Resume Help: Don’t Shoot Yourself in the Foot
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Judy, Judy, Judy! Judy’s resume example is one for the records. I have never seen a resume with a “My Weak Points” category. Judy, who is a highly- knowledgeable and experienced program manager, is shooting herself in the foot by hyping her top weakness at the very top of the resume. She is scaring away her prospects.
Please review this snippet of Judy’s resume. As you can see, she has some basic formatting issues. The summary should be a series of short phrases so the reader can get through the document quickly. Also, the complete sentences beginning with “I” is repetitive so it can cause the reader to lose attention. A variety of phrases will flow better and be a more interesting read.
The bigger issue is the emphasis on some of the worst employee attributes: Bullying, arrogance, belittling junior team members, and being disrespectful. My advice to Judy was to add more details specific to the requirements of the target job, focus on her positive skills, and remove the negative language. Additionally, I suggested that Judy work on those weaknesses so they are no longer a factor in her work performance.
If you would like to read more about resume writing, click on the links below. If you have a question about your resume, contact me. I would be happy to review your resume.
Resume Help: What Value Do You Bring?