As the recession blues fade and hiring picks up again, freshers are ardently applying for jobs. But along with the upsurge in applications, comes a corresponding rise in ‘resumé bloopers.’ These slips, coupled with an unprofessional attitude, are costing candidates their jobs in the current competitive market.
Recalling some of the wackiest resumé bloopers he has encountered, Siddharth Kumar, a career transition consultant, remarks, “Most youngsters today have an extremely casual attitude towards the corporate world, which is reflected in their resumés. People write the strangest things on their resumés, in fact, sometimes it’s downright hysterical. I remember one candidate who included his family medical history in his resumé! Once I happened to see the CV of this young girl, who wrote her resume as a play — Act 1, Act 2, etc.”
Elaborating on what youngsters should not do if they want to land that coveted job, Prinitha Murthy of Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants, advises: “Lengthy CVs are a no-no. To avoid spelling, grammatical mistakes and other communication errors, it works best to get your CV scanned by a professional. Also, don’t provide invalid references or cook up projects or add imaginary internships, as it is easy for recruiters to discern whether these are genuine or fake. Most recruiters do look at the grades, so if you have scored low in your school or college, it is always better to explain this in a subtle manner.”
Suresh Sitaraman, CEO of Virgin Comics, gives a bird’s-eye view of the situation, “Recruiters today want to shell out money only for the right candidates. They want to invest only in knowledgeable, self-motivated and committed candidates.”
Vinay Kumar Nijhawan, COO and director, HR and placements, of PurpleLeap, a skill enhancement company, gives some valuable tips. He explains, “A CV should never have a ‘taking’ tone (for example, clichés like ‘I want to work for an organisation which can help me grow,’), instead it should be written in a ‘giving’ tone, explaining the value you can add to the organisation. Another thing to keep in mind — never copy-paste from someone else’s resumé. You need to delve deep within yourself, write about your strengths and highlight your skills.”