Do you view your résumé as your friend or as your foe? Hopefully, your résumé is your friend—there to support you and to speak brilliantly about you on your quest for employment. However, your résumé may be your foe—casting doubts about your seriousness and your professionalism. In other words, it can turn its back on you.
One of the ways by which a résumé can unknowingly become your foe is through the use of misspellings and incorrect grammar and punctuation. Remember that you are not the only person looking for a job and submitting a résumé, particularly with the current high unemployment rate. Your résumé needs to stand on its own and speak to a company's need for an employee who is serious about potential employment. How high you are on the career ladder is irrelevant; the résumé you present will provide a company with its first impression about you. This will either get you in the door or it won’t.
So make your résumé your friend in your career quest, not your foe. Let it open new doors and opportunities for you; let it cast a positive light on your capabilities, experience, seriousness, and professionalism. Seek out the advice of a professional résumé writer who can either prepare your résumé or critique an existing one. Ask somebody you trust to read through your résumé to check for inconsistencies, grammatical errors, and misspellings—factors that can either propel you to the next step in the employment process or stop you in your tracks.
Comments