Clean Up Your Online Presence

According to a recent survey conducted by Jobvite, more than 92 percent of employers are using social media networks to find qualified candidates. Linked In remains the number one online resource, but employers are looking at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. The survey also revealed that 3 out of 4 hiring managers and recruiters check candidates’ social profiles and nearly half of the recruiters and hiring managers check even if no profile information is provided. 

If you have online profiles, clean them up. An article about the survey shared a few online activities that resulted in a negative reaction from employers:

• Posts revealing or mentioning drinking, drugs or sex.
• Using profanity
• Grammatical errors and typos

Pay Attention to Adjectives on Your Resume

If you are a recent college graduate, you probably don't have "extensive" experience in the position your are applying for. Or, if you recently switched careers, you probably aren't an "expert" in your new job field. 

Let your experience speak for itself. Be honest and direct in your application. If you have the skills an employer is looking for, he/she will consider interviewing you. In some cases, over-the-top hyperbole often turns hiring committees off.

Homophones? What Are Those?

This business probably meant to use the word patience--not patients.

Whether you know it or not, you are using homophones throughout your resume and cover letter. The challenge is to make sure you are using each word in the appropriate context.

Homophones are words that sound similar, but their meanings (and sometimes spellings) are different. For example, there and their or it's and its.

A word commonly misused on resumes and cover letters is compliment (rather than complement). I must admit that I was guilty of interchanging the two words until an editor pointed out the difference. (You compliment someone on their outfit, but your skills would be an excellent complement to their team.)

Other homophones commonly misused are: to/too/two, lead/led, bare/bear, cent/scent/sent, dependent/dependant and foreward/forward.

What homophones do you struggle with?

No. 1 Resume/Cover Letter Mistake

We have all made mistakes on our resumes and cover letters.  However, there is one correctable mistake I see applicants make all of the time: not tailoring a resume/cover letter for the position.

Applicants need to draft their cover letters and resumes to show how they meet the listed job qualifications. If a job posting says the position requires five years of supervisory experience, that should be one of the first items an applicant shares on his or her cover letter/resume.

A cover letter should mirror the job description--except it will describe how an applicant specifically meets the stated qualifications. For example: While employed for XXXX, I spent four years supervising a staff of eight employees. In this supervisory role, I helped each employee set goals, monitored their project status, etc.