Job applications tips

[Brian Turner]

Another one for the HR department - this time, those who will come under its scrutiny.

CNN published an excellent list of things to avoid putting in your resume when applying for a job: 25 words that hurt your resume:



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So, you're experienced? Before you advertise this in your resume, be sure you can prove it.

Often, when job seekers try to sell themselves to potential employers, they load their resumes with vague claims that are transparent to hiring managers, according to Scott Bennett, author of "The Elements of Resume Style" (AMACOM).

By contrast, the most successful job seekers avoid these vague phrases on their resumes in favor of accomplishments.

Instead of making empty claims to demonstrate your work ethic, use brief, specific examples to demonstrate your skills.

In other words, show, don't tell.

Bennett offers these examples:

Instead of... "Experience working in fast-paced environment"

Try... "Registered 120+ third-shift emergency patients per night"

Instead of... "Excellent written communication skills"

Try... "Wrote jargon-free User Guide for 11,000 users"

Instead of... "Team player with cross-functional awareness"

Try... "Collaborated with clients, A/R and Sales to increase speed of receivables and prevent interruption of service to clients."

Instead of... "Demonstrated success in analyzing client needs"

Try... "Created and implemented comprehensive needs assessment mechanism to help forecast demand for services and staffing."


The worst offenders

It's good to be hard-working and ambitious, right? The hiring manager won't be convinced if you can't provide solid examples to back up your claims.

Bennett suggests being extra-careful before putting these nice-sounding but empty words in your resume.

# Aggressive

# Ambitious

# Competent

# Creative

# Detail-oriented

# Determined

# Efficient

# Experienced

# Flexible

# Goal-oriented

# Hard-working

# Independent

# Innovative

# Knowledgeable

# Logical

# Motivated

# Meticulous

# People person

# Professional

# Reliable

# Resourceful

# Self-motivated

# Successful

# Team player

# Well-organized

[brooke]

My problem was that i'm not a team player and I dont like idiots. When you tell them that, they sort of look at you as though you cant do the job.

[IncrediBILL]

What the article failed to mention was to customize your resume towards the company where you're applying for a job.

Instead of sending them your boilerplate resume, do a little research and see if you have some specific qualifications related to their company and seed the resume with examples and buzzwords related to their business.

Sets you apart from the sea of applicants to someone with specialized skills.

BTW, I once drove over an hour for some guy that insisted I come in for an interview although I told them the commute was too far. Well, not only did I go this extra distance during rush hour for this interview against my better judgement, the idiot didn't show up on time. I waited a solid hour on this guy and was packing up and leaving when he suddenly came running out and I told him that he made a bad first impression already and if he treated employees with a lack of respect for their time, it would never work and left him with a stunned look on his face.

[feline]

Even though at times we tend to put our best foot forward when applying, seasoned and experienced applicants tend to show their real selves right away. Perhaps this is because of self-confidence, after many years of experience and they know they can do the job better than the new ones. I belong to this group of people, just don't seem to like the usual things we do when applying, e.g., dressing up very formal, being submissive just to show how 'patient' we are... won't work for me anymore. Besides, I have enjoyed working from home and have no thoughts of working for any company outside again.

[taiarain]

Originally Posted by feline

Besides, I have enjoyed working from home and have no thoughts of working for any company outside again.

Ain't that the truth! Although I consider running off to an agency for part-time work and benefits now and again, I gotta say that I am so much happier being my own boss. I have a real reason to care about my performance and the image of the company.

[SeeMe]

It is nice to be able to provide for yourself by your own rules. Benefits are nice, but a lot of the benefits offered by companies aren't really worth all that much now anyway.