What Annoys Recruiters About Online Résumés
By Joyce Lain Kennedy
If your online résumé has dropped off the space of the cyberworld, see if you're committing any of the following online résumé practices that recruiters, chatting professionally, say drives them to distraction.
Too Much Information
"I give bad marks to people who think that sending their résumé multiple times will increase their chance of getting a call for an interview. It won't."
Gang Bang
"My big peeve: When the applicant puts several addresses in the 'To' e-mail box and mass mails the résumé. This unprofessional shortcut looks like no care is taken in applying to each individual position."
Dates Matter
"What annoys me is when job seekers send résumés and don't specify start and end dates for jobs. As if this won't be at the top of my list to ask in an interview and a reference check -- if they get to the interview process at all."
"Two old dodges don't fly with me: Trying to hide a résumé gap by listing employment dates at the end of the summaries, rather than in the left-hand margin, or substituting the number of years at a company for the real dates."
Guess Who I Work For
"I am unimpressed with confidential résumés that fail to list the current employer. That's understandable for job board postings, but when sending a résumé to a specific employer, the current employer should be listed."
Comment: Careful here. Résumés directed to specific employers may wind up in big résumé databases that your boss can see. One solution: Use a generic description of your current position and skills and say you'll reveal the current employer's name in a job interview.
Guess Who I Am
"I get incomplete résumés and cover letters without contact information. We have offices in the United States and Canada, and it's a pain when candidates only give me a Hotmail.com address."
Comment: In addition to the Hotmail.com address, a post office box and a dedicated telephone answering machine can help when you want to protect your privacy but make it easy for a recruiter to contact you.
No On Overqualified
"One of my biggest issues is when I advertise for one to two years' sales experience, entry-level considered, and I get résumés of people who have 10 years of experience making $60-80K. I do not know of many jobs that will pay someone $60K for one year of experience."
"Concerning managers responding to foot soldier positions, I recently did a post for salespeople, and everyone I got was at CEO, VP or director level, who had been managing large groups of people for 10 years. Why would I hire that level of person when I can't afford them and they've been out of the trenches for so long that they won't add value? And they will always be looking for something better."
Yes On Overqualified
"People with lots of good experience can move up in the organization and use their network to help replace themselves in the junior positions. We recruiters should not overlook folks who might really be great contributors to our companies."
"In these days of layoffs, have none of you who won't consider the 'overqualified' résumé ever once considered that any job is better than no job? Before you declare those résumés to be time-wasters, consider the situation the people they describe are in and whether they might prove to be of extraordinary value. You'll get a lot more for your money from someone with so much experience, and you never know what they might add to your organization! Been there, done that."
Big Fibbers
"I have no patience for people who lie on their résumé, claiming they have a degree they never obtained or worked for a company they never worked for."
Comment: Background checks are getting renewed attention.
Wrong Cover Letter Info
"'I have researched the rapid growth of your company and am looking forward to an opportunity.' Unfortunately, we've done two rounds of layoffs in the last year and haven't been growing. Makes me wonder what company they are researching."
Best Tries
Anxious to get back to the working stiff brigade? Reflect on these comments and gain insights for punching up your online résumé.
Send career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007, or e-mail her at jlk@sunfeatures.com. Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.
©2001 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
