OFW guide: Three things to avoid putting on your resume

A job search begins with a resume. Without it, you would not even be considered if there was an opening in a company. According to the recruitment publication Headhunt, your resume should clearly reflect your skills, qualifications, and expertise. Headhunt suggests testing what you have written on your resume based on the so-called "SMART" framework: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Your resume should contain pertinent information about yourself -- what your strengths are, what you can contribute to the company, or what makes you stand out from the rest. Your resume should give a clear idea of who you really are even if your potential employer has not yet met you in person, especially as more companies now prefer online applications only to save time and resources.

 

To help you avoid major boo-boos in resume writing that might cause you your dream job, the business news site Inc. compiled three tips: 

 

(1) No concrete results

 

“Numbers and metrics speak louder than words. Vague generalities are the kryptonite of a resume,” Inc. noted.

 

While a resume listing your accomplishments and responsibilities is not bad, what you need is a results-oriented resume. This kind of resume easily gives readers an idea of what you can do for their company.

 

It gives them something “tangible” to measure you up based on the job requirements. 

 

 

(2) An unexplained gap

 

A resume reflecting a couple of years off the workforce is fine as long as you have a good explanation for the gap.

 

However, if you can’t justify your absence from the workforce, it might be difficult to convince the hiring manager that you are a worthy candidate for the job.

 

“Candidates should put on the hiring manager’s hat and look at their own resumes with this filter and then proactively address any of these issues in a clear and unambiguous way,” Inc. said. 

 

 

(3) Format and grammatical errors

 

Most of the time, resumes with format and grammatical errors are discarded by hiring managers.

 

A resume represents the work ethic of the individual to some extent. Having a sloppy resume – the first step in the hiring process – says a lot about an individual. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News