Finance Globe
Don’t Repeat these Resume Blunders
CareerBuilder recently surveyed more than 2,000 hiring and human resources managers, spanning a variety of company sizes and industries.
As an applicant, here are two takeaways from the survey that you don’t want to overlook:
• 70 percent of employers spend five minutes or less reviewing a resume.
• Nearly half of employers only spend two minutes reviewing a resume.
Along with the above, the survey notes that approximately 50 percent of hiring managers have caught a lie on a resume.
A Blunder is a Bad Thing
When reviewing your resume, you want the hiring manager to be impressed. You want them to enjoy the information so much that they contact you for an interview.
The CareerBuilder survey listed some of the many blunders hiring managers have come across. Here are five of the most entertaining:
• Applicant claimed to be a former CEO of the company to which they were applying.
• Applicant claimed to have worked in a jail when they were really in there serving time.
• Applicant for a driver position claimed to have 10 years of experience but had only had a driver’s license for four years.
• Applicant’s stated job history had him in three different companies and three different cities simultaneously.
• Applicant claimed to be a Nobel Prize winner.
All of these blunders have one thing in common: they started with a lie. If you are 100 percent honest on your resume, which you should be, you never have to concern yourself with this type of mistake.
It may sound like a good idea to lie on your resume. You may believe this is the only way to secure a position. But when it comes down to it, this is not something you should consider.
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Comments 2
Great information! Over stating one's education and experience is a deal breaker. As a past employer's representative, not telling the truth is the end. Calling repeatedly to inquire/push is a deal breaker. Contacting other manager's and board members to place pressure on the hiring authority is not going to get you hired (in most cases). Networking does work and can be a work around on the normal hiring process. Use action words in the resume to capture the hiring authority's attention (only words that can be verified) when the hiring authority can find creditable sources to confirm the action (I managed a budget of $500,000, I managed 20 people, I made $100,000, I lead a team to invent a new widget). Many employers like using scanning software to reduce the number of resumes so you need to capture the spot light honestly. In today's world more and more employers are using credit checks, past employment verification, driving record reviews, drug-alcohol checks, FBI and State Criminal Background checks so don't get caught lying as they will find the activity (some are even hiring law enforcement to do the background checks). Yes, it is exhausting and frustrating to look for a job. In my mind, it is more work than holding a job. Treat the job search like a job! Good luck and best wishes.
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