“Babies that are cute may get jobs in high industry commercials, however, Email addresses that are cute on resumes couldn't even get a beautiful baby a job!”
Making a resume/cover letter is something that millions of students do every year around the world, however, only very few actually do it correctly. Are you one of them? Here are some common mistakes that you may be making.
Remember when you were in high school and we all had these little cute email addresses. Some of you may have had Bigboyinthehouse1999, dreamangel4you, or even bradpitthotti407. My childhood email address was Thugnredtytez. Imagine being an employer and seeing this as a contact option for an executive position in the government. My thoughts are you probably won’t be getting the job anytime soon. Don’t even think about using billgates2000 to land a job at Microsoft, it probably won’t work. Can you give examples of how an email should look on a resume?
List as many positive achievements as you can. Although it is morally correct to be honest! Don’t be too honest to list on your resume that your GPA was at a peaking 1.5 or your not experienced in any field. You could list volunteer experiences on your resume, which would look just as good. What kinds of things would you list as positive things that may give you the upper hand when competing for a position in your profession?
In a rejection letter, an employer usually states that they chose the candidate whom provided the best fit for their needs. The cover letter is basically a way to show your intended employer how you fit the company’s needs. For help, its good to know that you have at least 20 seconds to grab the employers attention so make sure its well-written and interesting. What things might you find vital to a cover letter?
I remember two mistakes when I made my first cover letter. I addressed the letter “To Whom It May Concern.” Although this sounds very professional, employers find this very degrading. You as an employee didn’t seek enough time and effort to even find out the name of employer? This may lead to your copy letter being tossed into the trash!
Another mistake that I’ve made was leaving the ending decision in the employer’s bare hand. “If you are interested at all in my qualifications and experience, give me a call at your earliest convenience.” Instead state that you’ll follow up with a phone call, or request an interview, which will portray you as being more pro-active.
Here is an email with some resume bloopers, check it out and give us some feedback from the questions in the blog and the link provided below:
http://www.thatwasfunny.com/mistakes-on-a-resume/291
Examples from the site:
PERSONAL INTERESTS:
“Donating blood. 14 gallons so far.”
REASONS FOR LEAVING THE LAST JOB:
“Responsibility makes me nervous.”
“They insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 every morning. Couldn’t work under those conditions.”
Hey Mentees!
ReplyDeleteFemi makes a really great point when he says to not use cutiebabe18xoxo@hotmail.com on your resume. Granted as humerous and as much as these email addresses stand out they make you stand out in a negative way. I have interned for some very large management companies and even in the entertainment industry a professional email address works wonders. So if you haven't made one yet, now's the time to do so. No lie once I changed my email address on my resumes people started to take me more seriously and it has immensely improved my acting career.
I agree that email addresses reflect on who you are, sometimes negatively. I open a new account under just my name, and while my old one wasn't that bad (hugbug77), it certainly did not scream businesslike or professional. Friendly, maybe, but not professional. :)
ReplyDeleteWell Katie emails are important but i want to share some of my own personal tips regarding resumes that might come in handy, let me know if one seems unfamiliar that you might start adhering to or one that you already have put into use!
ReplyDelete1. Use titles or headings that match the jobs you want, instead of putting Accounting / Recordkeeping, be more specific and put the exact position (ex. Management of A/R and A/P Accounts)
2. Use design that grabs attention-The design of your resume must highlight the most important information about your work experience, skills and education.DON'T PUT ANY UNRELATED SKILLS OR JOBS, THEY WILL SPOT IT IMMEADIATELY AND MAKE QUICK JUDGEMENTS
3. Create a resume that SELLS!- Maybe one of your skills were to Maintain records for accounts receivable and accounts payable accounts. However, this is more enticing-Managed over 1,000 accounts receivable and payable accounts working directly with the Chief Financial Officer.
4.CHOICE of WORDS MATTER-EX. Gave work assignments to staff of entry level accounting clerks. Instead of basic verbs come strong, ex.-Directed workflow, supervised and trained accounting staff performing posting to general ledger, accounts receivable and payable accounts.
5. Lastly, identify and solve employer's hidden needs. Employers will have many more needs that you should identify and address your resume and cover letter. DO YOUR RESEARCH!
i hope all of these tips help you out, mentees. If you already have a working resume, make the necessary changes to make it the most efficient thus allowing you to stand out of potential competition
One of the tips listed that I have not used before is the cover letter. That is something new for me, and something that I have not realy even thought about before. I am wondering what the benefit of having a cover letter is and what kind of an edge it would give me in applying for a job.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie about the whole cover letters thing. I have tried attachinh a cover letter once before but I find them to be very difficult. I never know what to include and what not to include. I guess with practice one would get better at that. I do really like the tips provided though. Those are helpful.
ReplyDeleteI do think that things like your email address reflect heavily on how professional you are. I remember when I was in high school I was talking to an advisor or something and she asked for my email address, and at that time it was chevys4ever, and she recommend that I consider making an addition one that was more professional to put on applications and the like. She was right, you can only tell so much about a person on paper and all those little things help the employer create a picture of what you might be like, good or bad.
By the way, those resume bloopers were really funny.
Sierra Allmand
Femi, You have really good points to use in a resume. I too have never really thought about using a cover letter but I see all the benefits it could have. I also think having a professional email account is vital for a future employers to take you seriously. I know if I were hiring for a company I would not take you as serious if you had a funny email. I think it is also important that people look for outside resources such as the internet to create a professional resume and get good tips.
ReplyDeleteI currently have my resume out for a couple positions, so I'm interested to see how things will turn out! If I get any good bites while I'm still in this class, I'll let you know! :)
ReplyDeleteDear Katie and Sallmand,
ReplyDeleteI don't think employers focus too much on cover letters. I think they tend to go straight to the resume. Then they would look over the cover letter if they're still interested. However, i read somewhere that one manager claimed to have read over 20,000 resumes but read only 4,000 cover letters.
After much research i found that employers tend to place the cover letter behind the resume when pulling it from an envelope. The resume is scanned, and then if interest follows, the cover letter is viewed.
Dear Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you see the efficiency in making a cover letter. Just remember to your time to research and understand a company before committing yourself on paper as their next potential employee.
Here's a couple two more regarding the Cover letter that you may find USEFUL!
1. Cover letters should be specific and personal. Each letter should refer to a specific person at a specific company and provide a specific next step of action that you will be taking.
2. Don't expect the employer to make the first step. If you wait for them to call you, your odds of contact decrease dramatically.
Have you ever heard of the Squeaky Wheel Theory Ryan? If you respond to me, I'll respond to you. If not, you will likely find yourself buried underneath the millions of potential resumes. Be the one who stands out my friend!
Yeah agree with this first post, I haven't sent out very many resumes but even less cover letters. I talked about this with my boss and she says it really makes a difference in her attitude towards an interviewee. I do, however, plan on using one each and every time after her comment.
ReplyDeleteI specifically created a new e-mail address for jobs that only contains my name. I know it makes a difference in regards to how I am perceived. It also makes me feel less self-conscious of how various friends and/or professors will judge me.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to cover letters, I haven't used one before. It's a completely new animal and I'm hoping to write some professional and intriguing ones shortly. I'm actually putting this lesson to use by the end of the month because I'm applying for internships. I'm excited/nervous!
ReplyDeleteFemi,
ReplyDeleteThat's the one thing I'm interested in learning more about: standing out. I know a slight change in formatting and color help, but what else? I don't want to go too overboard and submit an Elle Woods style resume.
Dear Stephanie,
ReplyDeletehahahaha so funny, if those of you aren't familiar with Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) she's the character in legally blonde whom applied to Harvard with a VIDEO RESUME...Some facts to consider in her case
Her positives (+)
- Highest GPA in Delta Nu
- President of her Sorority
- 4.0 GPA from CULA
- 179 LSAT score
- Appeared in a Ricky Martin video
- Harvard has never had a fashion major before
- Designed a pair of faux per panties for sorority charity project
- A friend to the animals and a philanthropist
- Has an impressive list of extra curricular activities
Her Negatives (-)
Majored in Fashion Merchandising
- Aced History of Poka Dots which is not very impressive
- Has no legal experience what-so-ever
- Submitted a video resume: against standard admissions protocol
- An unclear intent for pursuing law
My question for you Mentees is, if you were on the admission board would you grant her admission based upon this evaluation??? Take the VIDEO RESUME INTO STRICT ACCOUNTANCE
(i bet there will be split opinions about this)
Dear Stephanie/Mentees,
ReplyDeleteI believe there's a fine line between getting recognition and turning people off. One has to remember that Elle Woods' approach worked in HOLLYWOOD, its a movie! In the movie she had access to scripted roles for the Harvard admissions committee, so this idea probably wouldn't work in the real world.
4 ways to make your resume stand out
(NOTE: MANY PEOPLE DON'T DO THIS)
1.Include a career summary at the top of your resume. You only have a matter of seconds if you're lucky to impress a human resource. By including a career summary at the top, it will give managers an immediate snapshot of your skills and accomplishments.
2. Make sure your resume and cover letter are tailored to EACH job.
3. Allow yourself to become more than a name on a piece of paper. Do whatever you can to find some kind of employee connection at a company. Send an email out to your contact list asking if anyone has a connection at the place your is applying
4. It's 2010 mentees (computer automation), create a web presence (blog) showcases your abilities and expertise in a certain area.