Résumé Help: The Headless Horseman
We can truly call this candidate, “anonymous,” because the candidate’s name and contact information was not on the resume received. We will call today’s candidate, the Headless Horseman. Every so often, this happens and it is very discouraging.
Never take the risk of sending a headless résumé. Placing your name and contact information in the header or text box may cause that crucial information to disappear when it is scanned by many ATS (application tracking software) systems or in some cases opened by a reader with incompatible software. Also, many readers will not be able to view the header if they have their settings in a particular way. Never use the header and footer function when creating your résumé.
Besides the contact information, our friend had a few easy-to-correct items. His profile could be strengthened by showcasing what he has to offer and removing some fluff. The education section needs to be sharpened. The manual spacing used for dates resulted in uneven lines for the dates. Also, the dates expressed for degrees should be a completion (graduation) year for an earned degree and an anticipated completion date for a degree in progress. Those are quick fixes.
Today’s candidate reminds us that a test submission of your résumé is wise. If Headless had done this, he possibly would have identified the missing header and the drift of the dates under the education section. Always feel free to contact me with your résumé questions. If you are concerned about your résumé, I would be happy to provide a free critique. In the meantime, here are a few blog articles that may be of interest.
Résumé Help: Order on the Résumé!