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resume tips you shouldn't follow

Zoe

It's no secret that G and I are a really passionate advocate for the jobseeker and we're doing our best to help you create great resumes.  We even link to other sites now and then that offer good information on job searches.  But please, please don't follow this advice

I know this is a relatively old post on Code Project, but when you go to the work issues page - and maybe you're looking for career info - it kinda stands out since it is so high on the page.  Maybe you won't click on it since it has such a low rating, but man it's some really terrible advice and really poorly written IMHO.

Here are a few snippets I thought you would get a chuckle out of (well, at least I did :):

1.  Font should be standard.. any one of the following arial, verdana or times new roman, size 11 or 12 would be good.

2.  A4 is the standard size of the resume

10.  And, don’t forget the declaration statement at the end….that goes like this…I hereby declare that all the details about me are true to the best of my knowledge.If it a hard copy put your signature at the bottom, else if it is a soft copy your name would be fine

A lot of this advice seems like it might be relevant to a specific international audience, but certainly isn't appropriate for resumes in the US.  The author is also requesting you to write a professional document, but the post itself is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.  It goes to show that before you post you should spend time thinking about the audience or risk getting eaten alive!

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Published Friday, August 25, 2006 11:18 AM by Zoe
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Comments

 

Yvonne LaRose said:

Useful post. Unfortunately, the link that underlies "don't follow 'this advice'" reads like this

http://jobsyntax.com/controlpanel/blogs/Why%20are%20manhole%20covers%20round?IheardthisalotwhenIfirststartedatMicrosoft,lessandlessastheyearswentby,butneverreallycaredtoknowthetrueanswer.Now,viadigg,there'sawhole(ha!)explanationonwikipediaoforiginsasaninterviewquestionandthe"answer".

and doesn't work.
August 25, 2006 11:58 AM
 

Justice~! said:

Well, then I will *never* answer a question on manholes again!!!  Thanks girls!  ;)
August 25, 2006 12:09 PM
 

Zoe said:

Link is fixed!

Justice: ??  Hey now, I didn't say you shouldn't answer the question :)  I was commenting on the fact that it has turned into such a legendary technical question that it has made wikipedia and digg.  Plus it generated some good comments on interviewing in general.

August 25, 2006 12:22 PM
 

mikedds said:

As a long-time CodeProject regular, I should point out that the article is in the Purgatory section. This means the CP community felt that the article wasn't good enough to go in one of the regular sections, but that it could eventually go there if the author improves it. So it's not as if no one noticed the article's flaws.
August 26, 2006 1:52 AM
 

Carol said:

There's no job security. In the past decade, I've lost a well-paying job in a huge MNC, lost my home, lost my savings and piled up a mountain of debts. I've struggled to find employment, competing against a sea of humanity. It's a common story worldwide, as jobs disappear. I've learnt that I need to be self-reliant, and know how to generate my own income, even without a job. I've been learning how to fish, so that I'll never be helpless again. Now I have several web businesses, so I'm not dependant on employment anymore. But it took a major change in mindset and I had to leave my confort zone. Don't EVER depend on employment! You must know how to control your own income.
August 26, 2006 6:45 AM
 

Zoe said:

Thanks for the heads up Mike!  I know that the status is questionable, but there are lots of articles out here like this and people often read them.  I'm just hoping to demonstrate that all advice is not good advice.

August 26, 2006 11:25 AM
 

Norbert said:

Well, yes, most authors on the web forget that www stands for worldwide web, and that they're writing for a worldwide audience. I don't see a note on your site saying that it's specific to the United States of America, but if mentioning A4 gets a chuckle out of you, you ignore that A4 *is* the standard paper size in most of the world.
August 27, 2006 2:08 PM
 

Zoe said:

Thanks Norbert!  Ah, my snobbish American ways.  :)  Yes, we are specific to helping individuals in the US and those outside the US interested in employers here.  I understand that A4 is the standard elsewhere,  and I do say the article is aimed at an international audience, but I also hear that is slowly changing due to (believe it or not) storage issues.  I've worked with many candidates aboad and only in a few instances have they presented be with A4 resumes, very interesting.
August 27, 2006 4:22 PM
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