5 Critical Areas of Weakness With Your Resume -

5 Critical Areas of Weakness With Your Resume -Each week, I critique a new resume on-air over at www.jobtalkamerica.com. And over the past couple of months Ive started to elendice some of what I like to call terrible resume trends. Theyre common mistakes that everyday job seekers are makingand they have no idea that theyre making them (How can you fix whats wrong if you dont even know what that is) Well, Im here to open your eyes and (hopefully) start getting you some interviews. Below is a list of weaknesses (the five most common) that people tend to overlook on their resumes.THE FONTYou may not think the font you choose for your resume is very important, but it communicates more than you think. Use a font thats too small, and the documents will be too hard to readand the hiring manager wont even invest any time in it. Use one thats too large and youll seem inexperienced and juvenile. Use Times New Roman and youll send a subliminal message that youre boringa mediocre lemmingthat you re just like everyone else. Just as the outfit you wear to the interview provides a first impression for the hiring manager, so do the font and design on your resume.SUBPAR SUBTITLESUsing the terms SUMMARY, PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, and WORK HISTORY are becoming sorely overused. Not to mention they waste space and dont tell the hiring manager ANYTHING about what youve really accomplished. Instead, use very specific subtitles. At the top of your resume, instead of using the term CAREER SUMMARY, use your target job title. That way, every time you apply for a job, its customized to that particular position. Do the saatkorn with PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE. If you are in IT and work as a project manager, change the title to PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE. One more thing If youre an executive, do not use the header PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE on your resume. This is a HUGE mistake. Youre sending a mixed message in one portion of the resume youre stating youre an executive, but in another you are s tating youre professional. Be consistent throughout the resume.POWERFUL PERSONAL BRANDINGIf the world realized how powerful a personally branded resume was, everybody would use one. But the majority of the population is clueless. So heres your insider tip GET A CLUE Underneath that shiny new job target/title that youll be putting at the top of your resume, include a brief one-liner about why youre the best (insert job title here) there is (or ever was) Use the opportunity to briefly highlight why youre the perfect fit for their opening.GENERIC titel LETTERSWhat a waste of space and time Do you want to bore the hiring manager? Or engage him and give him a reason to read your resume? Your cover letter should NOT be a reproduction of your resume. Spend some time researching the company to which youre applying, find out what their needs arethen specify in the cover letter how you can help them meet their needs. It will certainly set you apart from all the other candidates. While youre a t it, dont start your cover letter with the predictable Please accept this In response to Youre not a mainstream candidate you dont run WITH the crowdyou STAND OUT So show the hiring managerREFUSING TO THANKHow many people miss the boat on this one Take the time to thank the hiring manager for his time and to reiterate why you are excited about (and the best fit for) the opening. I can tell you right now, most people dont send a thank you letter. In fact, in more than 10 years of working as an HR manager and recruiter, I can count on one hand the number of thank you cards or letters Ive received. Make your mark be memorable, be polite, seal the verstndigung im strafverfahrenwrite and send the thank you letter.Take a more strategic approach to your job search and start thinking about what sets you apartinstead of just doing what youve always doneor what everyone else is doing.