by Debbie N

Created on: August 03, 2007

There really is nothing more frustrating for a job seeker than submitting a resume to a company and never getting a call back. You know you're qualified for the position, and if they would just give you the opportunity to speak with you about job you could show them what an asset you would be to their company. Unfortunately, you might have talked yourself out the job just by sending a bad resume. When employers post jobs on sites such as Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com, they may get literally hundreds of responses in a week or less. A resume has to be outstanding to get noticed, and the sad truth is, most are no where close.

I am a recruiter for a Staffing agency, and I look at dozens and dozens of resumes in a day. Very few impress me enough to call the candidate based on resume alone. If I am having trouble filling a position, then I might overlook certain mistakes and flaws, but for the most part, the style, format, and content of the resume is what makes me decide to or not to make the initial phone call. I have certain things I want to and do not want to see on a resume, and in my experience, most employers feel the same.

What the majority of employers care about the most is whether or not the person can do the job they've applied for. I want to see skills listed in bullet points at the top of the resume, just under the objective. Employers need to find things quickly, so make it easy for them to do that. With skills, summarize what you can do and what your proficiency level is in that skill. If I need someone with expert Excel skills, and I don't see on the resume that the person has used Excel, then I won't waste my time. However, many people have certain skills that they fail to list believing they are irrelevant or that the employer will just assume they have the skill, but it's more likely if you don't list it, we'll assume you don't have the skill. You are doing yourself a disservice by not selling what you know.

Always be sure to include your most recent job, whether or not it has any relevance to the job you're applying for. Also, if there are any gaps in time on your resume where you did not work, make sure you list why, either in the resume or on your cover letter. I can't count how many people leave off years worth of employment because it doesn't pertain to the job they're applying for. If I see a resume where someone has more than a few month gap in employment with no explanation, I don't call, especially if their last job was more than a

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