By Priscilla Poirier, Toronto Recruiter
As recruiters, we see our fair share of resume blunders. Some are minor; others can cause you to be immediately removed from the list of potential interview candidates. With thousands upon thousands of resumes being submitted each day for jobs in all industries such as marketing, finance, and other competitive markets, job seekers know that they need to have an attention grabbing resume to even be considered for the next step in the hiring process.
With 70% of employers spending less than 5 minutes reviewing your resume, and with 48% spending less than two minutes, you MUST ensure your resume is accurate, mistake free, and offers something that intrigues recruiters and hiring managers.
Most People Lie on Resumes
Unfortunately, most people lie on their resume. But you are not fooling anyone. According to a recent survey, more than half of employers have caught a lie on a resume. These lies range from everything from academic accomplishments, job titles, employment dates, skill sets, experience and responsibilities at previous jobs.
The big takeaway from this is that lying on your resume may actually not be worth the risk of getting caught. The truth is that 42% of the same employers would consider a candidate who met 3 of 5 qualifications they are seeking for a specific role.
Must Read Resume Blunders
The employers interviewed for the survey also revealed some very interesting resume mistakes they had seen. The most notable include:
- Applicant claimed to be a former CEO of the company to which they were applying
- Applicant claimed to be fluent in two languages – one of which was pig Latin.
- Applicant wrote “whorehouse” instead of “warehouse” when listing work history
- Applicant vying for a customer service position gave “didn’t like dealing with angry customers” as the reason for leaving her last job
- Username of applicant’s email address was “2poopy4mypants”
- Applicant claimed to be a Nobel Prize winner
- Applicant claimed to have attended a college that didn’t exist
- Applicant for a driver position claimed to have 10 years of experience but had only had a driver’s license for four years
- Applicant listed as a reference an employer from whom they had embezzled money and had an arrest warrant out for the applicant
- Applicant’s stated job history had him in three different companies and three different cities simultaneously
Other common resume mistakes include:
- Simple spelling and grammar errors
- Resumes that are not customized for the job
- Failure to include all requested items for the job application
What Hiring Managers Want to See on Your Resume
Hiring manager’s requests for most jobs are fairly straightforward:
- They want a resume that is customized for the job listing
- They want a cover letter to be included with your application
- They want your application to be addressed to the hiring manager
- They want links to your online blog or portfolio
To learn more from our Toronto headhunters about resume and job search best practices please read:
4 LinkedIn Profile Mistakes That Could Hurt Your Job Search
5 Simple Ways to Get a Recruiter’s Attention with Your Resume
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IQ PARTNERS is an Executive Search & Recruitment firm with offices in Toronto and Vancouver. We help companies hire better, hire less & retain more. We have specialist teams of recruiters in Financial Services & Insurance, Marketing Communications & Media, Emerging Tech & Telecom, Consumer Goods & Retail, B2B & Industrial, Technology, Accounting & Finance, HR & Operations and Mining & Engineering. IQ PARTNERS has its head office in Toronto and operates internationally via Aravati Global Search Network. Click here to view current job openings and to register with us.
