Cutting and Pasting Job Descriptions Could Get Your Resume Thrown Out

I have received many inquiries lately from clients who think it's a good idea to copy their current job description into their resumes, and/or copy the job description of the position they're applying for into their resumes.

I STRONGLY recommend against both tactics.

1. Copying current job descriptions:

Your current job description is just a list of job duties. The cardinal rule for resumes in today's job market is to write your resume as a list of achievements and accomplishments, NOT as a list of job duties! I would go so far as to say that your job description has very little to do with what you actually do and accomplish in your position.

I'll take myself as an example. The job description for my current position at the University of Wisconsin Law School says that I counsel students on their legal career search. It doesn't say what my success rate is, or how creatively I work with students' cover letters and resumes, or that I created a PowerPoint presentation on Resumes for Law Students. It doesn't mention the 5 job search resource manuals I created for various big cities across the United States. It doesn't mention the positive feedback I get from the students I work with.

It is my job to put these successes, which are nowhere to be found in my job description, into my resume. They speak much more to what I will accomplish in my next position than that I "assist students with resumes and cover letters."

Guess what? You don't need your current job description to write your resume. Just write about the things you've really done that will be relevant and impressive to the reader.

2. Copying future job descriptions:

I'm willing to bet that a lot of people make this mistake. If you make it too, you will have a lot of company from people who do not get called for interviews. Copying and pasting requires no creativity and actually makes it appear that you did NOT do the things you claim you did. All it does is show a hiring manager or HR person that you can cut and paste.

Instead, FIRST write your resume to highlight your accomplishments. Create the best document you can create. AFTER you have put together a great resume, THEN see if there are small tweaks you can make to include some of the keywords from the future job description.

For instance, I recently worked with a client applying for a Senior IT Director position. The position description listed "Develop and approve exceptions to policy..." His finished resume did not have the phrase "exceptions to policy" in it, but he worked with exceptions to policy regularly. He was able to add this phrase into an already existing bullet regarding his program management accomplishments.

In general, when crafting a winning resume, truth and honesty are the best policy. Don't get lazy or think you're "working the system" by using the cut and paste functions on your keyboard. What will get you an interview is your unique accomplishments. Focus on those and you will see success in your job search.

Still need some help to make your resume great? Contact The Essay Expert about our Resume and Cover Letter Services.

BrendaB@TheEssayExpert.com
http://www.theessayexpert.com/
For writing that gets results.

Brenda Bernstein, Certified Advanced Resume Writer and accomplished editor and LinkedIn trainer, holds an English degree from Yale University and a J.D. from the NYU School of Law. Over her 15 years as Senior Editor at The Essay Expert, Brenda has coached hundreds of professionals and companies to write resumes, essays and other materials that result in sought after job interviews, admission to top schools, and measurable business success.

Specialties: Resumes, Cover Letters, College Application Essays, Professional Bios, LinkedIn Profiles

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Pimp Your Resume By Cutting Overused Words

I am a big advocate of non-traditional jobs. I think everyone should own some sort of business at some point -- but often on the way to starting your own business it's necessary to eat, and usually to gain some experience too. And in order to do that, you have to get in line with everyone else and play "the Resume Game!" It's like 52 card pick-up, only you can't also play poker with them, and often there are more than 52 applicants for any particular job these days. Heck, in Long Island City, recently, an estimated 2,000 people waited in line at the local employment office - some for as long as four days! - to apply for 100 elevator mechanic apprenticeship positions. Nevertheless, if you need gainful employment right now (and 1 in 10 of you does), then the following might be helpful.

10 Words To Strike From Your Resume

One of the biggest problems in getting your resume to stand out is that you're using the same "unique" words to highlight your "creativeness" that everyone else is using, usually in the same boring, bullet-pointed layout that everyone else uses. These words aren't very descriptive, and their ubiquitous redundancy means that reading one of them in your resume (or Linked-In profile) can cause eyes to glaze over. Some of the words to watch for:
DynamicCommunication SkillsProblem SolvingInnovativeMotivatedTrack RecordExtensive ExperienceEffectiveOrganizationalCreative.

The chief reason to avoid these words is clearly that everyone uses these same words over and over again! Using them just makes your resume that much more "blah", and sink that much further back into the stack of identical white papers. With some of these words, the reasons are pretty clear: Everyone has a "track record", so just shut up and tell them what you've done. And you really shouldn't have to tell them that you can communicate, or that you can be organized -- these are no-brainer "duh" issues. Don't tell them, show them!

What Words To Use Instead

1) Appropriate Jargon. This may seem obvious, but before you finish your resume - let alone your cover letter - go back and re-read the job description. If they use technical terms that you're familiar with, then pepper them where appropriate on your resume and cover letter. (If you're NOT familiar with them, then get familiar, because these same words may be used in an interview, should you get that far!) This will show you knowledgeable in your field, and relevant as a candidate. Don't vomit key-words on every line, but nonchalantly include them where they fit naturally. Don't fall into the opposite problem of making your resume a dense block of jargon or a technical manual(unless, of course, you're applying for the "Obscurator" position at a technical manual writing company -- then go all out).

2) Correctly Spelled Words. I've been in a hiring position a few times, and one of the biggest annoyances that gets you canned before you're hired (unless the resume pool is oddly shallow) is a hastily slapped together resume with typos and grammatical errors aplenty. If you want to show that you're "organised" and "effishunt", you can start by demonstrating your technical proficiency with the English language (or whatever language is the lingua franca where you are applying. Now, some understanding will be made if that lingua franca doesn't happen to be your native tongue. But 99% of the time, it is, and typos kill your chances.

3) Words That List What You've Actually Done, In Sentence Format. Another no-brainer that's often missed, rather than listing vague and nebulous words like the 10 listed above, show your effective creativity and organizational skills by listing the projects that you've done with a 1 or 2 line description.

The Three "S"s

Resumes don't have to be completely off the wall to be noticed. You might consider mild use of color (or an exorbitant use, if you're looking into a position involving art or graphic design!), but keeping your resume Simple, Sharp, and Stylish will make a good first impression, allowing them to see the unique content which doesn't use the same generic buzz words the last 10 and next 10 applicants will use. There's no guarantee that this will land you the job, but it will almost certainly increase your odds "dynamically."

Justin West is married with three kids, and enjoys spending time with his wife and children and not having to work an 8 to 5. He holds his Bachelors degrees in Philosophy and History, will have a Masters in Philosophy soon. Justin got fed up with the job market in '10, and began blogging at http://www.lifeafterliberalarts.com/, and started a couple of businesses he runs successfully from home. He's developed a free report, which he gives away on his website which will help average folks do the same thing. It can be downloaded by going to his website, http://www.lifeafterliberalarts.com/, and clicking the "get access code" button in the top right corner.

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