First Person: 5 Resume Pitfalls to Avoid

As much as I enjoy the hiring process, I have to admit that screening applicants and reviewing resumes is the worst part! As a leader in the retail and financial services industries for many years, I had several responsibilities. Not only was I responsible for my individual performance as well as my team's performance, it was also my duty to attract and retain talent. With over a decade of leadership experience, I have seen some spectacular resumes and I have also discarded others almost immediately. If you want to be taken seriously as a professional candidate, perhaps you should try the P.R.O.B.E. approach when it comes to your resume.

P for performance. Most candidates understand the importance of quantifying results related to performance on a resume. The numbers tell me whether or not you meet expectations or exceed them. Hiring managers want the best talent, so average performance isn't acceptable. Be certain your performance is exceptional and your resume indicates that.

R for relevant content. The body of your resume should include information pertinent to the role; everything else should be omitted, including your references.

O for objective. I have seen objectives that are vague, ones that really don't say anything, and some that simply aren't objectives. As simple as this sounds, please remember that your objective needs to be a concise statement stating what it is you'd like to accomplish. If you can't state this on your resume, chances are, you'd waste time trying to state the same in an interview.

B for boring. If your resume doesn't grab my attention within the first 20 seconds, I've moved on to the next candidate. Buzz words are attractive to readers, so instead of using the word "advertised" in your marketing resume, perhaps "proposed" or "promoted" is a better choice of words.

E for email address. Please use a professional email address in the header of your resume. When I see 2hot4u@yahoo.com as an email contact, I instantly move on to the next candidate.

P.R.O.B.E. will help to ensure that your resume will not be overlooked due to poor content. Remember the following and you could be one call away from your next interview: performance (exceptional), objective (concise), boring (include buzz words), relevant content, and email address (professional).

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