4 Mistakes Jobseekers Make

Mistakes Jobseekers Make

As I have watched job seekers put themselves out there, I have seen some so ready for the opportunity and others, well… not so ready. Just like in the traditional job search, if you are pushing yourself out there with a low-level résumé and no strategy for what to say when you are contacted by a potential employer, you will end up disappointed.

What are Mistakes Jobseekers Make?

1. → Leave out dreaded dinosaur terms, “responsible for”, which I covered in my post, “Is there a dinosaur in your resume?” When I look at someone’s resume or LinkedIn profile and see those words, I cringe, much like the sound of fingernails on a blackboard. Resumes and now the related LinkedIn profile and other bios on social media must speak with the active voice.

2. → Don’t waste space by positioning your headings in a left column and starting the content in a column two inches into the page. This format makes you look dated and doesn’t let you have full use of the space on the resume. You can left-justify your headings or center them but don’t let them take the valuable real estate on the side of the resume.

3. → Replace lengthy, boring objective statements: “I want a challenging position in the field of blah-blah-blah, that I can grow and find opportunities for career growth…” Outdated and me-focused, professional resume writers have turned to banner headlines:

Financial Services Analyst | Associate
Mergers & Acquisitions | Securities & Investments | Research & Compliance

4. → Often missing in resumes is a branding statement, something to engage the reader right off the bat and let them know the value of the candidate. See this one:

Recognized Leader in Airport Operations, Facilities Management, and Regulatory Compliance

Expertise in project coordination, emergency operations, and operational issues

Unifier, Motivator, and Trainer who brings operations and morale to a higher level

Or

Top-performing sales and management professional adept at reorganizing operations and executing turn-around strategies to create growing profitability in challenging economic climates. Extensive new market development expertise, focused on building long-term relationships, effective listening, and needs discovery. Expert team builder and recruiter, who engages and empowers confident, dynamic sales leaders with the drive to motivate emerging talent to succeed in sales.

To succeed in your job search, you need to market the product. What product? YOU (the job seeker) are the product in the job search.