Resume mistakes and tips

[Anonymous]

"Dear Sirs" on a cover letter = I read no further.

Don't put your Pinterest or IG accounts on your résumé. FFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Dear Sirs" on a cover letter = I read no further.

Don't put your Pinterest or IG accounts on your resume. FFS.

Not that I would do that as a greeting, but what do you suggest one uses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Dear Sirs" on a cover letter = I read no further.

Don't put your Pinterest or IG accounts on your résumé. FFS.

Ok, so I'm at least doing SOMETHING right...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In your example OP, you listed what anyone doing that job would have had to do.

You need to explain what YOU did "extra special" to make yourself stand out. People reading your resume know you had to make sure the roof was sound, etc.

Here are some examples (I'm imagining as I don't know your field so bear with me):

Project deadlines met 100% of the time, including roof work
with double permit checks
Saved client 10% in energy bill yearly, as calculated by EPC standards by devising innovative way to incorporate *insert fancy solar panel name" on original materials
Passed all city, state and national standard checks, including emissions and materials, on first inspection
Lobbied for collaboration with Xyc company and was successful in establishing contacts that allowed abc

Stop laughing at my examples, I know nothing about your industry
Now, do you see how it's vastly different?
You can put a sentence or two about the general idea of what the project was, but the rest of it needs to be focused on how you specifically knocked it out of the park and someone else with your job title may not have

Ok, I think I get some of the difference there, thank you! I will try reworking what I included in the position descriptions; sounds like too much focus on general accomplishments/responsibilities and need to add some highlights.

It seems like if I bullet point a few different projects and note some highlights for each one that it'll eat up a ton of space. Is it typical or expected for your previous job to take up 1/3 or more of the page?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Dear Sirs" on a cover letter = I read no further.

Don't put your Pinterest or IG accounts on your resume. FFS.

Not that I would do that as a greeting, but what do you suggest one uses?

See if you can find the hiring manager's name on the company website, or the CEO, etc. - and if you really can't find anything, I think "to whom it may concern" or "Dear hiring manager" is better. "Dear Sirs" is likely to offend non-sirs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Dear Sirs" on a cover letter = I read no further.

Don't put your Pinterest or IG accounts on your resume. FFS.

Not that I would do that as a greeting, but what do you suggest one uses?

See if you can find the hiring manager's name on the company website, or the CEO, etc. - and if you really can't find anything, I think "to whom it may concern" or "Dear hiring manager" is better. "Dear Sirs" is likely to offend non-sirs.

I figured "Dear Hiring Manager" was correct, was trying to see if HR would chime in on this topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In your example OP, you listed what anyone doing that job would have had to do.

You need to explain what YOU did "extra special" to make yourself stand out. People reading your resume know you had to make sure the roof was sound, etc.

Here are some examples (I'm imagining as I don't know your field so bear with me):

Project deadlines met 100% of the time, including roof work
with double permit checks
Saved client 10% in energy bill yearly, as calculated by EPC standards by devising innovative way to incorporate *insert fancy solar panel name" on original materials
Passed all city, state and national standard checks, including emissions and materials, on first inspection
Lobbied for collaboration with Xyc company and was successful in establishing contacts that allowed abc

Stop laughing at my examples, I know nothing about your industry
Now, do you see how it's vastly different?
You can put a sentence or two about the general idea of what the project was, but the rest of it needs to be focused on how you specifically knocked it out of the park and someone else with your job title may not have

Ok, I think I get some of the difference there, thank you! I will try reworking what I included in the position descriptions; sounds like too much focus on general accomplishments/responsibilities and need to add some highlights.

It seems like if I bullet point a few different projects and note some highlights for each one that it'll eat up a ton of space. Is it typical or expected for your previous job to take up 1/3 or more of the page?

Yes I think so.
I like when there are a couple sentences about the title and general duties of the job, and then bullet points underneath where you highlight what you did that was special.
Let's pretend it's a Doctor job since everyone knows what a doctor does

Head ER Physician at Washington Hospital 2013-2015
• improved patient results in head trauma to less than 25% admissions with less than 2% fatalities, an improvement from 6% the prior 5 year average.
(So not "I treated patients with head trauma, but actual numbers showing how you were more successful than the last guy)
•department passed Medicare audit on the first attempt following implementation of Code Blue strategies I designed and implemented, ranking Washington hospital the only hospital in the country without flags in trauma, cardiac and pediatrics.
(Not "participated in successful Medicare audit, every department has to do that, but how did your participation make the audit better)
•facilitated new collaboration with cardiothoracic department and successfully reduced pneumothorax rates and calls to infectious disease by a margin of 4
(Same thing, what you personally did and how it was amazing)

It's not a description of what an ER Doctor does every day, the person hiring knows what they generally do and that can be discussed further at the interview. You want to grab their attention of why you stand out.

[Anonymous]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I always have problems with accomps since it feels odd to highlight that one project in light of every other thing I did. So for example, let's say OP built ten buildings in a normal way everyone else does- how do you highlight that one building she did such great things on?

[Anonymous]

"Responsible for ten buildings, including Building X, winner of Special Award, coming in at 50% under budget, with unicorns and rainbows on top."

[Anonymous]

Also remember that you can elaborate more during the interview. Put the highlights in the resume and during the interview you can also talk about the other 9 buildings you worked on and interesting problems you may have solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't want to hijack this thread, but I always have problems with accomps since it feels odd to highlight that one project in light of every other thing I did. So for example, let's say OP built ten buildings in a normal way everyone else does- how do you highlight that one building she did such great things on?

Responsible for ground to ceiling operations of 10 buildings in a high density market with XYZ building features in "Builders Buddy" as the most energy efficient structure in the state with the addition of a fuel source from a collaborative effort with "Good 2 b Green"

[Anonymous]

Please clean up your social media presence too. As a hiring manager, I will google you and what I find may determine whether you make it in for an interview. Lock down everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please clean up your social media presence too. As a hiring manager, I will google you and what I find may determine whether you make it in for an interview. Lock down everything.

What do you mean "lock down everything"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please clean up your social media presence too. As a hiring manager, I will google you and what I find may determine whether you make it in for an interview. Lock down everything.

What do you mean "lock down everything"?

Make all of your social media private and delete everything that isn't...even the stuff that you think is benign.

[Anonymous]

In addition to Googling yourself, Google any of your past employers (especially if you left during layoffs or crises, etc.). Be sure there are not any huge issues with the former employer to which you could be linked (even though you weren't there during the potentially messy issues). For instance, if a company underwent an ethics probe, or a CEO was led out in handcuffs, etc., your potential employers may be aware of this and even if you don't address it in an interview (and you shouldn't -- never trash another place no matter what), you will at least have a sense of background info that a potential employer might have.....

Cleaning up your LinkedIn profile -- resume you're circulating must match the one on LI [you wouldn't believe how many people forget to do this....)

For the cover letter, if you can't find the hiring manager or CEO's name, you could call and ask to whom your materials should be addressed. You can also do a cover letter that's in what used to be called AMF format (leave off salutation -- just give a subject line such as RE Sales Position at Awesome Company. I don't love this format, but I despise 'to whom it may concern' because it looks as though the applicant couldn't do some research about just who might be concerned . You can also close with a line like "I would be grateful if you could please forward my materials to the appropriate individual at *&&P". Just above all else, for now and for always, no "Dear Sir or Madam" no "Dear Sirs" no "Dear Madams".

Last thing -- if you don't have a subdued email account moniker, create one. Stat. I used to advise applicants for colleges and graduate schools and you wouldn't believe how many had to be told that 'sexy blue eyes [e-mail]" wasn't going to cut it on an application or anything else. If you do end up changing emails because of this, for heaven's sake check the new email -- and similarly, be sure your voice mail box has a good, strong greeting; check the voice mail regularly; and NEVER let the phone either not go to VM or let your mailbox be full.

Good luck, OP!