7 Ways A Resume Could Get You Fired

Long gone are the days where you only compete against local candidates for that seemingly-elusive job. Today, your resume could be sitting alongside hundreds sent from around the world. With that many resumes vying for the coveted "pick-me" status, you might think it's a good idea to "puff up", embellish, or even lie on your resume. That sounds like a good way to attract the hiring decision-makers' attention; however, it WILL come back to bite you.

Many employers now have written policies in place that give them the right to fire employees, who intentionally falsify information on their resume and/or their job application. And they can even fire you years after they hired you.

How do companies determine that you have outright lied on your resume? Through background checks. Thanks to the Internet, even non-hiring decision-makers can stumble on questionable facts about you before you're hired. And again, even if you get hired and the company decides to do a background check after the fact, they are well within their legal rights to fire you upon discovering that your resume contains falsehoods.

Background checks can easily uncover a criminal past, dishonest embellishments, and "puffed up" education. And speaking of education, the technology has existed since the mid-1990's to verify if someone has legitimately earned a post-secondary diploma or degree. Furthermore, if you have inflated your job title where - for instance - you said you are a manager (when in fact, you are a non-manager), the chances are very good that a background check will reveal this fact.

The 7 Resume Lies

We've already talked about the consequences of fudging your education and job titles on your resume. Here are the 7 most common lies, any one of which could easily get you fired:

1 - DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Some people think it's acceptable to artificially raise the level of tasks they perform on their resume. For example, you say that you manage 6 locations instead of just 2, or deliver regular training to your co-workers when in reality, you only dispense advice to them once in a while. The problem arises when your new employer puts you a situation, where you don't have the right knowledge to carry out a task that your resume said you performed in the past.

2 - CERTIFICATIONS: Just as with education, it's lying if you claim that you have a certification, when you don't. It's also lying if you list a certification where you've taken the course, but did not either finish the course or pass the exam.

3 - SALARY: We all want to earn more money, so you might think it's acceptable to "elevate" your previous salary by a few thousand or so. This is wrong and yet another lie that WILL come back to haunt you. You can count on your prospective employer talking to your previous employer as one of your references.

4 - EMPLOYMENT DATES: If you have a gap in your employment that you don't want to call attention to, you might think you can get away with "extending" dates around it. DON'T! Ninety nine per cent of the time, you WILL get caught. Fortunately, a Certified Professional Resume Writer will know how to properly - and effectively - address this problem.

5 - RESULTS: Ideally, your resume should be filled with achievements, backed up with numbers, dollars, and percentages. Don't be tempted to inflate these figures, because those numbers will be verified by the hiring decision-makers.

6 - LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE: Don't make the mistake of a recent English-speaking job-seeker, whose resume stated that she was fluent in Spanish. It was discovered in the interview that she only knew 2 phrases - hardly deemed "fluent" status. The interviewer called in a fellow fluent-in-Spanish employee from the office next door, and the job-seeker was humiliated on the spot.

7 - SOFTWARE KNOWLEDGE: Don't claim that you are a whiz at using Microsoft PowerPoint (for example) when in actual fact, you barely know it. Computer program testing software is widely available today, and the prospective employer will almost certainly schedule you for a test.

To summarize, hiring decision-makers will automatically assume that you have low character if you embellish your resume. Ultimately, you are begging to remain unemployed if you lie on your resume - something that you have the power to prevent.

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References on My Resume: Pros and Cons

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No doubt, you have "Googled" this topic and have read lots of conflicting information. Some sources say that you should list the phrase "References Provided Upon Request" at the end of your resume. Others warn you that this is not a good idea. Why? Let me explain below.

Let's say that you've been looking for jobs online and came across a job posting that represents a perfect fit for you. Because you're conducting your job search online, it's safe to say that easily hundreds - or thousands - of other individuals could see this same job posting. Now put yourself in the resume screener's place. If (for example) 350 people apply for this job within a week (a typical scenario these days) and each person adds a 1-page references sheet to their application, then I would not want to be in the screener's shoes. Why? Each job-seeker has now obligated the screener to go through one additional page. Multiply that by 350 applicants; now, the screener has to sift through 350 extra pages of material - an action that could have waited until after the job-seeker has landed an interview.

The Exceptions

There are exceptions to the rule, though. Here are 3 career vocations where you HAVE to submit references with your resume.

Career Vocation #1: The education sector.
Why: Anyone working with children and youth under age 18 HAS to undergo police screenings to determine their trustworthiness when interacting with students. Parents put their faith in school board employees to guarantee their children's safety. Ultimately, forwarding the references sheet with the resume offers peace of mind for the hiring decision-makers.

Career Vocation #2: The law enforcement and security sectors.
Why: Similar to the education sector, hiring decision-makers want to be reassured that they are hiring the right people to uphold community safety.

Career Vocation #3: The interior decorating and design sectors.
Why: Interior decorators and designers will tell you that the competition for clients is fierce! Proper references will positively distinguish an applicant from other candidates.

If you are applying to jobs outside the above-mentioned 3 sectors, you can wait until close to the end of the hiring process to submit your references. Why? Screeners don't have the time to contact every applicant's list of references. They know it's far more efficient to wait until they have narrowed down the candidate pool to the final 2-3 applicants.

Finally, take the time to thank your references for helping you. Let your references know that you appreciate their help in your job search. In this way, they could offer glowing feedback about your work ethic, thus playing a role in helping you land the coveted job much faster than you think. To get the job you want most... read more...

Am I Too Old to Get the Job I Really Want?

As a veteran resume writer who has partnered with thousands of job-seeking clients to help shorten their job search, it amazes me to hear clients as young as 35 stress about being "too old" for the job.

Age discrimination shouldn't exist, but it does. According to many Human Rights Codes, job applicants and employees have a right to freedom from discrimination with regard to employment. In other words, employers are not allowed to discriminate based on one's race, gender, color, handicap (real or perceived), ancestry, sexual orientation, place of birth, age, ethnic origin, marital status, citizenship, family status, religion, record of offenses, or receipt of public assistance. However, discrimination can be difficult to prove.

Steps to Defeat Age Discrimination

Listed below are some steps you can take to minimize the impact of your age and position yourself more youthfully when undertaking a career change or a job search.

- Research newer clothing styles so that you dress conservatively yet fashionably.
- Maintain your fitness levels through proper exercise and diet.
- Circulate among the younger staff to gain more familiarity with their world. Find out about the music they listen to, the TV programs they watch, and the movies they attend.
- Keep current on new technologies and get acquainted with social media.
- Socialize by attending industry-specific events and meetings. Younger employees often admire older colleagues who are active and energetic.
- Improve your knowledge by regularly taking courses, enrolling in seminars, and attending conferences. Replace older education with these newer offerings.
- Do NOT talk about "the good old days", your adult children, or a personal medical concern. Instead, chat about a destination you recently visited or a new movie you saw.

No matter your age, it is up to you to convince the prospective employer that you have the maturity, experience, and proven results that will contribute to elevating the company's overall success. To learn what needs to be on a resume... read more...

The 8 Most Common Resume Mistakes

How to Stand Out from the Crowd

Do you - the job-seeker - want the hiring decision-maker to give your resume the attention it deserves? Let's correct some mistakes now so that it does not wind up in "resume black-hole limbo."

Mistake #1: Using a general, one-size-fits-all resume and believing that Human Resources will take the time to evaluate your skills in order to determine the right job for you.
The Reality: Such a resume is guaranteed to line a garbage can in record time. Why? Hiring decision-makers (no longer just those in Human Resources) will devote 10 seconds - maybe! - the first time around. If they can't determine in 10 scant seconds (a) actual job titles you wish to apply for and (b) what sets you apart from other job-seeking hopefuls, you are begging to remain unemployed.

Mistake #2: Paying no attention as to how the resume is formatted.
The Reality: Unattractive resume-template lookalikes and plain-Jane documents, WILL prompt the employer to move on to another resume.

Mistake #3: Submitting a resume devoid of industry-specific keywords and key phrases.
The Reality: For years now, companies have used Applicant Tracking Systems to scan resumes for the right mix of keywords and key phrases. If these vital components are left off, the resume will not advance to the next round.

Mistake #4: Listing irrelevant work experience, unrelated education, hobbies and/or interests.
The Reality: A resume is NOT your biography, where you list everything you've done in detail since the age of 5. Rather, a properly-crafted resume is designed to convince the hiring decision-makers that you are a serious contender to interview.

Mistake #5: Not proofreading your resume (or having someone proof it for you) before you forward it.
The Reality: Hiring decision-makers demand that your formal resume is meticulously accurate. That means no typos, grammatical inconsistencies, or spelling errors. This is one of the best Resume Editing Services, that will ensure YOUR resume impresses your potential employer!

Mistake #6: Devoting space on your resume to such personal information as your height, weight, marital status, religion, ancestry, financial history, yada yada yada.
The Reality: Hiring decision-makers are NOT allowed to ask you about the personal items mentioned above, because it can be perceived as discriminatory.

Mistake #7: Including the "references provided upon request" phraseology.
The Reality: As an expert in this field, I know of only 3 career vocations where it is still acceptable to include these words in an American or Canadian resume. For all other careers, it is now considered outdated and - in resume-writing parlance - "wasted real estate."

Mistake #8: Believing that a "duties-and-responsibilities-only" resume is good enough to submit.
The Reality: Today, hiring decision-makers view duties and responsibilities on a resume as virtually obsolete. By contrast, a 21st Century resume - one that does NOT focus on duties and responsibilities only - clearly articulates WHY you are the ideal job candidate.

Armed with this "insider knowledge" on how to correct these common mistakes, you now stand a better chance of "jumping to the head of the line" and getting an interview for the job of your choice! To craft a professional resume that will get you those choice interviews... read more...