Tips for creating error-free resumes

Job seekers take note: One resume error, one false stroke at the keyboard could send your resume into the "circular file."

Executives were asked, "How many typos in a resume does it take for you to decide not to consider a job candidate for a position with your company?" Their responses:

One - 40%
Two - 36%
Three - 14%
Four or more - 7%
Don't know/no answer - 3%

"Employers view the resume as a reflection of the applicant," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps. "If you make errors on your application materials, the assumption is you'll make mistakes on the job."

Unfortunately, typos and other slipups are easy to make, and spell-check won't always catch them. To illustrate the point,following are some real-life errors made in resumes, applications and cover letters.

• "Hope to hear from you, shorty."
• "Have a keen eye for derail."
• "Dear Sir or Madman."
• "I'm attacking my resume for you to review."
• "I am a rabid typist."
• "My work ethics are impeachable."
• "Nervous of steel."
• "Following is a grief overview of my skills."
• "GPA: 34.0"
• "Graphic designer seeking no-profit career."

Accountemps offers the following tips for creating error-free resumes:

1. Get help: Enlist detail-oriented family members, friends or mentors to proofread your resume and provide honest feedback.
2. Take a timeout: Before submitting your resume, take a break and come back to it with a fresh set of eyes. You might catch something you missed the first time.
3. Print a copy: It's easy to overlook typos or formatting mistakes when reading a resume on a monitor, so print it out for review. Read through it slowly and pay close attention to font styles and sizes, in addition to spelling and grammar.
4. Try a new perspective: Sometimes readers inadvertently skip over parts they have read previously. Review your resume backward to help avoid this problem.
5. Read it aloud: Your ears might catch errors your eyes have overlooked.

Survey Methodology: The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest staffing services firm specializing in accounting and finance. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 150 senior executives from the nation's 1,000 largest companies. With more than 360 offices worldwide, Accountemps offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com.

Social Media Recruiting and Mobile Technology

Recruiters have always been quick on the uptake when it comes to new and innovative technology, especially if this technology makes it easier to stay connected. Lately, there’s a lot of buzz surrounding social recruiting and mobile recruiting – and many recruiters are blindly jumping on the bandwagon. But what’s just buzz, and what will become a permanent part of every recruiter’s toolbox?

Mobile Recruiting: Apps and More

Mobile recruiting allows recruiters to do what they do best: stay connected. How? Apps. There are a few recruiting apps that I really like:

• Job Science puts the functionality of an applicant tracking system in recruiters' pockets.
• Instant Customer is a handy gadget for business card and contact management.
• Global Recruiting Round table gives users access to top industry news and trends, and allows them to plug in to a community of experts.
• Job Speek adds a new dimension to job postings: audio.

Mobile SMS and QR code recruiting is getting some serious attention. However, recruiting leader and sourcing consultant Geoff Peterson says, “The technology’s not 100% there.”

Social Recruiting: Plan for Your Slice of the Pie

Recruiting has always been social, but social media has opened a new can of worms. And if you want a piece of the social recruiting pie, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• You need a strategy. You may have a Twitter account, but that doesn’t mean you have a social recruiting strategy. You need clear goals, an execution plan and metrics for measuring success. Otherwise, you’re just filling my Twitter feed with white noise.
• Don’t bombard, engage. Anyone can post “an exciting opportunity” on LinkedIn. If that’s all you're using your social media accounts for, however, you’re going to lose your audience fast. Share an article you enjoyed, link to something interesting you’ve come across, just don’t bombard them with jobs.
• Keep the social in social media. You can get all the Facebook fans and Twitter followers you want, but unless you’re engaging your network, they’re just numbers. There are a number of communities out there that revolve around social media in a number of industries.

About the Author: Kyle Lagunas is the HR Analyst at Software Advice. He blogs about trends, technology and best practices in HR and recruiting by day, and drinks entirely too much wine by night.