Résumé Don'ts and Outrageous Résumé Lies
You probably know that your résumé is vital when it comes to finding a job. It’s the only way to get an interview; without one you won't even be considered. And just having one isn’t enough. Your résumé needs to be virtually perfect. Without meeting you first, it’s all hiring managers have to go on, so if it’s flawed, it communicates that you’re flawed.
In CareerBuilder.com story, “Six Serious Résumé Blunders,” writer Anthony Balderama lets us in on some tips that could save your professional life. The following are taken from his list:
1. “Forgetting the employer.” Customize your résumé for the job and company you’re applying to. Don’t simply list your tasks and send the same stock résumé to hiring managers everywhere. Describe your skills and show how they’ll benefit the employer. Spending the extra time to personalize it so it applies shows you actually care about getting the job.
2. “Not using keywords.” Think of this as optimizing your résumé. Employers often use search tools to find candidates online, based on certain keywords that signal they’re a good match. Be specific in the words you use to make sure you’re sought after for the right jobs.
3. “Using an objective instead of a career summary.” While the objective statement used to be common, it has been replaced with the career summary to show employers who you are and what your experience has been, rather than what it is you’re looking for.
4. “Not proofreading.” Spelling and grammar mistakes will show the hiring manager you are lazy and don’t care about the position enough to check for errors.
5. “Not keeping up appearances.” Make your interviewer want to read your résumé by formatting it so that it’s easy to read and aesthetically appealing. Keep it simple and clean, so that the eye can follow it without stress.
6. “Lying.” You’ll get caught, and then you’ll always be known as a liar. Hiring managers have seen it all, and know how to spot the fakers. You’ll never get hired if they find out — and they probably will. In fact, CareerBuilder.com has also published survey results showing that half of managers claim to have caught job candidates in résumé lies.
We're not talking about bending the truth here, either. HR directors claimed to have been told some really absurd lies — the kind you'd have to be stupid to try to get away with. Among the lies candidates have reportedly attempted, here are a few examples:
1) Claimed to be a member of the Kennedy family;
2) Invented a school that did not exist;
3) Submitted a resume with someone else’s photo inserted into the document;
4) Claimed to be a member of Mensa;
5) Claimed to have worked for the hiring manager before, but never had;
6) Claimed to be the CEO of a company when the candidate was an hourly employee;
7) Listed military experience dating back to before he was born;
8) Included samples of work, which the interviewer actually did;
9) Claimed to be Hispanic when he was 100 percent Caucasian;
10) Claimed to have been a professional baseball player.
Who would try to get away with those? Blatant lies about places you've worked or things you've done would never be a good idea — consider yourself warned. Be truthful. Outline skills and experience you actually have; that's the only way to find a job you're suited for anyway. You'll be expected to live up to what you claim on your résumé, so lying could only get you in trouble, even if you don't get caught. If you think it's OK to fabricate, because you think everyone does it, or for whatever justification — you'll probably be unemployed for a while. Good luck!
Diversified Industrial Staffing is a recruiting / staffing firm based in
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