Failure to Include Job Candidate’s Name and Other Resume Mistakes
Published at | Updated at(NEW YORK) — Making a good first impression is important in a job search, but a new survey of hiring managers finds many applicants are submitting resumes that are memorable for all the wrong reasons.
A Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Career Builder.com asked hiring managers to share the most memorable and unusual resumes they’ve received:
- Resume was submitted from a person the company just fired.
- Resume’s “Skills” section was spelled “Skelze.”
- Resume listed the candidate’s objective as “To work for someone who is not an alcoholic with three DUI’s like my current employer.”
- Resume included language typically seen in text messages (e.g., no capitalization and use of shortcuts like “u”).
- Resume consisted of one sentence: “Hire me, I’m awesome.”
- Resume listed the candidate’s online video gaming experience leading warrior “clans,” suggesting this passed for leadership experience.
- Resume included pictures of the candidate from baby photos to adulthood.
- Resume was written in Klingon language from Star Trek.
- Resume was a music video.
- Resume didn’t include the candidate’s name.
- On the job application, where it asks for your job title with a previous employer, the applicant wrote “Mr.”
- Resume included time spent in jail for assaulting a former boss.
When asked to identify the most common resume mistakes that may lead them to automatically dismiss a candidate, 56 percent of hiring managers and human resource staffers cited resumes that contain typos. Here’s the full rundown of the most common resume mistakes:
- Resumes that have typos.
- Resumes that are generic and don’t seem personalized for the position.
- Resumes that don’t include a list of skills.
- Resumes that copied a large amount of wording from the job posting.
- Resumes that have inappropriate email address.
- Resumes that don’t include exact dates of employment.
- Resumes printed on decorative paper.
- Resumes that include a photo.
The Harris Interactive survey commissioned by CareerBuilder.com was conducted online between May 14 and June 5, 2013 and involved 2,076 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 2,999 workers across a wide range of industries.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio