A few reasons why your resume is failing you

Chances are, your job hunt may include some hideous mistakes that make HR managers everywhere turn up their nose in disgust and prevent you from landing the interviews you need. Your doomed resume will not work for you come September when the traditional hiring rush begins as employers anticipate workers exiting at the end of the year, so I have listed 3 simple major drawbacks I see day in and day out as an expert resume writer. Keep in mind that there are dozens of mistakes that you can make, but I wanted to give you a few at a time to really comprehend it.

But first, let me ask if you are sick of:

* Submitting your resume to the black hole of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and hearing crickets.

* Receiving no feedback from the HR Manager you called, because she doesn’t know who you are because your resume was not that memorable. The HR Manager cannot see how this umpteenth person who is claiming to be qualified is actually qualified and is not intrigued enough to read your resume.

*Just not knowing what to do or what to change on your resume to get that coveted interview.

You feeling any of this? If so, I am telling you the pain will not diminish in January, if you don't have a new resume.

I have made it my personal mission to take the mystery out of the job seeking process and turn it into a transparent job landing process.

So in the spirit of brash transparency, let me tell you three resume fails I see each and every day so you can see if you are doing any of these.

FAIL #1 – You begin your resume with the word SUMMARY under your name.

The space under your name on your resume is prime resume real estate. Using this line for stating an empty, obvious word is a major lost marketing opportunity. You would not put the phrase “business card” on top of your business card, right? Well, using the word SUMMARY in this prime resume real estate is an equivalent fail. Even worse is any variation of “OBJECTIVE” followed by generic empty words that also wastes prime resume real estate.

FAIL #2 – The position you want is not clear on your resume.

Recruiters and hiring managers will not take the time to figure out what you want and then court you for that job you might be good at. It just will not happen. So get clear on what you want and then make it clear in your cover letter or on the summary section of your resume what position you are seeking.

FAIL #3 – Your resume reads like a job description of tasks to be done with your name on the top.

If you have a list of tasks or responsibilities and/or have bullets that start “Responsible for” or “Duties included,” then you are missing a chance to differentiate yourself. Every person who does what you do will have these tasks/responsibilities on their resume. Outlining how well you did this task/responsibility is how you set yourself apart. Write an achievement-driven resume with quantifiable accomplishments. Not sure how to do this, ask me how.

Which of these resume fails have you committed? More than one?

If you answered yes to 1, 2 or all 3, then you have identified a viable reason why you are not getting the interviews you want and how your resume is failing you.

These are just a few of the many mistakes that people make but I do not blame them. I blame the preconceived notion that the resume is not that big of a deal and you can look up a resume template online and just plug in some basic information and get your dream job. If your profession is in demand in your job market then you might be able to get by with an internet template or just copy someone else’s resume. You may get the job out of demand. If your market is a little more demanding than the opportunities available to you, then you might want to consider a resume writer to set you apart from the other applicants that use templates, or think that it is not a big deal.

It is.

HR notices.

Don’t wait until you are 3 months into your search before you reach out for help.