Recently we were hiring for a new position in the truck, and I put an ad on Craigslist which worked like a charm.  I got many resumes, and some from very highly qualified individuals.  I’ve hired who I think was the best candidate for the job.  But…. Boy oh boy did I get some DISMAL examples of resumes.

My 2 biggest complaints were grammar and spelling – little things like leaving the “s” off a major department store.  As IF you didn’t  know the ACTUAL name of the department store you worked at.  And poor layout.  All CAPITAL letters IF you can believe it.  Or just painful on the eyes to read – colums not lined up straight etc.

What brought this blog posting on is an article I read this morning in 24hours. http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Business/2009/07/13/10110906-sun.html

Rest assured if you got an interview, it’s because you can write a resume, and then in the follow up phone call you presented yourself well.  But I have to say. Some examples were simply ABYSMAL!

Listen, if the only impression I have is your resume, then it had better stand out for the right reasons.  I don’t know you, I’ve never met you, I know nothing about you. What I know is that you can’t spell or write, you phoned me, so you can’t follow instructions (which of course were, “no phone calls”) (and I know you know this because I didn’t leave my phone number I said, “No phone calls, but check out our website to get a decent idea…” where they looked up the phone # to phone), you didn’t tailor your resume to this position (examples: “Objective: A full time position….” It was part time, “I read about your posting on Workopolis”…. no you didn’t) and so on.

Anyway.  Enough of my rant.

Kids, listen, if you’re applying for a job, take some time to write your resume carefully.  There are loads of templates out there in Word and on the internet.  Email a PDF of the file so that anyone can open it.  Spell correctly.  If English isn’t your first language, ask a friend to proof read it.  English not being your first language isn’t the crime.  The crime is not being clever enough to have it proofread.  When you worked at other jobs in the past, include the months and years when you’re telling me your start and end dates.  2007 to 2008 is not good enough.  Is that 23 months or 2 months? It makes a difference!!

Google “Resume writing Vancouver” for a WEALTH of free aid when it comes to shining through.  Seriously, spelling is really all you need to set yourself apart from the rest of the clutter on my desk.  After that, you’d better ace the interview and have solid references, but you’ll NEVER get to that stage by handing in the rubbish that I recently saw.

Jason’s the new guy BTW.  He started yesterday.  I think you’ll like him.