This may seem minor to a lot of people, but it kills the chances of your resume being considered. A few weeks ago, I wrote about a lot of the dumb things people do on their resume that cause them to get eliminated. I forgot this one.
What brought this to mind was that, this week, I got a resume from a pretty good candidate who highlighted the fact that since 2013, in addition to his full time job, he had been a real estate investor “on the side”. He stated the fact that this “business” never interfered with his “day job.” He argued with me when I told him that he needed to get that off of his resume. He thought that by having that on there, he showed “entrepreneurial” skills.
It was like pulling teeth to explain to him that a hiring authority looks at something like this as though the potential employee has a “business on the side.” And if the potential employee was going to protect his own money or the money of the company, it was likely that he was going to protect his own money first and the money of his company second.
We’ve mentioned this before, but as a candidate, you have to remember that people are looking for just as many reasons not to hire you as they are reasons to hire you. And it if looks like you’re going to be devoting time to your real estate or rental properties, that will take precedence over their interests if they were to hire you. The guy kept saying, “But I do that on my own time… nights and weekends and it’s really none of their business.” Then why put it on your resume?
I can’t drive this message more strongly. On average, an interviewing or hiring authority is reviewing 100 to 150 resumes for every job posting. They don’t like doing it. In fact, they absolutely despise it. They postpone it and drag it on because hiring is a big risk and it’s much easier to do their major function of accounting, sales management, engineering management, IT management, etc. The last thing most managers want to do is to look at resumes, interview and hire someone who might turn out to be a dud. So, as they look at resumes they don’t think “Why should I hire this person?” They think, “Why shouldn’t I interview and hire this person?”
They are looking for reasons to eliminate candidates. It could be too many jobs, being too long at the same place, having the wrong kind of a degree, not having a degree, no clear explanation about what the candidate has done in his previous jobs or is doing now. It could be tons of different things.
So, in writing your resume, look at it from a critical point of view. Ask yourself, “Am I giving a potential interviewer or hiring authority reasons that they should not consider me? What you think might make you a star, might eliminate you. Once in a while I hear someone say to me, “But if they just knew me, they would know that……..” You can fill in the blank. But the point is they don’t know you and the only reason they would need to know you is because they have to fill a position. “They don’t want to make a mistake! They don’t want to make a mistake! They don’t want to make a mistake! They don’t want to make a mistake! They don’t want to make a mistake!
Keep it simple and to the point. Here is where I have performed well in the past; therefore, I will perform well for you. That’s it!
