I know this seems like a silly topic, but I see a lot of resumes that are nothing more than copied words and/or formats from someone else’s resumes. How can I tell? Here are a few hints:
1. The formatting is very nice and visually appealing but there are several mistakes throughout, either with typos, bad grammar, incorrect punctuation, or the most common: REPEATED WORDS throughout the entire document. It’s as if the job seeker has a limited vocabulary.
2. The document properties list someone else’s name at the top and the name of a professional resume writing service.
3. There are certain “buzz-words” and commonly used sentences that have been published in books that are overused.
I remember the first time one of my own resumes came back to me for a critique. I knew it was mine, because I custom created the format based on feedback from HR Managers and Recruiters. I checked out the document properties and recognized the name of one of my former clients.The person contacting me was my client’s mom. She took my resume and rewrote for her own occupation. That’s the equivalent of me copying my neighbors taxes. We both have different backgrounds and goals. Further, when you copy from another, you’re not truly addressing every strength you have. The resume created for the daughter may not contain what the mom’s should have, because the occupations were so vastly different.
It pays to hire a professional resume writer to have your documents custom tailored to fit you and your occupation. It will increase the number of job interviews and get you back to work sooner! And that’s money in the bank.
Good luck in your job search!
–Susan Geary, CERW ~ 1st Rate Resumes