Sunday, March 15, 2020

6 Common Resume Mistakes That Make Recruiters Cringe

6 Common Resume Mistakes That Make Recruiters CringeRecruiters see a lot of resumes sometimes as many as hundreds in a day. So its understandable that there are some mistakes that just make them cringe. Particularly, those they see most often The team at ResumeSpice polled recruiters and below were six common mistakes that recruiters hope to never see again. The good news is theyre all relatively easy to fix So here goes googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Not including your contact informationYes, this is a real thing that applicants do. Maybe they think recruiters can tap into some cosmic network where every applicants contact information lives. Recruiters do work a lot of magic when it comes to placing candidates, but they dont have ability to intuit your contact information just from your name and list of professional experience, no matter how impressive.If youre concerned about privacy, you dont have to put your full street address. In fact, we recommend that you dont. Just put your city, state, and zip so the recruiter knows youre a feasible candidate based on your location. And always include phone number and emaille address.Inconsistent formattingSo you included bullet points in one section of your resume, but didnt include them in the next section? Or you have three different types of fonts or font sizes. This type of resume faux pas really makes recruiters cringe. Not only does it make you look like you dont pay attention to detail, it makes your information difficult to read.When recruiters are already parsing through hundreds of resumes, believe us when we tell you, they arent going to stop to decipher yours. Theyre going to toss it and move on to the next one.Functional resumesIf recruiters could show you a visual of their darkest, worst nightmares when it comes to sourcing qualified candidates, functional resumes would be it.Functional resumes basically give an overview of your skills, abilities, and ach ievements without listing out your work history in reverse chronological order. Some functional resumes dont even include dates, nor do they list relevant employer information.If a recruiter sees a functional resume, its a big red flag. The case may be that you merely thought the functional resume was creative and different, but to a recruiter it seems like youre hiding something, such as a large career gap, which leads us to our next pointUnexplained career gapsRecruiters understand that there are a number of reasons why a career gaps occur. Maybe you moved to another state. Maybe the company you worked for closed down. But what recruiters want to know is that youve been doing something and that your skills arent out-of-date.Take a course relevant to your career at a community college, volunteer your skills to an organization, or even list your duties as a stay-at-home parent (negotiating, communicating in tough situations, budgeting, logistics these are all hot commodity skills). In the absence of an explanation, recruiters are going to think the worst.Nonprofessional email accountWe wish this one could go without saying, but unfortunately it still happens all too often. Companies want to hire professional individuals to fill a role that solves a business need. Recruiters are tasked with finding those individuals. Very few things make you look more unprofessional than an email account like sexybunny69gmail.com or ladiesmanhotmale.com. Sorry if one of these is your email address Always keep it professional your best bet is to create an email address that includes some variation of your first name and last name.Not proofingRecruiters can often forgive small errors like a missing period or an extra space. But if your resume is riddled with incorrect spelling or poor punctuation, youve just unintentionally communicated three things you dont really care about the position, you have poor attention to detail, and/or you simply dont know how to properly use langua ge.The fact of the matter is that recruiters are not personally judging your resume mistakes though it may seem so. Rather, theyre professionals who are trying to solve a need for their employer or client. So, as much as your resume reflects the person/professional you are, who recruiters submit for consideration says something about them professionally as well.Your professional skills and credentials could be impressive, but if your resume has one or a combination of the cringe-inducing mistakes above, it will never be placed in front of a hiring manager.Savannah Ober is a resume writer and career consultant at ResumeSpice. In plus-rechnen to being a resume expert, Savannah is also an experienced corporate communications professional, working with one of the worlds largest global companies. Savannah has written recruiting advertisements for trade publications, created marketing collateral, written press releases and blogs, and developed social media content. Savannah holds a BA in English, creative writing.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

3 Ways Ive Learned to Thrive in a Male-Dominated Industry

3 Ways Ive Learned to Thrive in a Male-Dominated Industry I used to have a distracting habit. Every meeting, Id look around the room and take leide of the male to female ratio. It welches roughly 51 every single time. I figured it was because I worked in the mining industry, but I found the same to be true when I worked at a tech start-up. Eventually, I learned I was not alone.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, womenMake up less than 30 percent of the agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and utilities sectors.Represent only 13 percent of the mining industry and 9 percent of the construction industry.A study from Indiana University showed that women working in highly male-dominated occupations are mora likely to exhibit high levels of psychological stress. And women working in STEM have been said to leave their employers because their environments dont allow their scientific work to flourish.Clearly, theres more work required to close this gender gap. And it wont be do ne overnight. So, how do you ensure your success today? It may seem counterintuitive, but the single thing you can do is to remove gender from the equation entirely. Here are three ways to thrive in a male-dominated industry using this perspective.1. Quit counting.The more you focus on the fact that there are more men than women in your workplace, the more it distracts you from being effective at your job. On my first day working at a mine, I joined one of the haul truck crews for a ride along. I tied my steel toed boot laces, tucked in my oversized mens uniform shirt and put my hard hat and safety glasses on. I climbed onto the bus and quickly realized I was the only woman, and I could feel about forty eyes on me as I tried to find a seat. I heard one of the workers say, With the lady on board, I wont be able to piss off the side of my haul truck today Wow. The reality of my new environment set in, and I was distracted the rest of the day with an issue that I couldnt solve alone.Of course, you should promote women in the workplace, but worrying about being out numbered wont solve any problems that day or drive any change. Instead, believe that youre the woman to do the job and you have the skills and confidence to do it well.2. Be direct.According to research by Brigham Young University, women speak less when theyre outnumbered. Make a point to speak up at least once during every group interaction or meeting. It can be a question, compelling thought, or even better, a solution to a problem.When you choose to speak, be direct. Ive watched many women falter by sharing a vague opinion and ending with, Its just something to think about. I was recently in a meeting and a team presented plans for a construction project where the womens change house was several hundred feet from the worksite and the mens change house was conveniently located right next door. My female colleague went in circles trying to explain her concern about the varying distances and avoided sta ting the obvious inconvenience for female workers. After she spoke, all the men in the room had puzzled faces and were only left with something to think about.You want your coworkers to be compelled to act on your recommendation. So, sit up straight, speak clearly and make eye contact. The more you practice using your voice thoughtfully, the more others will look to you for your opinion. You are intelligent, and you have a voice. Use it. 3. Make allies.One way women tend to cope with working amongst mostly men is to act like one of the boys or create distance between themselves and their female colleagues. Do not do this You need relationships with both males and females at work. This is where taking gender out of the equation will make you more effective at your job. Having allies, mentors and healthy working relationships will take your career above and beyond. Ive found this to be true when bouncing ideas or sharing concerns with both my male and female mentors who offered differ ent perspectives and advice.It may be tempting to just keep your head down and do your work, but developing relationships within the company will broaden your network, make you more visible and attractive for future roles or opportunities. Make time once a week to get lunch with a coworker, take your mentor for coffee or get to know someone on a more personal level.Instead of worrying about the obvious gender imbalance in your workplace, focus on what you can control. You may think theres nothing you can do to make a difference. But if you prove your worth, build relationships and advocate for women, youll attract more women to the industry and demonstrate the value of a diverse workforce. This solution is not a silver bullet, and may not work for every person. Some workplaces are just not the right fit. But before jumping ship, think about how you can change your mindset. Next time youre out-numbered by men, be proud youre the one representing the female workforce, and dont let gen der disparity get in the way of you reaching your highest potential.More on being the only woman in the roomIf You Are Surrounded by Mostly Men, I Have Some Advice for You6 Ways to Get (and Keep) More Women in TechWhat Its Like to Be a Transwoman in a Male-Dominated Field--Lita Madlang is a senior communications advisor for Rio Tinto, a global mining company. She is a writer and outdoor enthusiast from Salt Lake City, Utah. Lita has a BA in Mass Communications and is pursuing an Executive MS in Strategic Communications from Columbia University.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

The Unexpected Truth About Good Fonts for Resume Writing

The Unexpected Truth About Good Fonts for Resume Writing Your selection of fonts to be employed on your resume is critical. In addition to font selection, in addition, it is important to consider different things related to the font. When you experiment with unique fonts, you are going to notice their size differs. The other old school font is much like the typewriter. There are many websites with tips around the internet, but most bring just a small number of them. Its therefore recommended to opt for a great font when writing your resume. Your font ought to be large enough so the readers eyes dont get strained. For that reason, it is sometimes a terrific pick for technical industries and technology-focused resumes, generally. So, youve chosen a clean and crisp font for your resume, youve worked out precisely what information youre going to include, youve even created perfectly highlighted bullet-points for your key abilities and qualifications. You decided to have a new job, so you need to compose a resume. Although its popular in resumes for a lengthy time due to its professional appearance, many HR managers admit the era of Times New Roman has come to a conclusion. Type of Good Fonts for Resume Writing The font includes a contemporary elegant design thats ideal for designing various kinds of resume and titel letters. Consider condensing the variety of words you have used to make it possible for you to create your resume more readable. If youve got an answer, your search is completed. With so many choices readily available, determining the very best font for a resume can at times be a challenging decision. Know the purpose of your resume Some men and women write a resume like the function of the document was supposed to land work. If your resume includes a whole lot of technical info, Calibri might not be the best choice. Attempt to know the market of the organization you are asking for work, and identify what sort of difficulties they could be going through. You shouldnt risk your job for the interest of an incorrect font choice The Honest to Goodness Truth on Good Fonts for Resume Writing So you have to be certain that so-called character of the font will match the goal of your text. Fonts include specific characteristics that can determine and affect the view of the reader. The font is just too much for an expert document. Therefore, if you use non-standard fonts, utilize the PDF format. Adjusting the font just one-tenth of a point can produce the text fill out the remainder of a page or stop it from spilling over into the subsequent one. There are lots of simple yet excellent fonts readily available online. Finally, resume font choice may be personal choice. A resume format is a critical moment that can produce a killer resume.