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Worst Advice ever heard about making a Resume

Almost everyone has an opinion about almost everything. But listening to each and every one of them would only showcase our inability to think and opine for ourselves. People usually have a lot to say when it comes to your career and future and it isn’t much different when the subject of discussion is your resume. So what is the most bizarre Resume Advice you can think of that someone you know had given you? What is the peculiar tip that made you go rolling on the floor laughing?

True advice is that which comes from personal experience. Any random thoughts that one’s mind presumes or formulates should not be given out as advice as it might misguide and mislead someone who is looking out for some genuine guidance. Resume writing tips from any random being can do you more harm than good. So beware of accepting tips without verifying whether the information is genuine!

Obscurity can be better dealt with when discussed and shared, hence we bring to you our list of the worst advice we’ve ever heard on how to make a resume. Read on, you might find points different from the ones on your list!

1) Frame a common resume and send it out to all job-providers

Needs and requirements of all jobs differ. You may have limited skills which can be described i, a single resume however, if you are not job-specific while sending out resumes then you might get rejected in spite of having the most desirable skills and achievements. What needs to be done by a job-seeker is to indulge in resume preparation for every single job that he applies for, and mention his skills in line with the expectations of the employer in order to create a perfect resume.

Anyone advising you to send out a common resume for all jobs is definitely not the well-wisher he/she claims to be. Nobody has the time or the patience to go through the skills that you nonchalantly mention in the common resume that you’ve prepared. Any employer seeing that resume is sure to not even consider you for the job. You need to highlight skills that the employer is looking for, even if that means changing the arrangement of sentences or layouts and categories of your resume.

Résumé Writers’ Ink CEO and founder Tina Nicolai says about common resumes: “This is similar to fishing for a specific fish and using the wrong bait. Far too many candidate leave off pertinent information such as metrics, achievements, business results, number of employees on their team, year-end fiscal results, and leadership competencies. The more specific the résumé is to the targeted job description, the better chances the candidate will be selected for an interview.”

2) Make it no longer than one page

“Make it no longer than one page” is another peculiar and nonsensical advice that job-seekers receive and one can only wonder why this can be considered following! It is obscure to tell someone with 15-20 years of experience to shut up and not mention his many skills and achievements lest the page number rises! It seems as if letting the employer know of your capability and suitability for the job doesn’t matter at all; all that counts is that you are presenting a short resume that won’t piss the employer off.

Someone workforce to the work force may keep his/her resume limited to a page but someone with experience should definitely not bother about the length and must proudly furnish all that he has accomplished, keeping in mind the requirements of the job. These words by career strategist SJ Sawhney are apt for those in the pursuit of writing a good resume: “Make sure the first page captures the hiring manager’s interest, whether or not there’s a second page.”

Resume writing does not involve these petty things that some people claim to be so significant. A resume can be long as long as it is readable and content specific. Remember the words of Amy Adler (a certified master résumé writer, management coach, and CEO of Five Strengths) on how to write a resume: “Two to three pages is a fine number for more experienced candidates, if that’s what’s needed to ‘deliver a comprehensive, compelling résumé.’ A readable font and an appealing design are particularly crucial for longer CVs.”

3.) Have an Objective Statement

Many old school people still follow and advice others to have an “Objective Statement” in their resume which is very much obsolete in today’s world. While it is imperative to have goals and objectives for life and your career, presenting them on your resume is not the way to materialize those as doing this only skims down your chances at convincing the employer to hire you. Renowned author and workplace expert Lynn Taylor reiterates the same point when he says: “putting an ‘objective’ on your résumé can limit your chances of landing a job.” Rather than explicitly stating what you want right in the beginning of your resume, try building an impressive cover letter where you can mention your motive and expectations behind approaching that particular job and organization.

4) Mention Soft skills

Everyone possesses soft skills like written and oratory skills, multi-tasking, professionalism etc. Mentioning these on your resume doesn’t highlight the skills as unique to you as these are very general in nature and the employer will easily find them in any job-seeker. Anyone advising you to include the soft skills category in your resume is undoubtedly giving out the worst of all resume advices! Do not even consider such advices as they will only lead you towards doom. In a professional resume, you should rather focus on the skills that exclusively possessed by you.

5) Short summaries

A lot many suggestions pertaining to resumes talk about having short summaries. Seeking resume help from the wrong sources often leads one to receiving such perfunctory tips. More than keeping it short, your summary should be accomplishment-specific and answer the how much, how many, and how often questions regarding your achievements, tenure of service, designation etc. The key to creating the perfect resume is to not let it be boring and vague. Any out-of-place information makes your resume prone to these vices.

6) Conceal career gaps

Never lie in your resume! That’s your key to a happy life. If Joey had paid heed to this important tip then he sure would have got the part in the musical A Tale of Two Cities. In case you didn’t get this F.R.I.E.N.D.S reference, I am only trying to say that you should avoid concealing the real facts about your professional career as much as possible because if you are caught by the prospective employer in this act of yours then you will be in serious trouble. You might have some career gaps and that really is okay as long as you don’t choose to lie about it on your resume.

Consider any advice asking you to conceal your career gaps as a horrible and deadly one as it is likely to attract the attention of the employer rather than repelling it. Executive resume writer Lisa Rangel speaks in this regard, “This is horrible advice for a few reasons. First, anyone with a progressive, linear background will use a reverse-chronological format. So when someone does not use this format and uses a functional format, you are bringing attention to the non-progressive aspects of your background. It’s a resume-equivalent of screaming, ‘I am trying to hide something about my background!’”

“Before you go to the interview, try to identify a few things you gained from your time away,” said Mack Gelber. You should try being honest and constructive in your resume. In your period of work, there must have been learning a skill you learnt or knowledge you acquired. Effective resume writing is all about focusing more on this aspect rather than putting in efforts to hide your career gaps. 7) Use eye-catching designs

A proper resume format demands information to be stated categorically and in fonts that are readable and designs and layouts that do not scream out “unprofessional”. Founder and CEO of job site The Ladders, Marc Cenedella, said: “While stories about unusual or unconventional résumés might be popular, it’s important not to go too crazy with your design. In most cases, your creativity will just annoy, rather than impress, the hiring manager. Don’t use design to show you’re clever. Infographics, clever fonts, interesting styles, all make it tougher for recruiters, HR people, and machines to read your résumé. Unless you’re applying to be a creative, don’t get clever with your design.”

Hence it is wise to avoid any such advice that asks you to be creative and use unusual fonts, layout and designs to make your resume stand out. Doing so will surely make your resume stand out but not in the way you would want it to. One can always refer to resume examples and get resume assistance if required, but resorting to advices from random people can turn out to be a sheer misadventure!

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14 Common Resume Misconceptions

Were you told by someone that your resume HAS to be limited to one page? Did someone ever mention queer resume writing rules to you that you never found in resume examples that you looked up? Well, these are some common Resume Misconceptions.

Incorrect information passed on without referring to legit resume examples is the sole reason why misconceptions are spread on how to write a resume.

These misconceptions often take such solid places in the minds of resume makers that they try to stick to these ‘advice’ they received from various sources.

But how do we find out if the resume writing tips that we are following the way we follow God’s gospels are actually going to come to our aid? It is scary to imagine following a pattern that gets you rejected rather than selected, isn’t it?

While awareness about resume writing gathered from verified and authentic sources is one way of avoiding falling into the following misconceptions, the other way with long-term advantages is to go through various resume examples and resume outlines.

Crosschecking the resume tips received with resume examples not only clears your misconceptions but also makes you aware of the resume format that professional resume writers use.

But before you dive into the massive expanse of resume examples out there that await your attention, let us brief you on the 14 most common resume misconceptions so that you avoid them in your own!

1) Resumes are read

Put yourself in the place of a recruiter who has about 250-300 job applications before him and he has to select just a handful from them. Will you have the patience or even the time to go in detail through them all?

Obviously not! And that is the reality. Your resume is likely to read for less than 30 seconds. That is why it is imperative to make it eye-catching so that the recruiter is compelled to read it for a little longer.

The misconception that resumes are actually read makes many resume creators take up a light-hearted approach at the beginning of their resumes. But if you fail to furnish your major achievements, skills, and experience right at the start or in a way that attracts attention then I am afraid you are likely to face rejection.

Good resume examples shall give you a fair idea of how to go about this so as to have the recruiter’s attention for more than those 30 seconds.

2) Confine your resume to one page

This is what we come across most often and believe me, it is a sheer myth! You do not have to worry about limiting your resume to one page! Even resume examples will hint the same way. It is true that unnecessary details should be avoided in a resume to keep it brief but you need not deliberately do so.

It is unperceivable to my mind as to how can a job-seeker with saying about 10-15 years of experience put up all his skills, achievements and work history in a single page if he goes by this legendary advice that we are talking about!

This might be applicable to first-time job seekers who have little or no job experience but for someone with experience in the field, the focus should be more on highlighting his/her skills instead of trying to fit everything into one page.

3) Objective statement Objectives statements no longer hold the importance that they had earlier. The misconception that adding objective statements to your resume helps convince the recruiter works disastrously for an applicant.

Even resume examples suggest that you consider providing a professional summary that gives a quick hint to recruiters as to what you can offer them instead of having objective statements stating what you expect of the firm as it’s clearly not a very good idea.

Recruiter and author of Unbeatable Resumes, Tony Beshara says in this regard: “Companies who are interviewing you don’t care about your objective, they care about their objective.”

4) All experiences add to your resume

‘Brevity is the soul of wit,’ said Shakespeare and we second it! You may have a lot of experience of working or interning with companies of repute and that is indeed commendable. But you should always make it a point to be job-specific.

Mention only such details which the recruiter might be interested to know (don’t worry, there are other ways of letting them know that you have worked with a certain firm). But so long as you are at resume writing, try to be precise and try not to blow your own trumpet.

If you minutely observe then you will find the exact thing being followed in resume examples or resume samples that are available online or otherwise.

If the unveiling of this misconception of adding all your achievements and skills to the resume has increased your dilemmas then you can consider seeking the help of our experts at CV Owl who is always upbeat about providing resume help.

5) A common resume is good enough for all jobs sought

Another very common misconception is that a common resume is good enough for all jobs sought. Confused? Well, there are many people who are of the belief that framing a good and satisfactory resume for once and sending it out for every job will serve their purpose.

But the truth remains that it’s a world where a difference of even 0.1% can bring you down from being the top rank holder to the second or third position. You just can’t take a chance with your resume that will probably be compared to 200 others.

Every resume that you send out for every single job has to be altered according to the needs, demands, and requirements of the job sought. This alone would increase your chances of being shortlisted.

The key to improving resumes lies in a close observation of resume examples by the resume maker.

6) Color in a resume is a big no

Resume experts feel that color is a representation and extension of your personal brand. “In today’s career world, a fully functioning and eye-catching resume includes an inclusive marketing strategy including splashes of color and tightly written copy. All colors, when used appropriately, have their place on resumes; from CEO’s to entry-level,” said resume writer and executive career coach Tina Nicolai.

Use of color is like conveying to the recruiter a bit more about our commitment to deliver. Thus, it’s about time that we bring in a little vibrancy to our black-and-white resumes which is sure to work positively for us just as seen in resume examples available online.

7) Write your resume in the ‘proper’ way

No matter how much insistence is on laid upon writing one’s resume in the ‘proper’ or ‘right’ way, the truth remains that there exists no predefined or pre-set format that is universally recognized as the best resume format.

A professional resume is written following certain guidelines which are but perceivable to anyone. Guidelines such as using ATS friendly keywords, avoidance of grammatical errors and typos etc are the very basic things that if followed can bring your resume closer to the ideal resume preferred by recruiters.

To have a more in-depth look at these guidelines refer to our previous blog posts at CV Owl and go through resume examples or resume samples.

8) Get more action verbs

Lead data scientist at Bright.com, Jacob Bollinger, says about the futility of brainstorming and trying to look for different ways of expressing your achievements at various jobs, “Bright’s research has shown that it’s not necessary to come up with three different ways to say that you’ve achieved your goals at every position you’ve ever held.”

The use of different phrases and action verbs though considered crucial by many is not as important as focusing on skills and qualifications. Reusing action points in various bullets of your resume is fine as long as you mention your skills in a compelling way.

If you are a keen observer then you might have already noticed that even resume examples found online often use the same action verbs multiple times to highlight various skills of the applicant.

9) Separate column for achievements

As has been mentioned already, your resume is not the only one that the recruiter is reviewing. In such a case, having a separate column for achievements might not be the best strategy you want to employ to earn yourself the job.

Try mentioning your achievements alongside the company you worked for and the position you held. Chances are that the employer will just skim through your resume. Giving him a different column altogether to say that you have been the ‘Employee of the year’ at so-and-so company is like telling him, ‘it’s okay Sir, you can give the job to someone else.’

There might be resume examples or guides online that advise you otherwise but try thinking logically and you would find that indeed having a separate column for achievements makes it less noticeable to the recruiter.

10) Fancy formats

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about how to make a resume is that the use of fancy formats gives you an upper hand. Truth be told, that is a myth! In fact, using the simplest possible format that is sober to the reader’s eyes is the best way to get yourself that edge that you wish to achieve.

And I don’t think even resume examples or samples available online ever support the use of such fancy formats.

11) Graphs are a NO

There is a common notion that graphs eat up precious space but the advantage is that they have the ability to better express your capabilities and previous record than words do. Also, graphs are eye-catching and hence grab the attention of recruiters.

In case you are considering using graphs in your resume then go ahead! You might earn yourself some brownie points. And for any assistance, you can always refer to resume examples with graphs that are available on the web.

12) Creative resume equates to selection

Resumes are not really the place for one to be creative and to show their skills unless of course, it is some design-related job or creatively inclined job. But apart from that, one should avoid being creative on one’s resume.

If you are unable to let loose of your artistic skills while framing your resume then consider seeking the help of some resume builder or go through resume examples yourself because this is a problem that can cost you your dream job.

13) You don’t need a cover letter

Often, having a good cover letter makes up for resume gaps or other flaws that might be present in your resume. However, not everyone is aware of the significance of cover letters and hence the misconception that cover letters aren’t important persists.

It is a must if you are job hunting. Consider writing one ASAP if you don’t have the outline of one ready. There are ample of cover letter examples available online along with resume examples which might be a great source of reference to you.

14) Conclude with “references upon request”

Concluding your resumes with the phrase “Reference upon request” may have been important earlier but it is no longer necessary. You can skip this part and focus more on the other important details that can fetch you the job.

The present-day resume examples never mention this phrase and you should follow suit!

The best and most effective way of improving one’s resume is to refer to resume examples so as to learn, adapt and apply the various rules that these resumes follow in one’s own resume.

We hope this piece on the 14 common misconceptions about resume was beneficial for you to find solutions to all the myths you have come across in your life about resumes and resume writing. Feel free to share your consents and opinions. Also, follow us on: https://twitter.com/CV_Owl and https://www.facebook.com/yourcvowl/

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The Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Professional Resume Making

Professional Resume Making can be quite tedious, isn’t it? A resume maker has to think right from the contents of the resume to the design and language to be employed. And in spite of all the brainstorming, time and energy invested, the end result often turns out to be rejection.

What is it that a resume maker needs to do to ensure that his/her resume gets through the initial scrutiny and that he/she receives a call for an interview? How to make a resume that is professionally appealing?

While the instant solution to this problem of how to create a resume that has a decent resume template and can be considered a good resume is to seek the help of professional resume writers. However, a resume maker shouldn’t be so keen on adopting what should but be the last resort.

In this blog post, we present to you the ultimate cheat sheet that every professional resume maker desperately looks for. These are some of the most simple and yet most overlooked aspects of a resume format:

1) Have a professional email address

Resume writing implies that one has to furnish one’s contact details. Whether you choose to drop a hard copy of your resume at the office or email the soft copy, your email address is presented in both.

And having immature, funny and unprofessional email addresses indirectly tells the recruiter that “I am not very good at separating the personal from the professional.” This is usually enough reason for the employers to turn you down.

They might as well stop reading any further and consider the next resume in line. Therefore it is vital that you have a plain and straight email address as a resume maker especially for your official purposes even if you choose to have another email address for other purposes.

Another reason why having a professional email address is important is to avoid spam and directly receive emails that are of use to you. I am one of those individuals who use the same email address for all purposes and I can’t even begin describing how messy my inbox looks.

From new post alerts from all YouTube channels you subscribe to, to newsletters from various websites you don’t even remember visiting, you tend to receive all kinds of mail and in this process, often the important ones pertaining to jobs you’ve applied for taking a back seat.

2) Customized resume for every job

Every job that you apply for probably receives a minimum of hundred other job applications. You can imagine the competition you will be facing.

If you believe that framing the perfect resume and sending it out everywhere will fetch you job offers then I am afraid you’re up to be disappointed because if your resume isn’t in line with what the job demands then you barely stand any chance of being short-listed!

As resume maker, you should take a little pain to make a few changes here and there in your primary resume or seek the help of some online resume maker for the same if you are too reluctant to do it on your own.

One way of going about this is conducting a careful study of the job description and jotting down the precise requirements of the job and expectations of the firm.

The next step would be to frame the sentences and points in your resume in such a way that the recruiter is compelled to believe that indeed you are what he/she is looking for.

3) Mention of ATS friendly keywords

For those who never heard what an ATS is, it stands for Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and is basically an electronic technique employed by hiring authorities wherein the resumes you send undergo a machine-based scrutiny.

The machine looks for particular keywords in your resume that are most relevant to the job. Failing to find these would mean that your resume is most likely not going to be short-listed.

ATS is a relatively new method and hence its lack of awareness among job seekers. Always Google the keywords that are relevant to the job sought and make it a point to mention them in your resume.

In today’s time, only when a resume maker uses the ATS friendly words does he stand a chance to go through this initial mechanized test.

4) A legible font

On the very first resume I submitted to an agency a few years back, I put in a lot of effort to frame everything in a way that would please the employer and therefore I thought that using my favorite font would be the best. And so I did! And alas I never heard anything from that firm.

Well, over the years when I gathered more knowledge about stuff, I realized that my favorite font does not fit the requirements of a professional resume!

As a resume maker, you should always use legible and formal fonts such as Arial or Calibri. The blunder I did was that I used Comic sans which is but very childish looking.

Therefore a vital thing every resume maker should focus on is the use of fonts that are readable and in a size between 10-12. Font sizes less than or more than that is not advisable to be used on resumes.

5) Reference to keywords mentioned in the job description

Like I always say, you must give the employer what he is looking for and not what you have prepared. As a resume maker, you must know how to use your limited skills in such a way that you allure the recruiter.

That is where your wittiness and smartness comes to test. You might be a good teacher but what if the post is of a librarian?

In such a case, you as a resume maker have to tell them that having had the experience of teaching students for this many years, you are well-versed with a wide range of books and would be just right for the job because you would be able to categorize books into sections better than others.

So how do you go about this? The simplest way is to keenly observe the job description and understand what exactly are the skills the recruiters are looking for in a candidate.

With that done, you can go ahead and frame a resume where you put in all those keywords in a way that I did the above example.

6) Always revise for errors

The task of a resume maker doesn’t end with a mere formulation of a resume. Just like our teachers advised us to revise our answer sheets before submitting, so does this cheat sheet advice to revise your resume for grammatical errors, typos or other errors in the information provided.

If you religiously revise your resume then you stand no chance of getting rejected for trivial reasons like typing errors which are quite embarrassing reasons to not get short-listed for!

7) Focus on achievements and not positions

When mentioning your experience in a resume, a resume maker must always try and emphasize more on end results rather than mentioning the prestigious positions you held.

You might have been the event manager of a company of repute but try focusing and mentioning more of the various events you managed and organized successfully that was beneficial for the company.

But this is easier said than done, isn’t it? I know that putting together your achievements could be tedious but nonetheless, you should try doing it as it will come to your aid.

And in case you aren’t confident on how to go about it then consider seeking the help of resume writing services available online.

Our site too provides this much-needed assistance to resume makers who face difficulty, so do visit us at CV Owl where our experts are always ready and glad to make your resume better.

8) Add links to your social media accounts and personal blogs etc

It’s a world where virtual contact and impressions get formulated faster than real encounters. And hence it is so important that you mention the links to all of your social media accounts so that the employers can locate you online and understand your true worth.

Also, if a resume maker is skilled at other things such as blogging or runs a YouTube channel then there is no reason why he/she shouldn’t mention that. A resume is the only place where bragging doesn’t make you look flamboyant, make sure you use it to your advantage!

9) Have a decent cover letter

The best resume format always talks about having a cover letter that is decently framed and provides a just introduction to what follows in the resume.

The task of a resume maker is not confined to writing a resume alone; a resume maker must also formulate the cover letter approaching a given firm in a condescending yet humble way.

10) Always follow up post submitting a resume

Just like contesting the elections alone won’t win you a seat in the governing body, similarly, submitting a well-framed resume alone is hardly likely to fetch you a job.

As a resume maker, once you are done framing and submitting the best resume that you humanly could, you should try and follow up with the hiring firm. Confused!?

Well, you are not supposed to go to their office and ask every day if you’ve made through because it gets you thrown out instead. What you need to do is follow up via unofficial means.

You can befriend one of their employees and get the inner information regarding recruitments out. These are mere tactics of getting oneself an edge over other candidates in this world of cutthroat competition.

We hope this piece on the ultimate cheat sheet every resume maker looks for has been of some help to you and would assist you when you sit to create your resume. Feel free to share your comments and opinions. Also, follow us on Twitter and Facebook

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What Will Interviews Be Like In next 20 Years?

Have you ever wondered what is going to be the fate of future interviews? Can you imagine a resume generator that automatically forwards your resume to different jobs?

It’s exciting to imagine the various prospects, isn’t it? What if there actually are resume generators and automated systems that fix your interviews with job recruiters!?

The world has been developing at a fast pace with change being the only constant around. The great dilemma of how to make a resume now gets replaced with the question: Are resumes going to remain the fate-deciding factor even after a decade or two?

The answer to that is obviously a yes because no matter what the mode of an interview is, there has to be a basic formal introduction which is provided most aptly by a resume generator’s presentation of the resume of any candidate.

While resume writing won’t vanish as a whole, there are bound to come to some changes in the resume format which have to be adopted by the resume generators and resume makers.

From the way I see it, perhaps the next twenty years will make professional resume writers and resume generators loaded with work because the ever-rising youth population tends to grow lazier and more dependent on others with time.

To imagine interviews of the future, we need to have a look at the evolutions that have come over time in the resume writing format that resume generators follow:

Initiated in 1482 by Leonardo De Vinci, a professional resume has undergone a complete transition since then. What was a mere formality in the 1930s became a basic prerequisite for job seeking in the 1950s? From including minor details such as height or weight in the 1940s, resumes evolved to include extra-curricular interests and skills in the 1960s.

The major development occurred when digital typesetting was introduced in the 1970s and by 1980s there were already books printed on resume help, how to build a resume and other such tips that were of much value to the resume generators and resume builders.

But the resumes known to us today evolved over the last four decades when online background checking, sending resumes via fax machines, looking for jobs on the internet and applying for jobs via emails – all developed and began to be used gradually.

What after that? Optimal resumes, LinkedIn, video resumes, social media based verifications and the like have all developed over a period of time as the world progressed from hand-written resumes to printed ones to softcopies of resumes sent online.

If you are looking for help on how to create a resume or on creating a resume that follows the resume writing rules that currently apply, then you might consider consulting our resume generators and experts at CV Owl who are always available with such assistance.

Like resumes that have undergone variation with the passage of time, interviews and the procedure of conducting interviews too have witnessed significant changes.

From the trend of interviews being strictly confined to rooms in office, they have shifted to meetings at public places like coffee houses and restaurants and formal introductions are getting replaced by nonchalant sessions of getting to know the interests and proficiencies of the candidates.

However, that cannot be generalized for all interviews; these work mostly for jobs in the creative fields. If you are appearing for a corporate interview then seldom are the initial rounds outside the domains of the office rooms.

Keeping in mind the transition that resume generators have undergone in resume writing, it is fascinating to imagine the changes that would come in interviews of the future.

But one can make out the variations that are likely to be encountered by the resume generators when it comes to interviews within a span of the next twenty years as we can already observe traces of those changes.

We feel that the next 20 years are likely to witness the following transitions in interviews and it is good if resume generators of today get familiarized with these for their own sake:

From personal interview to Skype and video conferencing

Gone are the days when resume generators had to send their resumes by post and receive a notification for the interview via post.

Everything has become so high tech that both sending resumes and receiving calls for interview tips the fingertips of the resume generators.

Imagining the scarcity of fuel that the world is going to face in the next two decades and also the degradation of the environment caused by the carbon emission from vehicles today, one can only count the advantages that interviews over the internet would provide.

Not many changes in the idea of the interview except for the manner in which it gets conducted. This is predicted to be the most widely used medium for conducting job interviews in the future.

And this shall not only save fuel and save the environment from future damage but shall also reduce time and effort involved in reaching the office and conducting an interview that can now be conducted from wherever you are in the world, doing whatever you please.

While this is super convenient for the recruiters, it is also cost effective for those candidates who might probably have to travel a great distance either by air or otherwise for the sake of the interview.

Hence Skype calls and video conferencing is assumed to be the new medium that firms would employ for recruiting the resume generators in the next two decades.

From resumes to social media platforms

Earlier a person mentioned their hobbies and other interests on their resumes but resume generators these days have to mention the links to their blogs and YouTube channels and the like in order to convey their interest in a field to the recruiters.

Resume generators are also expected to provide links to their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts in order to showcase their sociability in case the job pertains to the media and the like.

Hence, one can imagine the direction in which the job interviews of the future are inclined towards. The recruiter will probably know details about the resume generator and what he/she wore on his/her Facebook profile picture even before he personally meets them or talks to them over Skype.

Emails followed by telephonic interviews

The days have long past when you would personally go to an office and drop your resume. The present generation of resume generators prefers conducting important official tasks over electronic mail where they also have the option of retaining data for future reference.

And even the recruiters prefer to review resumes of the resume generators through the screen of their laptops and desktops rather than from a piece of paper on their desks.

With the advancement of technology, the resumes have upgraded themselves from being stored on a white sheet of paper to being saved on a white Word document.

And shortlisted resumes get selected for the interview rounds which are presently conducted by meet-ups in person but are very likely to shift to video conferencing, telephonic interviews and other indirect means in the near future.

Real-time ability check via projects

A resume generator mentions in his resume all the skills he possesses but employers of today and more importantly, of the future would want to test the skills of the candidates before hiring them.

Hence, one way of conducting interviews that future recruiters would employ will perhaps be assigning projects to candidates based on which they will be marked and judged.

This real-time ability check via projects as a means of conducting interviews of job-seekers is already in an application at various places but is presently not as dominant as it is assumed to be in the future.

With rapid developments in the world and things changing overnight it is fascinating to imagine the fate of interviews in the next 20 years and these predictions that we have presented here are based on changes that have already begun surfacing in the world of resume writing and interviews.

One thing that is for sure is that the interviews of tomorrow are going to be much more competitive and convenient than the interviews of the past and present. However, the significance of resumes is not likely to come down unless of course, an alternative to resumes emerges!

We hope that this piece on the imagined and expected fate that interviews will endure in the next 20 years has been of some help to you and would assist you in some way.

In case you are still a school or college going student then perhaps you will experience these changes by the time it is your turn to face interviews. And if you happen to be a new recruit then perhaps you are slowly experiencing the transition that interviews have undergone over time.

There are high chances that the job-holders of today will become the recruiters of tomorrow and who knows, they might actually adopt the above-mentioned methods to hire new recruits!

Feel free to share your comments and opinions on this amusing prospect. Also, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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What Not To Include In Your Resume?

You may think that if you’re including as many things as possible in your resume, you’re giving the employer many reasons to employ you. The reality is the exact opposite. When you’re writing a resume, there is a condition called “too much information”.So, What Not To Include In Your Resume?

Too much information can not only be useless but also get your resume knocked out of consideration for a job before it gets a thorough review.

Make sure that you don’t include the wrong information, which is anything which might lead the company to conclude that you are not motivated or qualified to do the job.

Long Paragraphs: Nobody is willing to read the endless paragraphs. Not only does it bore then but also gives them a hint that you’re not specific about yourself and your work. Employers might gloss over sections of your resume and miss key evidence of your qualifications if paragraphs are too dense with text.

Job Descriptions Without Adding Values: Employers don’t want to see your job description, they want to learn about the skills and assets you utilized to achieve real results.

See, it is not only about what you do but how you do. The recruiter does not show much interest in all your experiences only but also your achievements.

Make sure you write about your contributions and your achievements when you enlist your previous job descriptions.

Irrelevant Things: Every statement on your resume should lead the employer to the conclusion that you have the right qualifications for the job. Your goal is for the recruiter to spend their time on your most significant relevant experiences. The same holds true for skills. Be sure the skills you include are current and relevant to the job, otherwise leave them off your resume.

Unnecessary Personal Information: Personal information like height, weight, birth date, age, sex, religion, political affiliation, or place of birth.  Employers shouldn’t make employment decisions based on these factors and may resent the fact that you are confronting them with the temptation to do so. Keep your resume focused on the facts.

Photographs: Employers don’t want to be drawn into allegations of discrimination. Provide the URL of your LinkedIn profile if you think your appearance is an asset. Don’t include your photographs until you’re applying for an onscreen job, modelling or acting job.

Your Weakness: Not many people do this, but yes some do. Do not include your weakness in your resume or CV ever until asked for. This is an interview question which has to be tackled tactfully. This is not something you should include in your resume. It does not only show that you’re under confident but also includes a pinch of non-positivity to your resume.

There are many reasons why a person’s CV may be considered inadequate by employers. Recruiters will be receiving a hundred or thousands of resumes a day. In today’s competitive job market a small mistake is all it takes for the recruiter to reject an applicant. This might be the reason why you are not getting any call from an employer. Some of the reasons that your CV is not good enough are :

Formating: There is nothing worse than an unformatted CV. Your CV should be clean and easy to read. The main objective is to make sure that the CV is appealing to the eye because it gives you a better chance as the employer will be more likely to read a well-formatted CV. Try to keep the font size 12 and font style Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri throughout the CV. Consistent spacing between the lines, normal margins and columns aligned are all things that have to be noted.

Photograph: A photograph is something that many professionals would recommend as it allows you to connect with the recruiter. The photograph should be a passport size photo with formal clothing. There should not be unnecessary things in the background like your car, friends, drawings etc. Make sure that it looks professional. Also keep in mind that there isn’t any need to give too much importance to your photograph as a candidate will be judged on their education, skills, and abilities.

Too Much Personal Information Including too much personal information that is not related to the job you are applying for is a waste of time and space. This will make your CV long and most of the employers hate reading lengthy resumes. This could harm your chances of getting the job.

Relevant Information: Misleading information that you give in your CV reduces your chances of getting the job. Inaccuracy of dates, unexpected gaps in employment and exaggerated job titles and achievements are some of the common misleading information being put on one’s CV. Embellishing your achievements in jobs is fine but stretching the truth will not do any good. Also, make sure that you provide correct contact details.

Spelling And Grammar: Always check your CV a couple of times before sending it to the recruiter. You can also ask your friend to proofread it and give you some constructive criticism. It is seen that some may even make the spelling of Curriculum Vitae wrong. This is absolutely not accepted. There are several applications that have spelling and grammar check. So try to create your CV using one of those. Remember CV is a document that represents you and mistakes are reflected badly.

Last but not the least, make sure that in your resume, you appear smart but not overconfident. You must be mature enough to leave irrelevant things but careful enough to include all that is needed. Add a positivity and structure to your resume and wait for your interview. All the best!!