Back to Back Issues Page
Career Choice E-zine, Issue #001 -- Write a Winning Resume
November 27, 2007
Each month Career Choice Guide E-Zine brings you current and in-depth information and resources to help you build your career.

If you have a friend who would enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to him or her.

If someone has forwarded this newsletter to you, you can subscribe here so you won't miss any of the tips in each issue.

For even more tips on building a rewarding career, check out the Career Choice Guide website. In this month's issue of Career Choice Guide E-Zine:

New at Career Choice Guide

I've been busy adding plenty of new articles. Here are this month's newest articles at Career Choice Guide:

Job Search Strategies

In the past month I've added plenty of articles about creative job search strategies including:

Help Wanted
 Is it worthwhile to search help wanted signs when you need to hunt for a job? It really depends on what type of work you are seeking.

Job Search Networking Tips
 If you're conducting a job search networking is typically the most effective way to find the best job opportunities. One great and often overlooked resource for job search networking is your local employment resource center.

Career Networking Tips - Professional Associations
 Professional associations and clubs can provide great career networking opportunities. Learn how to find unadvertised jobs through professional associations.

About Career Choice Guide

I always like to know a little bit of the story behind my favorite websites, so I've posted a bit about Career Choice Guide here:
About Career Choice Guide
 How Did I Become an Internet Entrepreneur?

Feature Article

Write a Winning Resume
10 Resume Mistakes to Avoid

I've seen hundreds of resumes over the years, and although each one is unique, there are several resume mistakes that are very common. Here are ten common resume mistakes to avoid:

Using Personal Pronouns

  • The words I, me and my do not belong on a resume. Sometimes it takes a bit of creative thinking to get rid of personal pronouns on your resume, but do take the time to reword any phrases that contain those words.

    Writing in Full Sentence Form

  • Employers spend mere seconds glancing at your resume before they decide if they are interested in you. Full sentences are very hard to read at a glance, and your skills and experience can easily get lost in full sentence form. Use bulleted point form in your resume so your skills, experience and accomplishments will stand out.

    Specifying Reasons for Leaving a Job

  • This information does not belong on your resume. You should be ready with information about why you left your last job when you go to an interview, but that information is not expected on a resume, and often that is the kind of information that can be better communicated in person, in an interview.

    Minimizing Your Skills and Experience

  • This is probably the most common and most detrimental mistake I've seen on resumes. Your resume is your marketing tool. You must give yourself full credit for all of your skills, experience and accomplishments. Get comfortable with the idea of "bragging" about yourself a bit. Your resume is not the place for modesty.

    Typos and Grammatical Errors

  • Your resume must be error free. Employers expect that your resume is a reflection of you at your very best. Many employers immediately stop reading any resume with a typo or grammatical error.

    More Than Two Pages

  • Employers spend very little time reviewing resumes, and anything longer than two pages will not be reviewed by an employer.

    The longest resume I have ever seen was 10 pages long. It belonged to a very bright, well educated individual who came to me because she was not getting interviews. Her most important and marketable skills were hidden throughout the body of her ten page resume. As soon as we trimmed her resume to a more manageable size, which allowed us to highlight her most marketable skills, she started getting calls for interviews.

    Being Too Vague

  • Be specific in your resume, use numbers and provide details about results whenever possible. For example, "Successful sales professional" is not as powerful as "Increased sales by 20 percent in a six month period."

    Including Irrelevant Information

  • Your resume must be tailored to the job you are seeking. If it appears unfocused and is full of irrelevant information, it will not make a powerful impression on employers. That means, if you're looking for more than one type of job, you absolutely must have more than one resume.

    Using Jargon from Other Industries

  • This mistake is common among career changers. Avoid jargon and acronyms from specific industries if you are applying outside of that industry. Instead, explain the skill in a way that can be clearly understood by people outside of the industry and in a way the demonstrates how the skill is relevant to the new job you are seeking.

    Using Clichés

  • Phrases like "seeking a challenging opportunity" or "people person" have no impact on your resume. They are so cliché, (and vague) they don't mean anything to employers.

    Good resume writing takes time, particularly if, like most people, you haven't written a lot of resumes. It's well worth the effort required to write a winning resume and stand out from the crowd.

    For more tips on resume writing, check the Resume Ideas page at CareerChoiceGuide.com

    Online Career Resource

    Job.com provides plenty of job postings and career tips. Learn how to get more job offers from Job.com. Click Here to get your FREE job search critique.

    Your persistence is your measure of faith in yourself.

    Thank you for reading the Career Choice Guide E-Zine. I welcome your comments and questions.

     Best regards,
    Lisa McGrimmon
    CareerChoiceGuide.com

    		•
    Back to Back Issues Page