My Medical Device Sales Career

Recruiters Dump Resumes with These Stupid Mistakes

Are you applying to many jobs with your resume and feeling an eerie silence? Is it almost like you are throwing your resume into a black hole? Well, that may be exactly what you are doing if your resume reflects these often seen, but not spoken, resume mistakes.

Recruiters have to open hundreds of resumes a day from multiple sources like LinkedIn, Indeed.com and MedReps feeding into our email box. We open each resume quickly and give most resumes a very quick 2 to 3 second look before a quick dump. Those resumes that get a quick dump are often due to stupid mistakes on the resume:

STUPID RESUME MISTAKES

No address at the top of the resume (sorry I am not going to figure out what city and state you reside in)
Misspelled words (plural, meaning more than one) throughout the resume
Non-professional resume template (someone free forming a resume on a word doc)
Resume written in reverse time order sequence (putting their oldest job at the top of the resume vs. current)
Resume written in the first person (ie: "I did this, I did that, I want a job that...")
Using a resume template that is corrupted or is not in standard Word Doc format (preferred) or PDF
Putting your picture on the resume (unless you are applying for a modeling job!)
Failing to put your Educational level upon the resume (Degree, Certificates, Training programs and etc.)

In general, hiring companies that recruit candidates for high paying business and clinical openings expect to hire "smart people" and if the resume is not smartly written than that is the message being sent to the recruiter: the candidate is not that smart!

I do realize some candidates do their research and can do an admirable job with a professional resume template, but most really don't.

I often ask candidates who send me a resume with one or more of the 8 Stupid Resume Mistakes (one of the few I may call for whatever reason),

"Why didn't you hire a professional resume writer?"

The answer always astounds me, because it is nearly the same.

"I didn't want to spend the money."

My question to them and resultant answer is always the same.

"You are applying to a job that pays well over 6 figures and you didn't want to spend the money that could help you attain that job? How could you afford NOT TO hire a professional resume writer?"

First and foremost paying someone to write your resume is an investment in your career and ultimately your future. You invested in a a college degree for the same reason's for far more money than a resume writer. A good resume writer will highlight your work experience and focus on your accomplishments in a professional format. If you have the talent to pen your own resume, please make sure you are not providing a resume with one of the 8 Stupid Mistakes upon it. Lastly, one must be careful selecting an industry resume writer (for your industry and type of position), but a good one could make the difference between getting an opportunity to interview or never getting the initial call!

Disclaimer: I am not a resume writer nor am I promoting any one individual.

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