resume a priority. You’ll enjoy a more successful job search (and I’ll rest easier!).

All the best,

Kim Isaacs

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Stand out from the crowd, even if your career has taken an unwanted turn!

Are you unhappy in your current job and wishing you can return to a former career? Chances are, you can!

You might feel like you’ve been out of your field for so long, you wouldn’t be desirable. But there are resume and cover letter strategies you can use to make a seamless transition back to the career you loved.

Follow these tips, and please post a comment if you have other strategies that have worked for you:

Resume Tips

• Lead with a bold headline or title section that clearly states your new goal.
• Write a Qualifications Summary that emphasizes your strongest credentials related to your former career field.
• Include a Key Skills section that highlights skills related to your previous career.
• Rearrange your work history so that you lead with your former, related employment. You can rename sections as appropriate (such as “Management Experience”) so it’s clear you’re grouping work history based on type of work and not chronologically.
• Emphasize recent training or activities related to your previous career to show that you’ve kept your skills up to date.

Cover Letter Tips

• Explain your decision to return to a former career. Hiring managers will be wondering why you’re doing this, and this is a perfect chance for you to express your passion for your previous career path.
• Reference accomplishments from your earlier career so employers see that you excelled in this field.
• Give examples of how you’ve been keeping your skills refreshed.

Speaking of keeping your skills refreshed, it’s very important to do this! The best way to keep your skills updated depends on your specific career field, but options include taking a class, attending conferences, participating in networking groups, practicing your skills on a freelance basis, volunteering, and keeping abreast of industry changes and trends.

Can you think of other ways to refresh your skills to prepare for a return to a former career?

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Link to a Fox Business News interview with Anna Gilligan regarding career change resumes. I hope I made the point about how important it is to express passion for a new career — that can really make a difference in getting hired for your dream job!

Kim Isaacs

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