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Ruben Quintero
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Medicare Broker Relations Manager, Director on the Salvation Army Advisory Board
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Ruben Quintero
Your resume will get more calls
if you do this
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Lou Adler
Why Strangers Don't Get Good
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Alex Malley
The 5 qualities of successful
young leaders
From my experience, these are the most common problems with the resume:
Bernard Marr
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Forever
CAREER OBJECTIVE - People like to announce their career objective and aspirations
on the top of their resume. We have been led to believe that this shows you to be a
highly motivated and ambitious individual. This is a mistake. The decision maker is
wasting valuable seconds reading about your career objective and may move on to the
next resume. No one cares about your career objective. Nobody cares. NOBODY.
The decision maker has a problem and they want the answer to just one simple
question, "CAN YOU HELP ME SOLVE IT?"
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY - The recruiter or the decision maker will quickly glance
over the job descriptions of your previous jobs, looking for commonalities, similar skills
or experience that match the job opening that you're applying for. If your job description
doesn't clearly show that, it's over. You're done.
Here is a quick and easy way to correct it, improving your chances of getting a phone call:
Replace Career Objective with QUALIFICATIONS - The recruiter or decision
maker is looking for someone that closely matches the job opening so make it easy for
them by listing all of skills and experience at the very top of your resume. If they want to
read the rest of your resume, they can, but they don't have to. You told them everything
they needed to know. You gave them what they were looking for. If the position requires
a certain level of experience in a particular skill (ex: 5 years of customer service
experience), add up all of your years of customer service experience from every job
you've had and list it in bullet points. If a college degree is required, list it here. If you
think a particular skill is helpful (ex: fluent in Cantonese), list it here.
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Greg McKeown
The Simplest Way to Avoid
Wasting Time
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Credit Suisse
You
Credit Suisse
For example:
Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree
7 years of customer service experience
3 years of outside sales experience
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Fluent in Spanish
6 years of healthcare experience, etc...
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Why Companies
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Tiffiney Oatman
Seeking a full-time position in Front-End Development, eCommerce, UX Design, and
User Interface Design
This is nice advice and all, but I dare to challenge COMPANIES to redesign their job
descriptions and stop forcing someone's resume to fit the description.
The real reason why companies are having a hard time finding the right candidate is because
they are spending too much time describing someone who already has the job instead of taking
the time to listen to someone who potentially CAN DO the job.
My background is in web development, I have worked for companies that have been in the home
security industry, telecommunications, computer, and insurance, but yet I'm amazed that on a
lot of the job postings they list specific so-called "qualifications" that really aren't qualifications,
they are just descriptions of what tools, software, and industry that the company is and uses.
Thus if you come from a different company/industry you are perceived as "not qualified".
For example, if the company uses Adobe Photoshop to do their graphics, but the last company
I worked for used Adobe Fireworks - why would that make me "not qualified" when I have
already proven that I am an experienced web designer and can quickly learn any software you
put in front of me.
The point is, companies appear to be taking the resume of the person who currently has the
job, copy/paste it onto a job posting, and then say here, we are looking for this exact person.
Well if that's the case, then the only person who's going to qualify is the person who already
has the job. My advice to companies, is stop being so lazy and take the time to actually read,
listen, and interview candidates who show confidence that they can do the job for a company
that they never worked for before!
Like (334)
Reply(35)
9 hours ago
23 minutes ago
Md Robiul Alam
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2/10
5/20/14
37 minutes ago
Md Robiul Alam
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Reply(11)
9 hours ago
2 hours ago
David Robinson
BIT; M.Sc. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
I follow the advice in this article as well as cater my resume to specific position
requirements, as Tim suggested. It still only scored me a whopping ONE callback
(which, thankfully, led to an interview, but I still didn't get the job) out of the 70-75
positions I applied for.
Maybe I'm being cynical, but it seems like the resume just isn't as crucial as it
once was. Regardless of the importance of a resume, the old cliche holds true: If
you're not getting interviews then you don't know the right people.
Like (58)
5 hours ago
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3/10
5/20/14
Reply(7)
9 hours ago
4 hours ago
Laura Lingle
More learning. Less waste. (tm)
I would LOVE to see companies using applicants' online presence, but they still insist on
making you spend three hours filling out their online applications that essentially force you to
retype your entire life.
Like (23)
5 hours ago
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Michael Nelson
Experienced Training Professional
I generally list the top 6 skills that I possess that most fit the position I'm applying for. I I put
them under my title and in 2 columns, stacked 3 high.
Like (27)
Reply(6)
9 hours ago
36 minutes ago
Rutwij Kulkarni
Internship at DeltaProactive Risk Management Pvt. Ltd.
Hi Michael !! I would definitely like to have a look at your way of writing a resume.
Could you please email me the same ? Thanks in advance.
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37 minutes ago
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David Urmann
CEO at Holiday Deals Pvt. Ltd.
Career objectives should not be overlooked by employers who are hiring. Its great to find the
employee who looks like they will solve a specific problem but its also important to ascertain
https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140519195826-32241575-your-resume-will-get-more-calls-if-you-do-this?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0
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Reply(10)
9 hours ago
2 hours ago
Jorge Esguerra
Mechanical Engineer/Scientist with experience in system dynamics &
control, vibration, systems engineering and software
@Brent: I agree that the fluffiness is not worth having. I also agree that employers
and recruiters have become more "picky." But I am also picky in that I am looking
for specific opportunities that I know will match my experience and the career
direction that I want to move in. I am not sure why recruiters would have a problem
with this; it's my career to manage. It has nothing to do with "resume
standardization"-- (The concept of which is hilarious considering the wars that go
on in the Recruiting & Hiring groups. The only "standard" is that the candidate's
name appear on the resume.)
For a specifically targeted position, sure, there is no point in having an objective. It
is understood that the candidate wants the job that was applied for. But for a widecast of a resume on a job board, or for an entry-level candidate who is not targeting
a specific job, I don't see why it wouldn't be acceptable to help narrow the
responses.
In my particular case (and in others' in this discussion) the "Objective" is a way of
guiding our careers in a direction that we want to go. While I' am sure it is a dream
of employers and recruiters to have completely passive candidates, there are an
increasing number of STEM (and other) professionals who want to take a more
active role in their career directions-- as one can see in the Millenials' "job
hopping." In other words, employees not looking for a lateral move often state that
on a resume in the form of a future "objective" that differs from their existing
experience.
"Besides, it's an unspoken, yet obvious truth that most people are lying to say
what the hiring manager wants to hear for those questions related to career
aspirations and ideal position anyways." -Brent Bates
So you are a recruiter and you think that the candidates are assumed to be lying
by being more up-front and specific in their job searches? I'm not sure how to
respond to that. It certainly makes more wary of working with recruiters.
Like (4)
4 hours ago
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Wayne Schofield
Principal, S.E. Technical, LLC; Co-Founder/COO - Night and Day Resume
Sorry Ruben, but I disagree with the bullets on top. It's impersonal, redundant and lists of things
are exactly what a good candidate needs to stay away from.
I do agree that the career objective is passe. A summary section, which includes an objective
is extremely important, especially for a new grad, or someone looking to re-direct their career.
Like (22)
Reply(2)
9 hours ago
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5/20/14
Alex Gaskins
Social Media Coordinator at Deacon Designs
I'm all for the paragraph format, but everything depends on the applicant, the role, and the
company. So, to an extent, I disagree with Jamie despite her credentials.
My belief; if you're able to write your resume in a paragraph format like a feature article in
the News, you can draw the recruiter into your experience and be memorable.
Another reason for the paragraph format is to take full advantage of the more widely used
OCR resume scanning softwares. It's time to utilize SEO for your resume, but beware of
white fonting. Just DON'T do it.
Like
1 hour ago
Jamie Cantrell
Client Communications Manager, Customer Experience at SAP
As a communications professional, I completely agree - However, unfortunately,
most recruiters simply don't have the time or interest to actually read through a
well-written paragraph. Why should they? The next candidate in the pile has a nice,
neat list of why they're the better choice. Save it for the cover letter.
Like (15)
9 hours ago
Greta R. Schneider
Professional Resume Writer | Social Media Manager | SEO Content Writer
Good tips! Don't forget online applicant tracking systems (ATS) may sort resumes prior to
human eyes reading the content. It's important that a resume has the right industry and
position keywords/phrases to be parsed and tagged correctly for human resources personnel.
Submitting a resume with a simple format, matching qualifications, quantified success metrics
and a well-written cover letter offer a great combination to help win an interview invitation.
Like (20)
Reply(3)
8 hours ago
1 hour ago
John Amos
Owner, CEO at Resume MaTrix Resume Writing
There's a lady who knows what she's talking about!
Like (1)
7 hours ago
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Chad Bumgardner
Lead HR Coordinator at Time Warner Cable
It would be nice if all of humanity could come to an agreement about the format, required
sections, and length of a resume. I actually think this is a good tip, but all resumes are
eventually subject to human eyeballs that are attached to individuals who might prefer one style
over another. While I'm at it, can the human species also come together and agree that cover
letters are no longer expected or required?
Like (12)
Reply(1)
8 hours ago
1 Reply
James Zerfoss
Currently seeking an international work opportunity.
How about we just agree that resumes are useless! They do not measure ambition,
ability to learn things, or how well you work with others. The result is a bunch of
https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140519195826-32241575-your-resume-will-get-more-calls-if-you-do-this?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0
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7 hours ago
Donald White
Strategic Account Manager, Enterprise at SevOne Inc
The best advise I ever received in building my resume is to make it relevant to what the
company is looking for. Meaning you should not blast out one resume to twenty different
companies. Instead you should be sending twenty slightly different resumes to twenty
companies.
This does not mean lie, but instead match your skills to the verbiage the company is looking
for. Look at the buzz words in the job description. If you want to separate yourself, then take
the time to understand how the company you are applying for speaks. It doesn't always have to
be out-of-the-box thinking but simply showing you pay more attention that will make you stand
out.
Like (18)
Reply(1)
9 hours ago
1 Reply
Raed Nagm
Offshore Structure Engineer at Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company
great tip, to detect how the employer think and what he wants
Like
1 hour ago
Roland Schwarz
Senior Product Engineer at Xela Innovations, Inc.
I do this. I get calls.
Like (8)
Reply(2)
9 hours ago
5 hours ago
Scott Smith
Segment Communications at HID Global Identity Assurance
Lol, Roland, you get calls because you are an engineer. To that end, you would
probably get calls if you scribbled your resume down on a restaurant napkin.
Like (9)
7 hours ago
Macy Tyler
Account Manager at CleanBrands LLC
"Nobody cares about your career objective. Nobody cares. NOBODY!" Hahaha I love the
honesty! I just updated my resume today and this is making me want to go back and do a little
more updating.
Like (17)
Reply
9 hours ago
John Amos
Owner, CEO at Resume MaTrix Resume Writing
The whole bullet idea to start the resume is bad and here's why. Bullets were meant to draw a
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7/10
5/20/14
Reply(1)
9 hours ago
9 hours ago
Mark Wentlandt, RN
Staff RN, Transplant Medicine at Froedtert Hospital
Trolling advice articles on LinkedIn has become a new source of entertainment for me because
they're typically thinly veiled linkbait loaded with the most glaringly obvious boilerplate pablum,
but this?
It's actually useful. Caught me by surprise.
Great tips, Ruben.
Like (13)
Reply(1)
9 hours ago
6 hours ago
Russ Knight
Storyteller | Career Development Partners | Global Outplacement | Coaching |
Recruiting | LinkedIn | Job search ministry
Amen Ruben Quintero! Tell me what problem you solve! Here is a trick: fold your resume in half
like a newspaper. If you can't sell them above the fold, they won't get any further. Good,
concise piece!
Like (14)
Reply
9 hours ago
Maria Landeros
Student at Oxnard College
I think this is an interesting look at resumes. Also I find pretty helpful to persons with limited
work experience since it draws the attention away from direct past work listings to skills you
may have.
Like (11)
Reply(1)
9 hours ago
9 hours ago
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8/10
5/20/14
Reply
9 hours ago
Reply(3)
9 hours ago
1 minute ago
Jose A. Burgos
Former process manager at Benjamin Moore & Co. Currently seeking new
carreer opportunities
Dear Erin
While I agree with your first statement , your second sounds more like a
contradiction.I believe most employers will appreciate if you bring some level of
expertise and skills to the job .
Now, if you try to sell a "million" years of experience or how you improved
your last company with your presence "just showing up to work", that is how
your resume may end up in the trash can.
Like (2)
7 hours ago
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John Amos
Owner, CEO at Resume MaTrix Resume Writing
It's definitely a similar but different approach than I take to resume writing. Qualifications to start
a resume are great, but need to be supported by skills. Most employers want to know two
things.
1. Is this person qualified? (yrs of experience, areas you have that experience, education
completion, and any other certifications or classes you may have taken relevant to the open
position)
2. Do they have the skills to do the job? (I look in the job description for these as they are
usually listed in order to get an interview. Change them as necessary in regard to your skill set)
If you can get those two things across quickly in your opener, you will be successful in
attaining more interviews.
Like (6)
Reply
9 hours ago
Reply
9 hours ago
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9/10
5/20/14
KAT Stenson
A LEADER IN MEDICAL/HEALTHCARE SEARCH & CONSULTING. BobKat Confidential
Recruiters LLC 262 490 4968
The problem is no one really thinks outside the box and studies the resume to see where you
might fit. You must be very specific. Taylor your resume for each position you qualify for. Send
it to that hiring manager not a general resume to a general set of eyes. Be specific . That
means you might be sending 3 customized resumes to 3 different hiring managers within one
company.
Like (5)
Reply
9 hours ago
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