Recruiter Pet Peeve Survey

[Resume Writer]

Hi Everyone,

Recently, a survey was conducted of Recruiters asking their top Pet Peeves when they receive resumes. I thought I would post these for everyone on the board.

Kathy

1. Burying important info in the resume
2. Gaps in employment
3. 1st or 3rd Person - Resumes in either 1st or 3rd Person
4. No easy to follow summary
5. Pictures, Graphics or URL links no recruiter will call up
6. Resumes sent in .pdf, .zip files, web page resumes, and not sent as WORD Attachment
7. Font Choice - poor font choice or style
8. Objectives or Meaningless Introductions
9. Lying, misleading (especially in terms of education, dates and inflated titles)
10. Employer info not included and/or not telling what industry the candidate worked in
11. Personal Info not relative to the Job - i.e., hobbies, birthdates, etc.
12. Unqualified Candidates - Candidates who apply to positions they are not qualified for
13. Long Resumes - too long
14. Functional Resumes as opposed to writing a Chronological Resume
15. Poor formatting - templates, use of header and footers, etc.
16. Contact Info - none or inaccurate contact info or unprofessional email addresses
17. Dates not included or inaccurate dates
18. Spelling Errors, Typos and Poor Grammar

 

[pilotyip]

add to that

Not proof reading, nothing shows less attention to detail than a resume sent to USA Jet with a career objective as "Career position with Federal Express"

 

[Beatrix_Kiddo]

Kathy,

Would you clarify #14 for me.

Thank you,
Andrea

 

[Resume Writer]

Kathy,

Would you clarify #14 for me.

Thank you,
Andrea

Andrea,

This explanation might be a little long, but it will help everyone understand the differences between the types of resumes and why each CAN be used in certain situations.

A functional resume is one that is used when I work with someone who is making a career change. It is designed around specific skill sets, such as Marketing, Personnel Administration, etc.

I had an individual who was a Teacher and wanted to go into Pharmaceutical Sales. A typical chronological resume (starting with present employer and working backwards) would not work for her. The reason? If the employer would have seen "Teacher" on her resume as the first thing, they would have pitched it in the trash.

I had to transition her relevant skills that would work in a sales environment. The functional resume did not hurt her at all. She received calls from the top 5 pharmaceutical companies and is now working as a Sales Rep at Pfizer.

The reason why recruiters hate functional resumes is they are hired to find candidates that fit a specific skillset or job function for an employer. Their credibility is on the line and they cannot send the employer someone who has no experience in the industry or position. Their fee is based upon finding candidates that have the exact skillset the employer is looking for; the employer has no time to train someone.

Hiring Managers in companies do not mind functional resumes, as long as they "sell" the candidate for a position. However, the person I work with has to have something in their background that translates to their goal.

When I speak with individuals in my initial conversation, I ask them about their present job and what they would like to do. I determine from that point whether I can help them. There are some people where my ethics preclude assisting them with career documents. The reason usually is because they want to work in a position for which they have no relevant skills.

For example, many years ago I had a woman who wanted to be a graphic designer. She had no training or work experience in that field. I told her that I could not help her with that career path and gave her suggestions on where to get the training and how to pay for it.

I hope that explanation of the differences helped!

Kathy

 

[bobbysamd]

Resumes

13. Long Resumes - too long.

Do they define what they mean about "long" resumes?

The rule of thumb I've always heard is to keep your resume to one page lest it suffer the round file. My aviation (yes, I still have a pilot resume) and paralegal resumes are both one page. But I've seen paralegal resumes come in that are more than one page - and, I'm sure, these people are hired, eventually. Moreover, I handle quite a few doctor CVs (resumes) for litigation which are many pages.

Thoughts and/or guidance?

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

12. Unqualified Candidates - Candidates who apply to positions they are not qualified for

I love this. It's a hazard of your job, get used to it.

 

[Resume Writer]

Do they define what they mean about "long" resumes?

The rule of thumb I've always heard is to keep your resume to one page lest it suffer the round file. My aviation (yes, I still have a pilot resume) and paralegal resumes are both one page. But I've seen paralegal resumes come in that are more than one page - and, I'm sure, these people are hired, eventually. Moreover, I handle quite a few doctor CVs (resumes) for litigation which are many pages.

Thoughts and/or guidance?

Yes, there are guidelines. Here might be a simple overview...

Pilots - yes, keep to one page
Students - keep to one page
Management level or more than 5 years of work experience - can be two pages, but no more than that.
Executives - can be up to three pages, but no more
Physicians, Lawyers, Scientists, High Level University Educators - need a Curriculum Vitae, can be multiple pages, depending upon publications, presentations, committees, etc.

The myth that a two page resume will hurt someone in the general public (non-pilot) is no longer a factor in hiring decisions. I have some executives that want to try to cram 25 years of experience on one page! They end up not selling themselves properly and come to me.

Of course there are always exceptions. I have had pilots hired with a two-page resume.

Hope that helps!

Kathy

 

[Resume Writer]

I love this. It's a hazard of your job, get used to it.

Jedi-

The reason that Recruiters get annoyed is because in most cases, they are conducting a search for a specific position and are paid a fee if and when a placement is made (contingency recruiters). Some recruiters (known as retained recruiters) are constantly on the watch for appropriate employees for their client companies and are paid a retainer fee whether or not an actual match is made. They are different than Hiring Managers in a corporation.

Once you are aware that the recruiter is not there to FIND YOU A JOB but is paid to FILL A POSITION (with you or another candidate), you can understand why many recruiters will not spend a great deal of time discussing your career goals and aspirations or trying to convince an employer you can do the job without the qualifications. If they don't have an immediate need for someone with your background, it's more advantageous for them to talk to people who DO have the very specific qualifications they're seeking.

I hope that makes things a little more clear about the difference between Recruiters and Hiring Managers.

Kathy

 

[pilotman2105]

If they don't have an immediate need for someone with your background, it's more advantageous for them to talk to people who DO have the very specific qualifications they're seeking.

Would this not vary somewhat by position? For example, say a specific positions requires 3 years of prior experience. Depending on the needs of the company (mainly, how desperate they need to fill the position), they may accept someone with 2 years of experience if they have good credentials in other fields.

Granted, this flexibility varies by position, company, etc. Whereas the government may not be as flexible, Joe's Restaurant may.

 

[Resume Writer]

Would this not vary somewhat by position? For example, say a specific positions requires 3 years of prior experience. Depending on the needs of the company (mainly, how desperate they need to fill the position), they may accept someone with 2 years of experience if they have good credentials in other fields.

Granted, this flexibility varies by position, company, etc. Whereas the government may not be as flexible, Joe's Restaurant may.

A couple of things here.

First, recruiters take job orders from employers. Recruiters do not set the criteria. It is not in their best interest to present a candidate that does not have the credentials. It is very cut-throat in the recruiting industry. Some employers will give job orders to several different recruiters. They will pay the first one who finds them a candidate.

Second, the job market is flooded with candidates right now, just as the aviation industry has several candidates. They can take their pick of the top people. Typical employers and recruiters are receiving about 200-500 resumes for every job they post. So, there is no flexibility in this market.

Kathy

 

[pilotman2105]

Some employers will give job orders to several different recruiters. They will pay the first one who finds them a candidate.

Wow. I knew it was tight, but geez.

Thanks for the clarification!