Help! I’m Getting Bad Resume Advice!
By Jeremy Cyrus 07/31/2012
You know that your resume is the central document of your job search, and you know that it’s a good idea to enlist the help of a second pair of eyes, at the very least, before you send your resume out to potential employers. But what happens when you bring in those additional pairs of eyes and the advice you receive is confusing, conflicting, or worse? Here are some examples of the comments our clients have heard from family and friends over the years:
“Employers don’t look twice at a resume if it’s longer than one page.”
“Just load it up with buzzwords like ‘solution-provider’ and ‘innovative game- changer.’ Business people are stupid. They fall for stuff like that all the time.”
“Nobody will hire you if you were laid off from your last job. Just change the dates. Instead of 2007-2012, say 2007-present.”
“Leave the dates out altogether. They make you look like a job-hopper and if they’re not in there, nobody will notice.”
“Don’t list your freelancing jobs. They don’t count as real jobs.”
If you question the resume advice you’re getting from colleagues and friends, consider these tips:
1. Take advice with a grain of salt. At the end of the day, you’re the one who has to stand behind your resume. Get help and input, but maintain control over the process.
2. Don’t let anyone tell you to lie, hide, fudge dates of employment, or alter the titles of your positions. These are easy for employers to investigate.
3. Never assume employers will be easily fooled, easily angered, or will hurl your resume into the trash without reading it.
4. At the same time, don’t assume managers will still hire you despite your grammatical mistakes. Most employers treat resumes with respect, but they still have to choose between several contenders for each open position. Turn to FreeResumeBuilder.org for additional tips and guidance.