Remove These Ten Things From Your Resume

@Annabeth thanks for your question. You could check the company out on sites like LinkedIn and try to find the hiring manager that way. Or you could call the company - say to their HR department if they are large enough to have one - and ask for the hiring manager's name. You might even be able to find out the hiring manager's contact information through the company website. Don't be afraid to dig - to ask questions. All the best!

How can you know the appropriate person to follow up with when you are applying through a job site? Even when you apply on a company website you don't have a specific e-mail address that you can use for a follow-up.

@Craig thanks for your comment. So sorry that you are experiencing this - if that is the reason. It's hard to say. Have you tried going through some type of veteran's program? There are so many of them out there that can really help you. Are you on LinkedIn? There is a great Veteran's Transition group out there that can offer a lot of help. Unless you are including a photo on your resume, there is no way that the hiring manager knows your race until he sees you in person. So question - are you getting interviews? If you are getting into interviews but not getting the positions, maybe it's something in your interviewing style. Try doing some mock interviews through the career services at your alma mater. I, too, am former military - retired enlisted actually. I thought that, with my years in the service, I would be shoe-in for any position. Not true at all. So honestly - try connecting with some former coworkers - network with them. Sometimes that's the best way to get your foot in the door. I wish you all the best.

I do all of this things to make my resume not reveal that I am a black man over 50 years old needing a job. I know that my age and race make me undesirable to everyone - even though I was a military officer and hold a masters degree with my 25+ years of experience. Thats is just how it is no matter how much white people who call the shots deny - it is more than twice as difficult to get hired when your skin is black. And being what is unfairly considered old to that and now ex convict and illegal immigrants are beating me out for jobs.

@Melissa thanks for your comment. It is tough out there to be sure. But 600 applications in a year? That is a lot! Are you following up on any of them that you can? It's great that you are getting thanks but another candidate...! Most of our job seekers aren't getting any responses at all. So it sounds like you are maybe getting your foot in the door for an interview? Remember that your resume and cover letter are only there to get you in the door. Once in, you have to sell yourself. As for the cover letter, there is no real "standard". In the past the cover letter was used to describe experiences not listed on your resume and to tell them how great you are. Cover letters have evolved now and are all about how the company will benefit from hiring you - such as in greater revenue, faster turnaround time on projects, etc. The rule of thumb now is to make the cover letter about 3 paragraphs - opening, how you can help and a close. Since financial concerns are keeping you awake, have you contacted any recruiters? Tried getting positions through a temporary agency? Sometimes it's better to have a known person, such as a recruiter, get your resume in front of the hiring manager because the manager knows that the recruiters has already spruced up your resume and has basically already interviewed you for the position. So he can be relatively certain that you are qualified for the position. Then you can sell, sell, sell. All the best.

Grammar is a great point - I use the site suggested - Grammerly.com. I often read my document out aloud as your spelling could be great but your written response and commas in incorrect places. I am thinking that hiring managers do not think highly and would place the application to the bottom. I have sent around 600 applications out over the past year - I kept copies of the adverts and my responses. I am not coping well financially. Have contacted some hiring managers for feedback, some said looked rushed - I later looked and saw that some cover letters exceeded the requirements or double up of paragraphs. My other feedback responses - great CV - other people with experience. I must admit very disheartening. Kept getting told to re-apply, but afraid of gaining a bad name. I am looking at cutting down my Cover letter and just making it three paragraphs - is that correct?

Thanks for the comments. @Kim if this is your first job since graduating cum laude (congras on that achievement), then you might want to consider placing that on your resume. You could simply include it with the line regarding your college. @Keith that's the way to do it. Have a one page resume to submit for the position but have a complete resume ready when you get that initial phone call. @Tanner it's hard to know why your resume is not getting attention. Did you have someone else read it? You didn't say how long you have been searching but 500 resumes? You might want to take a step back and concentrate solely on what you REALLY want. Sending out that many resumes says that you are applying for anything and everything. Probably not the best way to find that job. Are you networking? Are you connecting with others here on Beyond or on LinkedIn? Are you following up on your applications? Are you tracking them? Everyone has their own way of tracking. For me, I use an Excel spreadsheet to track all events related to the job hunt. This way I know when I sent my resume so that I can follow up in a week or two. 7 responses out of 500 submissions lets you know that something is wrong somewhere. Maybe it would be best to go back to basics starting with your resume and going from there.

If the employer only spends an average of 20 seconds reading my resume, why would I have a 3 paragraph cover letter? Would they even look at my resume? I am so confused on what an employer wants to know. I narrow down all the keywords from each job I apply for, I specifically use those words describing my experience because computer software pulls relevant resumes, but I cannot even get a callback. I have applied first least 500 jobs. I have received 7 responses saying I was no longer considered. I have a really good resume and great professional experience! What can I do to literally make my resume jump out and slap them?

I'm surprised to read GPA shouldn't be mentioned. I graduated cum laude and feel that IS important in describing me.

I have one page resume for entry level and a full two page one for higher level positions.out time recruiters want to see my two page resumes.

Grest info, ty

@Nancy thanks for your comment and the great advice. Employers constantly complain about spelling errors in resumes and cover letters so this is a great tip.

Just a hint; if grammar and spelling are not your thing, check out Grammerly.com; you can upload your doc and this program catches a lot of stuff, including style errors, that a spellchecker cannot.

@Melissa thanks for your comment. There is no right or wrong here. These are just guidelines to assist you. Just remember that the cover letter is to be geared towards the hiring company showing how they will benefit from hiring you. On your resume, there is no limit to the number of bullet points, either. Just make sure that you are not duplicating them from one position to another. In other words, if you had two or more jobs that were similar and the tasks were mostly the same, you only have to use one bullet point under one job title and don't need to repeat under others. This is a story that you are telling the hiring manager. Think about how you feel when you are talking to a friend and they repeat the same story over and over. It's the same on your resume. Selling yourself is the point of all of this. Best of luck in your endeavors.

so to clarify - is it alright to mix a couple of paragraphs and around three bullet points in a cover letter? Any limit on bullet points in a CV/Resume - or just enough to sell yourself - not to look like a shopping list?

@Jean thanks for your comment. I guess it's just a matter of personal choice. For me, I would keep my heading a larger size, as in a 12 but the body of the resume I would keep all the same. I would never go smaller than a 10. Again, it's personal preference but I usually use an 11 font for the body of my resume. Take a look at some sample resumes on the Internet and see what you think when different fonts are used. Hope that helps.

I guess my simple question is too simple to answer? I noticed all have been addressed so far and I have not yet. I asked about the font... Headings and then the body of the text. Is it appropriate to have the descriptors in 10" font to save space on the page to allow more info? Meaning 12" Headers, and then the List of places and dates in 11" font?

Thank you for answering my silly questions. One thing I have been told over the years - no such thing as a silly question. I have looked at a few examples for cover letters. i have noted that you also can include a few bullet points to highlight skills. I jut do not wish to over do it with the bullet points. I am ever afraid not including any of the key words of the ATS. There are great resources what not to include and what to include on this website - but I could not find anything. This subject has collected a lot of attention.

@Alma thanks for your question. Only you can answer it. In your work experience or even life experience what challenges have you faced and how did you make it through it. For example, maybe in your work place you were bullied. How did you handle being bullied and how did you and the bully resolve your issues in order to work in harmony. That's all it's asking. @Josette don't fear the cover letter. It's really not even about you - but about the company. You want to show the company how THEY will benefit from hiring you. I guess in some ways it's tooting your own horn but, if you want the position bad enough, tooting will be easy. You can use keywords from the job posting. The way that I sort of figure out important keywords is to look at two or more "like" positions and see what keywords they have in common. That's usually a pretty good indicator. For the cover letter you want to do a quick introduction paragraph, then dive right into how hiring you can benefit the company and then a short closing paragraph. Hope that helps.

The thought of writing a cover letter scares me because one I was never the one to toot my own horn. also what are the most important key words?

What can be answered when asked "What was your biggest obstacle and how did you accomplish or get past it?

@Melissa thanks for your follow up. You don't come across as being silly at all. It's tough out there trying to find a position. And it's made even harder by all of the "new" ways of doing things. In the past, a job would be posted in the newspaper or even online. We would review it and then write up a resume and a cover letter specifically for that position and then send it by mail. We could expect either a phone call or a letter back from the hiring company within a few days. I sure do long for those days. But today there are so many rules to follow that it's crazy. Good for you for making the changes. It is true that if you did the same tasks but in different positions, you don't need to list them as bullet points for each one. Keep in mind that you only want to cover about the last 10 years if you can. Make sure that you are using actionable bullet points - as well as quantifiable. On your cover letter, using keywords from the posting is great. The cover letter is for them, not you. You need to show the company how they will benefit from hiring you - not how you will benefit from being hired. It only needs to be about three paragraphs - intro, main and close. We wish you all the best.

Thank you for response again. I must come across as a bit silly. I am just drafting my CV / Resume again, trying not to include the same bullet points under the positions that I have held over the past ten years. I am also including achievements under the last four positions. I also did not know the career summary should be narrowed down o much - I guess you do have to sell yourself to anyone, a it is very subjective. I must admit after applying for so many positions I get disheartened. I did get back feedback that my cover letter was too long - that took me to researching - but there are so many examples.

@Melissa I would think that the answer to your question is yes - include the keywords from the job posting on your career summary (cover letter). It is tough to narrow your resume down for sure. Especially for older workers who have extensive work experience. The whole idea of a resume is to (1) get your foot in the door and (2) have them wanting to know more. That's the way to get an interview or at least a qualifying phone call. Give them the last 10 years of relevant experience and then add a few lines with additional work experience but nothing in depth so that they will want to know - what did she really do in those positions. I liken it to watching a TV program series. For example, I am watching Parenthood right now. Never saw it originally so I am able to watch it from the beginning (reruns). When the hour is up, I am wanting to watch more because I want to know what's going to happen. That's the same way with a resume. If you lay all of your cards on the table right away, the game is over. It's just my way of thinking. @Eppsie thank you ever so much for comments for @Timothy. I am sure that it will help him.

stick to government positions there are plenty available and you will always have first preference due to your background do not worry about how long your resume is but do include some key words that will assist you in acquiring a good job stick with it, it will happen. I am in my fifties also and my way of thinking is as follows: If a senior citizen can be chosen to run the United States of America, I am more than confident that she will do an excellent job. I remain positive in my beliefs and I can honestly say. I am more than qualified to hold a position according to my profession. I am a democrat so I must also take the time out to say GO BIG HILL!!!!! (Hillary Clinton)