No One Wants to Read Your Resume

It is a sad truth. No one wants to read your resume. Hiring managers would absolutely love it if they didn't have to read another resume for the remainder of their careers. Why? Reading resumes is boring. Well, that statement needs to be qualified a bit. Most resumes are boring to read. Some resumes are amusing with their erroneous mistakes and unusually worded assertions.

Even though no one wants to read your resume – or anyone else's – resumes do get read each and every day because that is the way people most often get jobs. Employers match their needs with the qualifications of a variety of job applicants via a resume.

It is a tedious process and it is ultimately flawed.

Even with the use of computer scanners and keyword recognition software, subjectivity eventually plays into the equation and one resume is discarded while another one is kept. We are human and by nature we make decisions based on our experience and knowledge. Sometimes those decisions result in bringing in awesome human talent to a company's human resource base. Other times, the decision is based on flawed information, bias or lack of understanding about the position or the individual.

In addition, consider a perfectly qualified candidate who does not have the appropriate keywords or enough of the right keywords in his or her resume. That resume never makes it past the scanning process even though the individual could very well be the best person for the job.

The goal of computer software is to take the human aspect of scanning resumes and make it easier and less subjective. Unfortunately, it, too, is flawed as it cannot ensure the best candidates are actually chosen to be looked at more carefully. It merely selects individuals based on a set parameter of options – entered by humans – and searched for on resumes.

It still boils down to: No one wants to read your resume. Reading resumes is time consuming. It is tedious. While the resume software assists in selecting resumes to be read in depth, it still does not work as well as human eyes, human knowledge and human intuition. It still allows for resumes to squeak through simply because they are loaded with the right keywords, while other resumes which are not laden with such jargon or keyword-rich content are discarded regardless of the actual qualifications of the candidate.

The best any of us can do is to create outstanding resumes. Does that go completely against the title of this article? It sure seems to. No one wants to read your resume. In truth, though, it is BECAUSE no one wants to read your resume that you MUST make it as professional and perfectly crafted as possible.

How? Read everything you can on the subject of resume-writing. The links at the bottom of this article take you to a web site that is loaded with outstanding information about writing a professional resume and there is no charge for any of that information. Read as much as you can so that you have the best possible understanding of the kind of resume format suits your situation best, the errors to avoid and the various ways to add impact to your words.

Even though no one wants to read your resume, it will get read. It will get scanned. You have to make sure it works for you and not against you.

For more information about resume writing:

Resume Examples
Give Your Resume a Boost
How to Make a Resume
Resume Checklist

Resumes and Cover Letters

Can you have one without the other?

In a word, "No".

You cannot have one without the other. In today's competitive job market, a resume without a cover letter can exclude you from ever getting past the initial screening process. Many employers consider the cover letter a professional necessity. Call it good business etiquitte.

Not only is a cover letter important from that standpoint, but it is also another opportunity for you to sell yourself. Why pass up another opportunity to get the employer well and truly interested in YOU? It is vital to make a good impression and if a cover letter helps you to do that, then it should be the second most important piece of paper you present to the employer - the resume being the first.

Resumes and cover letters must be written with the same focus, the same goal. Each should be carefully tailored to the employer and the position being sought. They should fit like two pieces of a puzzle – each one enhancing the other.

If you would like more information about resumes and cover letters, check out the following links:

Resumes and Cover Letters

Resume Templates

Cover Letters

Unemployment Situation

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: AUGUST 2006

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 128,000 in August, and the
unemployment rate was little changed at 4.7 percent, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Payroll employ-
ment grew notably over the month in education and health services; several
other industries had modest increases. Average hourly earnings rose by 2
cents, or 0.1 percent, in August following larger gains in the prior 2 months.

Unemployment (Household Survey Data)

The number of unemployed persons (7.1 million) and the unemployment rate (4.7
percent) were essentially unchanged in August. A year earlier, the number of un-
employed persons was 7.4 million, and the jobless rate was 4.9 percent.

Over the month, the unemployment rates for most major worker groups--adult men
(4.1 percent), adult women (4.1 percent), teenagers (16.2 percent), whites (4.1 per-
cent), and Hispanics (5.3 percent)--showed little or no change. The jobless rate for
blacks declined to 8.8 percent in August. The unemployment rate for Asians was 2.9
percent, not seasonally adjusted. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

Brought to you by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and
Professional Resumes