Former colleague’s resume is awful

[Anonymous]

I have a former colleague who has been out of work for some time. I’ve been a little surprised it’s taken them so long to get a job as their role tends to be in demand (I have similar qualifications and regularly have recruiters reaching out). The colleague was not a rock star but a solid performer who could get the job done.

This colleague reached out to me regarding an open role at my husband’s company and sent their resume. The resume was absolutely terrible: multiple typos, including a basic word misspelled, generic bullets that seemed generated by chat GPT and could literally apply to 90% of jobs (“Managed projects to ensure stakeholder satisfaction” and “Produced high quality work, working effectively with teammates.”) I was shocked that someone who is relatively tenured thought this was appropriate and unfortunately think this is contributing to them not being able to find a job. Would you say something? Would you want to know?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I would want to know. It will really benefit them because it's fixable. Most areas have non profits or Department of Employment Services that can help if they can't hire someone.

[Anonymous]

If you want to help, I would say something like - hey, husband has seen a lot of resumes at his co and has a good idea of what they’re looking for. Would you like to have a quick conversation for feedback before you submit your resume or would you rather send it as-is?

[Anonymous]

were they laid off? My SIL was laid off in 2024 and found the unemployment office in her state VERY helpful in restructuring her resume.

[Anonymous]

I would want to know, 1000 percent. This is easily fixable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:were they laid off? My SIL was laid off in 2024 and found the unemployment office in her state VERY helpful in restructuring her resume.

This surprises me somehow, especially for professional jobs.

[Anonymous]

It is socially tricky to handle.

When I thought the person would be receptive to help, I have offered to re-write the resume. If they accept that offer, then I do so - and send it back to them to review/approve.

[Anonymous]

Tell them

[Anonymous]

If this is a close friend or a person in the community whom I sincerely want to help, I would offer a call and constructive feedback.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely look for a way to help because you said they were a solid worker who could get the job done. It would be a real shame for their resume to stand between them and a good job.

I like the idea of saying that you have a good idea of what your DH's company looks for in a resume and asking if they'd like a little feedback before you forward it. And then I'd phrase the feedback carefully. Like don't frame it as "your resume sucks." Make it more like "They are really picky about these things which is annoying but I want you to get a heads up since I know you're qualified and it would suck for them to overlook you because of a misplaced comma."

[Anonymous]

I'd confirm it was the file they wanted to send. Perhaps note that it doesn't include projects that you both worked on that would be relevant (if true) and much of the language seemed to be in draft form. Give them an out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:were they laid off? My SIL was laid off in 2024 and found the unemployment office in her state VERY helpful in restructuring her resume.

This surprises me somehow, especially for professional jobs.

I don't know anyone with a high level job that had to provide a resume. I didn't.

[Anonymous]

I've faced the same with a bunch of people recently who have reached out to me. (I was one of the first to "land well" from a federal agency that later had a mass exodus.) I've been shocked by how bad and bland some of the resumes are. For some reason, people are so hung up on resume-speak and I don't know why they don't see how bad it is.

So I'm helping anyone and everyone with their resumes, even if they don't ask. If a resume comes to me and it sucks, they're getting some suggested revisions back. The saddest are some who have only given me their resumes *after* applying to my company, asking if I can help get it noticed by the hiring manager. I would have been happy to help up front, but it's too late to fix any issues by then.

[Anonymous]

There is absolutely no reason for anyone to have a resume with spelling errors and typos. They apparently don't even know how to use Word or AI properly. Gemini and ChatGPT have free versions that are adequate.
It really isn't congruent with "able to do the work."