ShareThisBy MARVIN WALBERG
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
As a writer and job search coach, I'm very aware of the importance of detail and editing. As job seekers, I encourage you to pay attention to every detail of your job search, and learn to edit every job search related document, from cover letters to resumes to thank you notes. And, when you get through, edit it all again!
According to a survey developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service that provides marketing, advertising, creative and web professionals on a project basis, you should "sweat the small stuff" when creating resumes. One-third of advertising and marketing executives polled said typos and grammatical errors are the most common mistake creative professionals make on their resumes. Providing too much information was the second most prevalent error, cited by 23 percent of respondents.
The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and includes 250 responses - 125 from advertising executives with the nation's 1,000 largest advertising agencies and 125 from senior marketing executives with the nation's 1,000 largest companies.
The question asked was, "In your experience, what is the most common resume mistake made by creative professionals?"
Their responses:
Typos or grammatical errors......33 percent
Too much information...............23 percent
Ineffective resume layout or design..16 percent
Insufficient information................14 percent
Inaccurate information..................3 percent
Information not targeted................2 percentOther.......................................5 percent
None/don't know.........................4 percent
The following are some "fun" examples of resume mistakes that could slip by a spell-checker, collected by Robert Half, founder of The Creative Group's parent company, Robert Half International:
_Languages: "Speak English and Spinach.
_Cover Letters: "I prefer a fast-paste work environment."
_Cover Letter: "I'm attacking my resume for you to review."
_Duties: "I was the company's liaison with the sock exchange."
_Cover Letter: "My work ethics are impeachable."
Dave Willmer, executive director of The Creative Group, adds, "Job seekers should think like editors when refining their application materials. An extra set of eyes is always helpful. In fact, having several detail-oriented friends review these documents is the best way to ensure they are ready for a prospective employer."
As I always say, don't skip steps. Your job search is your job right now, and the toughest one you'll ever have. Let it demonstrate the quality of work you will do when hired.
(Marvin Walberg is a job search coach. You may contact him at mwalberg(at)bellsouth.net, marvinwalberg.blogspot.com, or PO Box 43056, Birmingham, AL 35243
