Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Resume Bloopers

In college, I was a comparative lit major. That basically means I love words, I love books. Keep that in mind if you decide to send me a resume.

Even though I consider my grasp of the English language pretty good, I still grab the dictionary and look up a word if I want to confirm its nuances. Which is what these people should have done...
  • How about the person who provided "proper instructing of instillation of equipment during surgeries." Instillation- really? I wonder if there is any moonshine involved.
  • Exactly the opposite of what they intended: "My successful and verifiable entrepreneurial experience in sales and new business development has required that I be tenuous in my approach to the business and sell through strong relationship development." Frankly dear, I don't know anyone who is looking for a tenuous rep. Usually, quite the opposite.
  • Or the overly empathetic cover letter: "I understand that in these current economic times you are intonated with potential candidates for career advancement. I am sure that at times it is actually overwhelming." While the sentiment is appreciated, let me set the record straight: I do not generally sing or chant while reviewing resumes, even when I get a lot of them.

So don't be shy about whipping out your dictionary if you are reaching for the right word. Better to get the right one than an unintended meaning.

5 comments:

ganahl search said...

haha! That wsa funny. Nice post!

Anonymous said...

What a riot. I have over 5000 resumes in my data base and I think about 2% are without some error. I love it when I get a picture of a young guy with spikey hair, or an email address that says:
golfisbetterthanwork@xxx.com

Paige D said...

Hi Lisa,
Followed the link to your blog from the email you sent this evening. I LOVE THIS!! Not sure why but I have received numerous requests from job seekers asking for help with their career search. I am amazed by the resumes that are jam packed with spelling and/or grammatical errors.
I have decided to decline any future inquiries for constructive feedback. Most view my suggestions as a "PERSONAL" attack. Since I'm not getting paid, I can easily locate the "delete" button.

Thanks for the bright spot in my day. It makes scents, since, cents, and even sense to me! HA!
Paige

Steve Farrell said...

Very funny. There's probably a lot more out there.

Anonymous said...

Lisa,
My name is Joe Garcia. I am in Cincinnati, Ohio. I received an email from you today regarding an opportunity in the Medical Equipment Sales industry. I like to do a little research prior to following up on inquiries of this type. I do this to verify the validity of the inquiry.Usually, I'll visit the website, look at job postings, read the job descriptions etc.

You are the first one to send a link to the Blog. I found this interesting!