Recruiters Off the Clock: The Most Common Resume Mistakes

They spend hours rounding up recruits, scoping out search assignments, consulting with their clients, and negotiating job offers. At the end of a long day, they’re ready to dish and we make sure we’re on hand to capture their very best insights to share in our Recruiters Off the Clock blog series.

The Question:

What are the biggest resume mistakes you’ve been seeing lately? 

The Recruiters: 

Eddie Lartey

Eddie works in Hiring Success with our partner company, Fitzii. Fitzii is an all-in-one hiring solution for small to medium businesses that offers access to expert hiring advisors with smart recruitment tools and software to help companies hire better, faster, and more affordably.

 Sriram Murthy
Sriram has worked in technical recruiting since 2011 and has been helping skilled candidates find meaningful work with Raise’s engineering, IT, and telecom clients since 2016. 

 

Abhishek Sahay 

Abhishek’s post-secondary education in human resources laid the foundation for his successful career in IT and technical staffing and recruitment. He has been part of the Raise team since 2016.  

Afrin Kammarched 

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering, Afrin brings a wealth of relevant knowledge and experience to her role as IT Recruiter with Raise. 

The Dish:

“Showcasing your skills and experience is important, but I’m seeing more and more resumes lately where people just don’t know when to stop. You’ve got to be able to tell your story in clear, concise way and that’s just not happening with a five-page resume. Tailor your resume in a way that really showcases the specific skills and experience you have that match the skills and experience outlined in the job ad. That editing might take a bit of extra time and effort, but it’s worth every second.” 
Eddie Lartey, Fitzii Hiring Advisor 
 
“With a lot of the web-based systems that manage applications, submitting a cover letter comes across as an optional thing to do, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to do it. It shows you’ve put some time and thought into your application and it gives you a great opportunity to get really specific about how your skills and qualifications make you a great fit for the position. If the system only allows you to attach one document, make a PDF that includes a cover letter that is followed by your resume.” 
Sriram Murthy, Raise Recruitment Manager 
 
“Even at work, more and more people are accessing their email on their mobile devices. That means your resume should be mobile friendly and we’re seeing many that aren’t. Take the time to open a PDF of your resume on your phone or tablet and see how it looks. Make sure it’s easy to read on any size of screen.” 
Abhishek Sahay, Raise Recruiter 
 
“Career objectives or impact statements that don’t make an impact are really just a waste of space. Including a generic statement like, ‘I want to work for a company that reflects my goals and values,’ says so little about you that it’s probably better not to include it at all and dedicate that space to your relevant skills and experience instead. If you’re going to include an impact statement, you need it to really capture why you are an ideal candidate to work for that company or in that industry.” 
Afrin Kammarched, Raise IT Recruiter 
 
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