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Job seekers can get desperate. But those looking for work should be cautious with the job search advice they choose to follow. Some advice, such as these 10 "suggestions," will drop a resume to the bottom of the pile.
- One of the biggest pitfalls a prospective employee can fall into is skipping the summary or objective section at the top of a resume, according to BusinessWeek's Liz Ryan. The summary gets right to the point. The last thing you want to do is to waste the time of an overloaded employer.
- Advice to do just the opposite also can be a problem. Giving too much information will hide your talents. While there is some debate on whether a resume should be one or two pages long, it should never exceed that limit. Any more is overkill.
- Employers want to get a sense of the person they are hiring. They can't do that if your resume is filled with corporate mumbo jumbo. Be clever and avoid using trite expressions. Remember, you are marketing yourself just like you would market a product -- the ultimate goal is to get your audience to pay for your product.
- If the call of nature happens at the same time as you receive a call from a prospective employer, it is better to let the caller know that you are tied up just now, but you would love to speak to her again in an hour (or whatever is a more convenient time). You would hardly be effective during the interview if you are trying to rush through it in order to get somewhere else.
- Ryan says that you should bring up salary at the earliest opportunity. If your salary requirements don't sync with what the company is willing to offer, you're wasting time that could be better utilized elsewhere.
- There is nothing wrong with finding employment opportunities through job boards, classifieds and company websites, but don't limit yourself to those avenues. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter get the word out that you're looking for a job.
- While it's true that increasing numbers of companies want resumes emailed, sending a paper version via snail mail could be the edge you need to get noticed. Emails can get deleted or removed by a spam filter. Another tip: Use the best quality paper you can afford for your resume. If it's soft white or ivory, you may get bonus points. Both help your resume stand out against the bright white copy paper versions on an employer's desk. One caveat though: some companies will tell you to email your resume and then give you both email and snail mail addresses. If you mail it in, it's a sign that you can't follow directions.
- As long as the job posting doesn't request "no calls" about the position, go ahead and call. It may put you ahead of others whose resumes are still in that stack on the corner of your future boss' desk. If the ad does request that you refrain from calling, use your social networking contacts to have someone put in a good word on your behalf.
- Ryan says giving your list of references to your potential employer before it is clear that you have a good chance of being hired is a no-no. Why? Put yourself in your reference's place. She doesn't want to deal with every person you applied to work for.
- If you post your resume on every job board you can find, you'll become over exposed and undervalued, according to Ryan. (The exception to this rule is IT work.) Doing this shows that you don't have quite the network you should have. In other words, you'll look desperate.
