The Top Ways to Get Your Resume Sent to the Shredder

By Tom McBroom

Hiring managers are a harried bunch. I know because I am one.

In addition to their day-to-day responsibilities, they have to read resumes and interview people whenever they have an opening to fill. And this is becoming increasingly more time consuming with the advent of online job sites and electronic applications. It is much easier today for applicants to electronically apply and electronically send a resume, rather than going to the trouble and expense of mailing a paper application.

This means that hiring managers are reading more resumes per opening than ever before, which means we see more bad resumes than ever before. It should thus come as no surprise that a hiring manager will very quickly put your resume in the "to be shredded" stack if you commit any of the following resume sins.

More Than Two Pages in Length

Even if you are a seasoned executive with many years of experience, you should be able to keep your resume to two pages or less. Remember: your resume should only go back 10 years with your job history, and you should include only your most relevant experience and accomplishments. The purpose of the resume is to get you an interview, so keep it succinct and make every sentence powerful.

In fact, many hiring managers won't read past the second page of your resume anyway, and they certainly don't care much about experience that is more than ten years in the past. They want to know what you've done recently and they don't want you to take several pages to tell them.

Actually, unless you truly are a seasoned executive, you should be able to keep your resume to one page. This forces you to ruthlessly cut out the unimportant details and focus on your best traits. This is what makes a powerful resume and this is what gets interviews.

Remember: resumes three pages or more in length frustrate hiring managers and have a high likelihood of a short trip to the shredder.

Using Colored Paper and Other Cute Tricks

Whenever I receive a paper resume that is printed on colored paper, or heavy cardboard-like paper, or printed using several different colors, I automatically think of one word: "unprofessional".

True professionals do not rely on tricks to get their resume read. They spend their time tailoring their resume for that specific job and let a clean, well-written format do their selling.

Yes, there are some creative type positions where this sort of thing may be appreciated, but even then you still must have the experience and qualifications for the job. For all other positions, these cutesy resume tricks will simply start you off with one strike against you.

Here's the bottom line: Use 20 pound, good quality white paper for your resume. Use black ink only and at the most two typefaces. This makes your resume look professional and will get the hiring manager's attention far better than colored paper and rainbow ink.

Little White Space and No Bullets

There are few things that will make a hiring manager cringe more when reading a resume than long paragraph after long paragraph, with no space or bullets to break it up.

This sends a signal that you were too lazy to spend the time recapping your experience and skills for the hiring manager. Instead, the hiring manager has to plow through long narratives trying to uncover those qualifications that may match the job opening. Most of the time, these long, wordy resumes don't get completely read and seldom result in an interview.

If you want to catch the hiring manager's attention, you have to make your resume easy to read and easy to see what are your significant qualifications and experience. Don't make the hiring manager dig for this. You should have far more bullets than paragraphs, and never have paragraphs longer than three sentences. This shows you respect the reader's time and will get your story across far better.

Bad Grammar and/or Spelling

This should go without saying and is certainly included in every article ever written about how to make a resume. In spite of this, I will see at least two out of ten resumes with serious grammar or spelling errors.

While you may say that this shouldn't matter unless you're applying for a job as a writer, it does. Bad grammar and spelling demonstrates one of two things: either you have poor writing skills, or you were simply too lazy and careless to properly proofread your resume. Either way, you look bad.

If you are not an excellent writer, and many of us aren't, then have your resume proofread and corrected by someone who is. It's surprising how many hiring managers are absolute sticklers when it comes to grammar and spelling and won't read past the first or second mistake before (you guessed it!) sending your resume to the shredder.

Tom McBroom has been a Hiring Manager for over 25 years and manages the website http://www.job-search-steps.com, which is dedicated to helping you find a job quickly. Visit his site for complete information about conducting a job search, writing resumes and cover letters, and interviewing.

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