Dear Working Wise:
I have been applying for every job I see advertised for the past three months, but I haven’t had much luck. What am I doing wrong? Signed Jilted Job Seeker
Dear Jilted:
I am sorry to hear that your job search is not going as smoothly as you would like. It sounds like you are finding enough jobs to apply for—you are just not getting interviews. I am wondering if your resumé might be what is holding you back.
Employers use your resumé to decide if they are interested in you—is your resumé representing you as well as it should?
I attended an employer panel discussion of what employers want in resumés last year. The panel was made up of three employers from medium and large companies that see hundreds of resumés every week.
Here’s what the employers had to say:
- Many people still don’t have resumés—get one.
- Many people have poor resumes—improve your resumé.
- Always put your best foot forward—don’t assume employers will accept a sloppy resumé just because you’re applying for an entry-level job.
- Resumés should be typed and two pages or less in length.
- Don’t scratch-out errors—update and reprint your resumé.
- Use your legal name—not your nickname.
- Target you resumé to the job you’re applying for—emphasize your most relevant training, skills and experience.
- Include brief highlights of your current/previous positions and key skills that are applicable to the job you are applying for.
- Ensure your resumé is free of errors—they can’t call you for an interview if you give them the wrong phone number.
- Be sure your e-mail address is professional sounding: late4work@freemail.com does not inspire confidence.
- Include an objective at the top of your resumé to help the employer understand where you see yourself fitting into the organization.
- Don’t e-mail your resumé to 15 employers all in the same e-mail—employers will be able to see that you are broadcasting your resumé to everyone and that you’re not really interested in working for them specifically.
- Be prepared for the call back for an interview—try to be flexible and meet the employer when they want to meet.
- Include how long you worked at each employer to the month—employers are wary of job hoppers, because training and orienting staff is expensive. If you have jumped around a lot in the past, you might want to explain why in your cover letter.
- Retail and restaurant employers receive hundreds of resumés a week. Stand out from the crowd by dressing up and visiting the business in person. Ask to speak to the supervisor or manager and hand them your resumé in person.
- Retail and food-service businesses are open long hours and weekends. The fastest way to get an employer’s attention in these kinds of industries is to include in your cover letter or resumé: “Available for all shifts, able to start work quickly / immediately”.
For help writing or improving your resumé, check out the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) web site at http://alis.alberta.ca and put the free resumé tip sheets and online resumé review service to work for you.
Good luck!
Do you have a work-related question? Send your questions to Working Wise, at charles.strachey@gov.ab.ca. Charles Strachey is a regional manager with Alberta Employment and Immigration. This column is provided for general information.
