ShareThisIn a competitive employment market, it can be tempting to apply for every available position, whether or not you're qualified. But this approach wastes the hiring manager's time and yours. Consider jobs that best match your skills and experience, then customize your application materials for each position you target.
The following candidates should have fine-tuned their objectives to reflect the requirements of the jobs they sought:
"OBJECTIVE: A non-lame job."
A pretty lame objective.
"OBJECTIVE: To obtain the blank position with the blank and build upon my skills and many years of experience."
This half-completed application gives us all the information we need.
"OBJECTIVE: To get a job and make lots of money."
Isn't that almost every job seeker's goal?
Speaking of statements that lack specificity, this person gave interested hiring managers little to go on:
"REFERENCES: Too many to list."
Why don't you start by offering two or three?
Before submitting your documents to an employer, review them a final time and delete extraneous information. The following applicant could have whittled down his point to one word: punctuality.
"ASSETS: I always like arriving on time. I do not like being late. Therefore, I am very prompt."
We get the idea.
RESUME: "Some skills, experiences and talents were edited out to keep this already-long resume from getting longer."
Good news.
Finally, as I've said many times before, a rude or demanding attitude never helps your prospects.
RESUME: "Please, employers, no more moronic responses."
Trust us, we won't be in contact.
RESUME: "Put 'digital artist' in the subject line of your e-mail, or I'll immediately delete it."
We're not too worried.
(Max Messmer is chairman and CEO of Robert Half International, a specialized staffing firm. For more Resumania, and to submit samples you've come across, visit www.resumania.com. Examples can be sent to Resumania, c/o Robert Half International, 2884 Sand Hill Road, Suite 200, Menlo Park, Calif., 94025, or faxed to 650-234-6998.)
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RESUMANIA
