hope it helps with your next job application.. 
What's Wrecking Your Résumé
By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer
'Exceptional communication, leadership and management skills.' To a seasoned résumé reviewer, that line reads: yada, yada, yada, says Kurt Weyerhauser, managing partner for Kensington Stone, a California-based executive search firm.
Why?
"People who read résumés for a living dismiss such comments because they are subjective assertions made by the only person who has anything to gain from them -- you," Weyerhauser says. "How do I know if you have the expertise to make accurate assessments about the quality of such skills?"
Along with using subjective assertions, experts say job applicants are famous for filling their résumés with jargon words and empty language that say nothing of their actual capabilities -- and it's the most detrimental move a job seeker can make.
"Verbs such as 'assist,' 'contribute' or 'support' without any additional information mean essentially nothing to a recruiter or hiring manager," says Michele Minten, director of centralized recruiting for Hudson, a New York- based recruiting firm. "Instead, a job seeker needs to be specific in how he or she assisted with a particular project."
Empty phrases
One thing you won't see on a successful résumé is empty phrases describing your work; instead, you'll find specific examples illustrating your accomplishments.
"The secret of a great résumé is that it leads the reader, on his or her own, to come up with the very assertions you would like to make," Weyerhauser says. "The best way to achieve this is to show, not tell. Use facts, not feelings."
Check out these expert examples of empty phrases:
Phrase: "Proficiency in problem identification."
Problem: "People want solutions, not problems," says Jo Bennett, partner at Battalia Winston, U.S. member form of the Amrop Hever, a New-York based executive search firm. Instead, describe the solutions for specific problems you solved, she says.
Phrase: "Cultivated a team-based atmosphere."
Problem: On the surface, this may seem like nice wording, but it leaves people wondering what the person actually did that accomplished the claim, says Christopher Novak, an author, motivational speaker and leadership coach with The Summit Team, a leadership consulting firm in Syracuse, New York.
"It's almost too good a word to carry credibility in that it's slick but not substantive," he says.
Phrase: "Demonstrates proven ability... ."
Problem: "The activity will demonstrate your availability," Bennett says. Take out demonstrate and just include 'proven ability to (insert important activity here).'
Phrase: "Championed family-friendly policies that increased retention."
Problem: This phrase is hollow, Novak says. "It gives the impression that they somehow pushed through major policy initiatives when more often, one discovers that they simply added their voice to someone else's work."
Jargon buzzwords to avoid
There's no shame in being ambitious, aggressive, a people-person or a team-player, but anyone can describe themselves in those terms, Minten says. The best way to demonstrate those qualities is through achievements that explain what makes a person that way, she says.
But, Minten adds, while using the latest buzzwords won't get a hiring manager's attention, understanding what the keywords are for your particular industry or job function will.
Here's a list of 25 buzzwords to avoid (or use sparingly), according to Bennett, Novak and Minten.
• Top-flight
• Collaborative
• Interface
• Innovative
• Energetic
• Problem-solver
• Proclivity
• Strategic
• Dynamic
• Ethical
• Penchant
• Aggressive
• Motivated
• 'Outstanding communication skills'
• Creative
• Goal-oriented
• Proactive
• Team player
• Take-charge
• Entrepreneurial
• Detail-oriented
• Organized
• Hard-working
• Ambitious
• People-person
Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Résumé
By Mary Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com writer
Ah, the wisdom of teen movies. Remember in “Clueless” when Cher and Dionne gave Miss Geist a makeover in the faculty lounge? All it took was a few minor adjustments to turn the disheveled teacher into “not a total Betty, but a vast improvement.” The same principle can be applied to your résumé.
Look at your résumé: Would you still be compelled to read it if it wasn’t your own, or would the vast array of typos, unusual fonts, long sentences and obscure language turn you away? While your résumé may not be a full-on Monet (meaning, up close, it’s a big old mess), it may simply need some minor tweaking in order to get noticed. Take these five small steps to see big results.
1. Spell check… the old-fashioned way.
Spelling and grammar errors can be the kiss of death for résumés: They show employers that you don’t pay attention to detail. Computer spell-check programs don’t always pick up these errors, so make sure you proofread it yourself before handing it in. For insurance and a fresh perspective, have a friend look it over, too.
2. Put it in reverse chronological order.
Organize your résumé to reflect your most recent job at the top and include dates of employment. Employers tend to prefer these over functional résumés, which can be great if you’re switching career paths, but otherwise make it difficult to determine when you worked where and can hide employment gaps.
3. Simplify your language.
Keep your sentences short and don't worry about fragments.
• Leave out personal pronouns like “I,” “my” and “me.” Saying, “I performed” this or “I demonstrated” that is redundant. Who else would you be talking about if not yourself?
• Omit the articles “a,” “an” and “the.” Instead of “Coordinated the special events for the alumni association,” simplify it to say, “Coordinated alumni association special events.”
• Take out terms like “assisted in,” “participated in,” and “helped with.” If you assisted in managing client accounts, simply say, “Managed client accounts.” You can explain later what this role entailed.
• Change passive statements to active verbs. Saying “Coordinated client meetings” instead of “Ensured client meetings were coordinated” adds punch and clarity to a job description.
• Exclude words like “responsibilities” and “duties” under job listings. Your résumé should focus on accomplishments, not tasks.
4. Eliminate clutter.
Format your résumé for consistency and easy reading.
• Bold, italicize or underline important headlines (just don’t do all three at once – that’s overkill).
• Create a bulleted list – not a paragraph formation – for job descriptions
• Use a standard font like 11 point Times New Roman or Arial. Fancier fonts are not only harder to read, but they may become garbled in an e-mail format.
• Combine series’ of short, odd jobs into one listing. (For example: “1999-2002 Barista – Village Café, Starbucks, Seattle’s Best…”)
5. Read it aloud.
Reading your résumé aloud will help you identify areas that need improvement or clarification. If something doesn’t sound right to you, it won’t sound right to a hiring manager.
What's Wrecking Your Résumé
By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer
'Exceptional communication, leadership and management skills.' To a seasoned résumé reviewer, that line reads: yada, yada, yada, says Kurt Weyerhauser, managing partner for Kensington Stone, a California-based executive search firm.
Why?
"People who read résumés for a living dismiss such comments because they are subjective assertions made by the only person who has anything to gain from them -- you," Weyerhauser says. "How do I know if you have the expertise to make accurate assessments about the quality of such skills?"
Along with using subjective assertions, experts say job applicants are famous for filling their résumés with jargon words and empty language that say nothing of their actual capabilities -- and it's the most detrimental move a job seeker can make.
"Verbs such as 'assist,' 'contribute' or 'support' without any additional information mean essentially nothing to a recruiter or hiring manager," says Michele Minten, director of centralized recruiting for Hudson, a New York- based recruiting firm. "Instead, a job seeker needs to be specific in how he or she assisted with a particular project."
Empty phrases
One thing you won't see on a successful résumé is empty phrases describing your work; instead, you'll find specific examples illustrating your accomplishments.
"The secret of a great résumé is that it leads the reader, on his or her own, to come up with the very assertions you would like to make," Weyerhauser says. "The best way to achieve this is to show, not tell. Use facts, not feelings."
Check out these expert examples of empty phrases:
Phrase: "Proficiency in problem identification."
Problem: "People want solutions, not problems," says Jo Bennett, partner at Battalia Winston, U.S. member form of the Amrop Hever, a New-York based executive search firm. Instead, describe the solutions for specific problems you solved, she says.
Phrase: "Cultivated a team-based atmosphere."
Problem: On the surface, this may seem like nice wording, but it leaves people wondering what the person actually did that accomplished the claim, says Christopher Novak, an author, motivational speaker and leadership coach with The Summit Team, a leadership consulting firm in Syracuse, New York.
"It's almost too good a word to carry credibility in that it's slick but not substantive," he says.
Phrase: "Demonstrates proven ability... ."
Problem: "The activity will demonstrate your availability," Bennett says. Take out demonstrate and just include 'proven ability to (insert important activity here).'
Phrase: "Championed family-friendly policies that increased retention."
Problem: This phrase is hollow, Novak says. "It gives the impression that they somehow pushed through major policy initiatives when more often, one discovers that they simply added their voice to someone else's work."
Jargon buzzwords to avoid
There's no shame in being ambitious, aggressive, a people-person or a team-player, but anyone can describe themselves in those terms, Minten says. The best way to demonstrate those qualities is through achievements that explain what makes a person that way, she says.
But, Minten adds, while using the latest buzzwords won't get a hiring manager's attention, understanding what the keywords are for your particular industry or job function will.
Here's a list of 25 buzzwords to avoid (or use sparingly), according to Bennett, Novak and Minten.
• Top-flight
• Collaborative
• Interface
• Innovative
• Energetic
• Problem-solver
• Proclivity
• Strategic
• Dynamic
• Ethical
• Penchant
• Aggressive
• Motivated
• 'Outstanding communication skills'
• Creative
• Goal-oriented
• Proactive
• Team player
• Take-charge
• Entrepreneurial
• Detail-oriented
• Organized
• Hard-working
• Ambitious
• People-person
Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Résumé
By Mary Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com writer
Ah, the wisdom of teen movies. Remember in “Clueless” when Cher and Dionne gave Miss Geist a makeover in the faculty lounge? All it took was a few minor adjustments to turn the disheveled teacher into “not a total Betty, but a vast improvement.” The same principle can be applied to your résumé.
Look at your résumé: Would you still be compelled to read it if it wasn’t your own, or would the vast array of typos, unusual fonts, long sentences and obscure language turn you away? While your résumé may not be a full-on Monet (meaning, up close, it’s a big old mess), it may simply need some minor tweaking in order to get noticed. Take these five small steps to see big results.
1. Spell check… the old-fashioned way.
Spelling and grammar errors can be the kiss of death for résumés: They show employers that you don’t pay attention to detail. Computer spell-check programs don’t always pick up these errors, so make sure you proofread it yourself before handing it in. For insurance and a fresh perspective, have a friend look it over, too.
2. Put it in reverse chronological order.
Organize your résumé to reflect your most recent job at the top and include dates of employment. Employers tend to prefer these over functional résumés, which can be great if you’re switching career paths, but otherwise make it difficult to determine when you worked where and can hide employment gaps.
3. Simplify your language.
Keep your sentences short and don't worry about fragments.
• Leave out personal pronouns like “I,” “my” and “me.” Saying, “I performed” this or “I demonstrated” that is redundant. Who else would you be talking about if not yourself?
• Omit the articles “a,” “an” and “the.” Instead of “Coordinated the special events for the alumni association,” simplify it to say, “Coordinated alumni association special events.”
• Take out terms like “assisted in,” “participated in,” and “helped with.” If you assisted in managing client accounts, simply say, “Managed client accounts.” You can explain later what this role entailed.
• Change passive statements to active verbs. Saying “Coordinated client meetings” instead of “Ensured client meetings were coordinated” adds punch and clarity to a job description.
• Exclude words like “responsibilities” and “duties” under job listings. Your résumé should focus on accomplishments, not tasks.
4. Eliminate clutter.
Format your résumé for consistency and easy reading.
• Bold, italicize or underline important headlines (just don’t do all three at once – that’s overkill).
• Create a bulleted list – not a paragraph formation – for job descriptions
• Use a standard font like 11 point Times New Roman or Arial. Fancier fonts are not only harder to read, but they may become garbled in an e-mail format.
• Combine series’ of short, odd jobs into one listing. (For example: “1999-2002 Barista – Village Café, Starbucks, Seattle’s Best…”)
5. Read it aloud.
Reading your résumé aloud will help you identify areas that need improvement or clarification. If something doesn’t sound right to you, it won’t sound right to a hiring manager.
Comment