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Errors in the letter or resume.

Large holes in the resume.

Non-relevant experience. Lack of relevant experience.

@marinelife Could you elaborate more about “large holes”?

Grammatical errors in the resume.
No experience.
To cocky.
I absolutely dislike resumes with photos on them, they would go in to the trash first.
No organization on the resume.

Poor spelling, grammar, or formatting on the resume would be an instant “no”.

@Facade When there’s a large gap in work experience. Something I’m dreading since I’ve been a stay at home mother for three years now.

@judochop How are people supposed to gain experience if no one hires people with no experience? This is my biggest problem in finding a job. I am very competent, can learn mostly anything (within reason), but since I have only a year of retail under my bel,. NO ONE wants me. So very, very frustrating!
@casheroo I understand what it means. I was wondering why it’s an issue if it can be explained.

@Facade Yes, what I mean is unexplained gaps of a year or more in the resume.

@Facade then you should intern somewhere.

@judochop

Like anyone living in the real world can afford to work for free.

Humor would be a no-no for me, in a resume.

@Facade
Just make sure that your unexplained gaps, are explained.
Write that you were looking for voluntairs jobs (or were indeed working as one), or that you used these gaps to study.
Of course it must be true if you write that.

@judochop I keep hearing that, but I have to go with @Seek_Kolinahr. Working for free would be a waste of time for me right now.
@rebbel The gaps were because I only had summer jobs in high school. The most recent gap is because I quit my most recent job. I should tell employers that during initial contact?

@Facade
Your first gap sounds like a positive thing.., you were working!
The quiting the last job: Always explain such things from a positive point of view.
Don’t say that the working hours were not to your liking, that your boss was an ass, etc. (even if that was the case), but say that you couldn’t grow further in this job, you want to broaden your horizon, etc.
It’s difficult of course, you also don’t want to be seen as somebody who hops from job to job every half year.
But radiate positivity in your resume and the interview.
And be honoust, in my opinion the most important thing.

@Seek_Kolinahr @Facade
Then find work you can afford to do in the service industry or in retail. Most any “career type” job is going to require experience.
Where there is a will there is a way. Anything else is just excuses.
Might I also add that quitting a job in this economy does not sound very smart to any employer willing to take the time, money and risk of hiring you.
I do not mean to sound harsh but these are things that I’ve always looked for when hiring in the past.
Also, interning often leads to great job contacts and a great job.

@judochop I can’t do either of those because of physical issues. I’m looking for a desk job, but everyone wants years of experience for jobs that, in my opinion, aren’t difficult at all. And you’re right, it doesn’t sound smart to quit right now, but I did.

@casheroo your excuse is one of the few excuses an employer would accept, as long as your expertise in your field has not become dated.

While the responses above are red flags for a lot of us, some of them could be a lawsuit waiting to happen, at least in the USA. A successful hiring process starts well before the resumes start to come in.

Talk to people that already do the same job well, and ask them to help craft a job description that details the skills that are required and those that are preferred. For example, I was looking for a hotel management trainer, and we required trainer experience and preferred those with experience working for our specific chain. When I worked at a hotel, a resume wasn’t always required…just a completed application so that we could check references.

Write a detailed classified ad that describes the responsibilities. Yes, it costs more, but it will be balanced out by cost for the amount of time you might spend reading resumes that don’t match your needs.

@Facade it’s tough. I wish you the best of luck.

@judochop Thanks

Lacking the qualities I need.

I suppose it depends on the job. If I were hiring for my household then I would look for someone with varying job experiences, solid references. If I were hiring for my old jobs then I would look for someone who lists what relevant experience they have, acumen with programs/procedures/OSHA/HAZMAT/other specialized training, a reference or two.

It really came down to the interview for me. If someone didn’t know but could prove they were good to learn then they were hired. I’d rather train someone than have someone come in that only did a job in one way. I always looked for creative thinkers and true problem solvers. I didn’t need drones- I needed people.

Poor spelling or grammer are major red flags to me as an employer, more than gaps on a resume. To get noticed and put on top of the pile, make sure that your resume is very neat and easy to read. Employers do not have time to read resumes that resemble books, so be careful about being too “flowery” with your skills or accomplishments.

Other items which we do not even want to read about is what clubs, groups, or teams a person was on in high school. High school is over… we’re in the big world now. As for any gaps due to parenting, I would rather see a woman list “full-time-mom” on a resume rather than to leave a gap. But please, no cute terms like, head bottle-washer, or mommy-on-call, just be honest and to the point.

As for quitting your job, I would initally just list your dates of employment with that particular employer. Once you make it to the interview, then you can go a little further into
depth about your reasons as to why you left their employment. Be careful about bashing your former employer too much though, because if you do that to a former employer, a potential employer will assume that you will do that to them too in the long run. Most employers know that their employees will not work for them the rest of their lives and will accept that a potential employee may have quit a few jobs in their lifetime in order to find a better job. But there is a fine line with that too if a resume shows that a person is a job hopper and only stays on a job for a few years at a time and then quits.

Good luck with your job search!!

Thanks Pied Pfeffer for pointing out my typo… it’s “grammar” and not grammer. Sometimes my brain is a lot faster than my fingers when typing!

I don’t believe in resumes.
Don’t give them, don’t recieve them.

@betterdays I am just as guilty. It’s embarrassing for me to read some of my past posts. :) A hug to you.

@Pied Pfeffer Thank you… you made my day! :)

It doesn’t take much to shine these days in a sea of idiots. Do something to set yourself apart from the rest. Work for a DAY free. If you can’t show someone a bit about what you’re made of, in a day, it probably wouldn’t work.

There’ll be people saying, “One day is not enough.” What would be enough? In one day, you can allow people to form an opinion about whether they’d like to give you a CHANCE.

@Facade, volunteer experience is a substitute for work experience. It doesn’t have to be relevant volunteer experience, but something that demonstrates a work ethic, that you will show up on time, take direction, can work with the public, and stick with something.

I agree about grammar and poor writing, but you’re a strong writer; that shouldn’t be a problem.

@MissA A company I worked for did something similar, but with a different twist. Part of the interview process was for the candidates to spend a couple of hours observing people doing the job that they were applying for. It allowed applicants to get a realistic perspective of what the job entailed and decide whether it would be the right fit for them. There were a few that withdrew their application after getting a bird’s-eye view of what working in a hotel was really like.

Depending upon the job, most HR and legal advisors would not allow or encourage someone not employed to do actual work. Our company had a formal internship program, and I believe that even on “Bring Your Child to Work Day”, the parent needed to register their child.

I am the boss.

I agree with much of the above and, while it may not be “fair” per se, there are a few other things that would get my attention in a bad way . . . . for example, if a resume lists a contact phone number, it is helpful if the message on the phone is professional. If I start hearing music that I don’t like and the message is rude or casual to the point of making me question the maturity of the person, I may not leave a message (my thinking is, “You gave me this number, didn’t you think this all the way through? I am sure your pals can do without your annoying message until you nail this job.”)

Resumes end up getting photocopied etc, so don’t waste time on the pink paper. I want a clean resume that shows me you are an ordered thinker, that you are logical, and that you have good attention to detail. Typos, peculiar font changes, unusual margins will all catch my attention.

I would also like to know who started the rule that a resume should all fit on one page. Once you have a real adult life that includes accomplishments, the resume should reflect that (and it WON’T fit on one page). I would rather have several well prepared and organized pages. The one page rule may be great if you just graduated from high school, but that is the only appropriate use of a one page resume, it can work against you after a point yet people still seem to want to follow that old chestnut. For example, I have worked for three significant employers in my life, but was consistently promoted to different positions of increasing responsibility for those employers and my written resume (CV) reflects this.

The cover letter is also important and many folks skip the appropriate attention such a letter deserves. If you spell my name wrong, I will notice. My title is confusing, so I can see messing that up (a little) but for crying out loud, spell my name right.