The awful truth is that many homemade resumes commence with a poorly worded Objective or "Profile" or amateurish verbiage such as "Self motivated ..." or "Dedicated" or with the very stale cliche, "Results oriented ...".
Or with a weakly written "Executive Summary" or a weak or confusing Branding Statement .
There are also clumsy sentences that look like they were copied from the same sample resumes. All in all, I find such self-written efforts boring and they don't "sell" me. They won't impress or "sell" picky recruiters either.
Even perfectly written English sentences may have little or no value in marketing you! Good resume writing is much more than English 101. You cannot learn the art of effective resume writing by creating five or ten resumes. You will still be an amateur.
Many well-written Marketing and Communications resumes don't get past Sally the Screener. Why? Because they look so similar and uninviting. They cannot be scanned in seconds. Nothing jumps out at the reader. No italics or bolds are used. Accomplishments lie buried or hidden in the gray text. Nothing is properly highlighted despite the 20-30 black bullets used. (These bullets are neither smart nor strategic. They are used decoratively.)And some executives foolishly leave out a 10-line Branding Statement or Value Statement. Out of either arrogance or ignorance, they fail or omit to address any of the employer's needs upfront. Unfortunately, this is not 1990, so Sally the Screener is compelled to screen them out.
Please call me on 718-436-3504. My fees are extremely reasonable.H.R. Can't Write Winning Resumes
Recruiters usually screen out a resume in only 15 seconds. That's quite easy to do. But are they also able to write their own resume in order to avoid being screened out themselves? And are they really qualified to assist you to write yours?
In my experience, most H.R. persons do NOT know enough about selling or marketing themselves in a resume. You see, their experience of scanning, reading, critiquing, and screening out thousands of incoming resumes, does NOT teach them how to write their own. They can only criticize! (An H.R. person is like a baseball catcher who has handled thousands of balls but now tries to pitch or throw a single change-up or curve ball. Only pitchers are trained to do that.) To sell an idea or concept is often referred to as "pitching".
This morning I reviewed the resume of a worried Human Resources person who writes: "I have done much recruiting." This means she herself has previously reviewed (and screened out) hundreds of OTHER resumes. But in designing and writing her own resume, she is being screened out in seconds! Why?
First, in her Job Objective she tells the reader only what she wants or expects. It's all me-me-me. She ignores the employer's needs or requirements. Nowadays, that gets you screened out. As an HR person, she ought to know better!
Second, her entire resume consists of five run-on paragraphs or blocks of solid gray text. That's utterly BORING! Although her individual sentences are written in very good English, the five blocks of solid print look like "mashed potatoes". (For her Cover Letter she has written another boring page even though it contains good material.)
Like many H.R. people, she does know how to screen out the resumes of OTHER folks but NOT how to create and format a winning presentation (with eye appeal) of her own. Why? Because she has little or no training or understanding of how to market or sell herself on paper. (So DON'T ask H.R. persons or recruiters to help you write your resume! They can only advise you on what NOT to write.)
In 2012, after the downsizings, layoffs and bankruptcies, employers are receiving a daily avalanche of hundreds of resumes. Sally or Jim, the corporate Screeners have only 10-15 seconds to scan yours. Will your self-written resume impress them in a few seconds? I honestly DON'T think so!
Are you using the same job resume over and over again even if it's NOT working for you? Are you blaming this lack of success on the job market? How many identical resumes have you already sent to different jobs without results?
But even after a resume has been "tailored" or tweaked to fit specific jobs, a previously unsuccessful resume may continue to bomb or be screened out! Why? Because focusing or tailoring a resume may NOT "fix" resume mistakes or remove hidden resume blemishes or "red flags".
Tailoring will also require the skill and experience of a trained professional writer who knows how to do it better than an amateur like yourself! (If you have written only 5 to 10 resumes to date, then you are still an "amateur" -- as a resume writer.) Please read: [ http://www.winning-resumes.com/best_way_to_advance.htm ]
You need to ask yourself: "Am I qualified to write a winning or 'perfect' or 'tailored' resume for 2012?" I honestly don't think so! Not even after getting a bunch of "resume tips" from resume experts. Why? Because it takes a lot of skill and experience to write a winning resume.
Please E-mail or call me for a FREE consultation or price quote. My fees are extremely reasonable!
mattgreene@aol.com
Tel.: 1-718-436-3504
Copyright, 2006-2012 by Matthew Greene. All rights reserved
