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In an automated modern day world most of us are applying online and many HR departments have a program that scans for "key words" and if they are not IN the resume even though they have demonstated the skills in the resume they will be overlooked.
So your D***D if you do and D***D if you don't
Yes, and in the real world over here where I live, in the resume writing workshops given they advise us jobseekers to do just that - mimic the terms so that we'll stand out from the crowd.
I don't think "be a team player" is all that vague. I think places that put that know they have personality problems and are warning you that you will have to find a way to get along with difficult people. "Ability to work independently" can indicate the opposite.
Well of course it's a good quality, but it's something that should go without saying. Do you think saying "I hate people" would look good on a resume?
- Solely maintained a 9 month calendar for 4 busy attorneys (anyone who can do this is highly organized, efficient and can handle stress)
- Set up, configured and deployed 100 laptops in 30 days for a departmental upgrade (they work quickly, stay on task and are well versed in deployments and deadlines for same)
- Designed and implemented a departmental system to more efficiently order supplies (ye olde self starter in motion)
- Trained six members of the office staff in advanced levels of Microsoft Word and Excel (demonstrates the candidate's proficiency in these programs rather than simply saying they are proficient)
- Collaborated with four staffers to prepare a detailed report on office policies and procedures (good team player, able to collaborate with others, possesses good communication skills if chosen for that particular project)
These are the types of things I love to see on a resume.
It's not enough to simply list what you did at past jobs. What I'd want to see is how your employer benefited from what you did for them. Did you improve some process of theirs? Did you find a way to save them time or money? Did you help them win a new customer? These are the kinds of things I would look for. Most people just give a list of what they did. The problem with that is you leave it to the reader to figure out how and if your employer benefited from that. Given that most people spend less a minute reading your resume, you don't want to do what everyone else does. You want to make it clear to me why my company would be better off with someone like you on my team.
I actually tend to steer clear of firms that require "team players" as a criteria for a hire.
In my experience, we live in the real world and we KNOW already that for a company to prosper everyone needs to work as a team with the same goal, that's pretty much a given, it doesn't have to be stated.
For the most part employers that state they want a "team player" are looking for someone that's willing to sacrifice and fall on their sword if necessary "for the team" - right, thanks but NO thanks.
Along the same lines, any interviewer that mentions how "we're all one big happy family here" is an INSTANT red flag.
I don't think "be a team player" is all that vague. I think places that put that know they have personality problems and are warning you that you will have to find a way to get along with difficult people. "Ability to work independently" can indicate the opposite.
Exactly
You have to do a lot of "reading between the lines" with job ads.
Don't work for a "dynamic" company either - that's employerspeak for "we keep moving the goalposts"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by email_lover
The resume experts say using stuff like I mentioned in my original post is just a waste of time. If these things are true sell the reader on your skills by describing a real life accomplishment that proves for example that you have excellent oral and written communication skills.
Are these "resume experts" actual recruiters or just resume writing professionals? The one thing that a candidate must keep in mind is that many companies/organizations utilize scanning tools that search for keywords. If the keywords are not present (despite how impressive the resume is worded), then they would get screened out. Yes, provide specifics on the resume but make sure your resume has keywords that are important for the field and that are listed in the job bulletin itself. If you omit these phrases, you better pray that someone is manually scanning your resume versus a machine and that these vague phrases are not essential for the performance of the position.
I actually tend to steer clear of firms that require "team players" as a criteria for a hire.
In my experience, we live in the real world and we KNOW already that for a company to prosper everyone needs to work as a team with the same goal, that's pretty much a given, it doesn't have to be stated.
For the most part employers that state they want a "team player" are looking for someone that's willing to sacrifice and fall on their sword if necessary "for the team" - right, thanks but NO thanks.
While it's generally understood that employers want team players, in my field of IT it's often necessary to explicitly say so. I've run into a number of IT workers who are brilliant, but terrible at working with others. In fact, they resent having to work with others because they see their peers as being dumber. They would rather just take over the whole project and have their own way. You'd think these people would be flushed out of the industry, but surprisingly, many employers hire them precisely because they're so smart. By putting "team player" in your posting, you're basically sending a message to these people. Don't bother applying.
Well you have to admit that IT tends to attract a lot of people who aren't really what you'd call "people who like people" and they can also sometimes be inept socially.
As you said quite often they are however, good at what they do (some in fact are BEYOND excellent at what they do) when they only have to deal with machines and code.
Agree with the won't bother applying, as I stated LOL
It is amazing how resumes all start looking alike after awhile! Here are the most common statements on the resumes I am reviewing for an Administrative Assistant position:
Great oral and written communications skills
Proficient In Microsoft Office
Eagar and willing to work hard
Excellent interpersonal skills
Excellent organizational skills
Quick Learner
Hard Worker
Team Player
Great Background
What do you think other hiring managers think when they see these statements on resumes?
I don't see anything boastful about these statements. If they are so boastful then why do so many employers post these very same requirements in their ads?
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