Resume Critiques by a Professional in Human Resources

Hiring Manager Pet Peeves

I recently attended the International PARW/CC (Professional Association of Resume Writer/Career Counselors) International Conference. They organized a panel of Hiring Managers to allow conference attendees to ask questions on what they wanted to see in an applicant. Almost equally important – what are hiring manager’s pet peeves? What can you do that will make a hiring manager cringe? Here were the responses that stood out to me.

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I Can Help Your Small Business Save Money

I can help your small business save money. In today’s work culture, job transition is a natural part of being an employee and a business owner. It’s hard when you have to say ‘goodbye’ to an employee. An employee can be terminated for cause, laid off, or just not a job fit. Resume critiques can help your small business minimize risk, save money, and maximize goodwill for an employee that leaves your company.

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Four Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Write Your Resume

We all do it. We procrastinate. The ‘p-word’ is one of the top reasons people cite for not completing their resume. I often hear from my clients, “I’ve been planning to apply for about a month and now the deadline is tomorrow! Can you help me?” Unfortunately, waiting until the last minute to update your resume will most often result in a product that is inferior to what you would have created if you had stayed more task oriented. Let’s stop the madness. Here are four ways to stop procrastinating and write your resume.

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Where Does My Resume Go?

Paige is a certified HR professional and resume writer with a passion for helping her clients draft effective resumes that get results. Her resume critiques include examples and tips on how to improve a resume’s content, format, and grammar.

Where does my resume go after I hit submit? Do applicant tracking systems (ATS) reject you before a person has the chance to review your resume? Do HR professionals fail to look through every resume before they make hiring decisions? I hear these questions from my clients constantly. The good news is that there are some steps that you can take to ensure your resume has a better chance of being reviewed by the right person.

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The Short Cover Letter

I am an advocate of the short cover letter. There are exceptions to every rule, but this is the advice I offer to the majority of my clients. Longer cover letters can contain redundancies, boring content, creative shticks that fall flat and potentially disclose unnecessary information. Shorter cover letters are easy to absorb and can highlight your top qualifications for the job.

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Why do Numbers Matter in Your Resume?

Resumes that quantify accomplishments often get noticed by a hiring manager. Why do numbers matter in your resume? Integrating numbers into your job description and accomplishments allow a hiring manager to better understand your job history and any necessary context. It will show a prospective employer that you understand how your work contributes to their bottom line. Employers want to know that their business will improve if they hire you. Numbers on a resume are also easy to understand and absorb by the reader. Continue reading

Top 6 Resume Mistakes

There are so many ways you can write a resume. I encourage my clients to create resumes that display their own individuality. There is no way to please everyone with your resume, so make sure it pleases you. That having been said, there are some mistakes that should be avoided at all costs.

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Resume Trends of 2017

As a resume consultant, I am always on the lookout for new or changing resume trends. I came across this article  written by Kristin Bahler and posted on the TIME magazine website. The article is entitled ‘What Your Resume Should Look Like in 2017.’ Continue reading

College Graduate Resumes

I recently had the opportunity to live critique college graduate resumes.  As I absorbed these resumes quickly and spit out as much feedback as I could in 10 minutes, I couldn’t help but notice a few reoccurring themes in the feedback I offered.  I thought it would be useful to post my top 10 tips for college graduate resumes. Continue reading

How Does a Resume Get You the Job?

I recently read an article written by Tom Lamont. Lamont interviewed the head of Google’s people operations, Lazlo Bock. The piece largely focused on Google’s work culture and ridiculous odds on actually getting hired. However, a section on Bock’s hiring criteria stood out to me and raised a question. How does a resume get you the job? To summarize, Bock indicated that he cares about four things when assessing a candidate: Continue reading

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