Discussions

This is not a question for job seekers. It is one in a series of questions specifically directed to Brandon employers about resumes in particular. The  
internet has opinions that are not always correct. Brandon employers have the answers that I need for this location, and so these are the answers that I want to know.  
 
I know that you, the employer, look at spelling and grammar, education, ease of reading (lining up dates, etc...not being off-set, easy to read font, being concise), and do check references, but I know there is more.  
 
As a large or small business owner:  
1. Can you tell the difference between a "free resume service" written resume, a paid one, and internet sourced template type? What do you prefer about each? What do you dislike?  
2. What format is preferable (Word, Adobe, other), and is there a type of format/template that is not welcomed?  
3. Is creativity in the format/presentation of the resume important or is any "cookie cutter" template adequate?  
4. How many references are important to you? Do you want all of them listed together, or personal/character and work references listed separately? Is there a preferred way to list them?  
5. Is there anything that you could tell me that might catch your attention to bring my resume to the top of your collection over & above all others?  
6. If I have not been in the workforce yet, or if I have not been in the workforce for many years due to family commitments, what do you wish to see in "work experience?" Are a listing of skills and volunteer work adequate?  
7. Is there anything else resume related, that I have not mentioned, that you want to tell a prospective employee about their resumes before they grace your desk...good or bad?  
 
Thank you for taking the time to consider my questions. I hope that these questions (and answers) will benefit both employers & those job searching.  
 
I am very much looking forward to the insight that you may choose share with me.

1. All resumes I see have some form of template or copy of. People using templates seem to lack selling themselves. When creating a resume look up the business and business classification. Ex. If I am trying to get into construction and you have used air tools, power tools, etc. Say that. I don't want to play 20 questions during an interview to nickel and dime the questions to get information out of a person.  
2. Every ad I run is apply in person. Amazing how many people will just email. I prefer in person, a nicely printed out resume. Don't scratch out old phone numbers, addresses, scribble all over.  
3. I look at education and any related educational experience. I look for length of time at jobs. 10 jobs in a year doesn't appeal to me as you were "finding yourself".  
4. If you have referenced pertaining to the job applied by all means i:nclude them. I really don't care to have references from Ms. Smith your piano teacher saying how good of a student you were 10 years ago.  
5. Good first impressions mean everything. Applying in person I look for the person how looks me in the eyes, firm handshake, firm upright posture. A brief but to the point conversation about looking for work will catch my interest. Staring at the ground, giving me some piece of paper out of your back pocket.  
6. New to the workforce, again give me related experience you may have. If you are trying to get into construction, have you done any renovations, trades classes in school, etc. Gaps in your work experience, please explain on the resume why. Had a baby and getting back into it, let me know. I don't want to figure out if you were in jail, didn't feel like working, etc. Listing skills is always a given, this helps weed out the unrelated resumes.  
7. A good cover letter that shows you have investigated my business and explaining why you would be a good fit goes a very long way to move you up the pile. I want to see dedication and commitment.

1. As stated above, most resumes are copied in ssome form. As long as its not cookie-cutter to other resumes I receive, and as long as it doesn't say 'created using ____' on the bottom, I don't really care, as to me a resume is a resume.  
2. Word is the most commonly used and universal format. Adobe is ok, too. However the newest computers dont have either installed, and most now use OneNote, which I find is not user friendly. Stick to Word until the kinks with OneNote are worked out.  
3. Creativity is extremely important, especially in sales. You want to stand out from the rest. However, don't go too far with creativity...use basic paper, no flashy paper (its sappy at best). Don't use big words to better yourself. Don't say you were a 'Sandwich Artist', just say 'Food preparation' (it expands your horizions)  
4. Always 3 or more references, with one being either your most recent employer or most recent co worker. Im not hiring you based on how good you are to friends. I need to know your work ethic, and only someone who has recently worked with you can tell me that.  
5. Just be honest. If you were fired from a job, just say you were let go (dont say why). I would rather hire an honest person who was fired for making a mistake, than to hire a liar who would screw me over after the fact. Also, proofread, poofreaf, proofred. The most common spelling mistakes can turn off an employer. If you cant take the time to correct spelling, I doubt you can take tbe time to properly deal with clients. Also, don't ever say 'I'm hard working' in a resume. The counterstatement to that is 'I'm not hard working'.  
6. If I have not been in the workforce yet, or if I have not been in the workforce for many years due to family commitments, what do you wish to see in "work experience?" Are a listing of skills and volunteer work adequate? The answer is yes. You don't really need to explain your situation until the interview process.  
7. Is there anything else resume related, that I have not mentioned, that you want to tell a prospective employee about their resumes before they grace your desk...good or bad? Yes, don't apply for a job at my place just for the money. Only appky if you will enjoy the job.

1. If you take the time to write your resume and tailor it to the job, it does not matter. Make it easy to read, and job specific.  
 
2. I need to be able to open it, many times I have received resumes that have an error due to the program used (I have up-to-date technology!) but sometimes there is an issue when saved. PDF is preferred, 100%!  
   
3. Like question 1 - make sure it is easy to read, I want to know what experience, education and skills can you bring to this position. Simple is fine, pretty is fine.  
   
4. If you are applying for a professional position, I want professional references. Always stray away from friends or relatives, work related, school related, volunteer related.  
   
5. Your cover letter. Nothing makes me more happy than seeing a well written cover letter that was job specific! Sell yourself, tell me why you are the best person for this job, that will make me want to find out more about you!  
   
6. If you are applying to a job, it is because of your experience (volunteer too!), education or skills match the job. As an employer we require certain experience, skills or education depending on the position. WHY did you apply - tell me that, tell me that in your cover letter. Your resume can have the specifics.  
   
7. Ensure that you do not send your resume that cc's 10 different employer Make sure that you checked spelling, I am not analyzing everything - but sometimes missing one letter could change the word to be inappropriate! In your cover letter/resume - make sure you are sending the correct document to the correct employer. If sending by email, write a little paragraph in the body of the email and then attach your resume / cover letter.  
 
Hope this helps

Thank you!  
 
All of your answers are above & beyond what I had hoped to see. I appreciate that each of you took the time to state in what area you hire,and systems that in the subject line (kind of like a cover letter, haha). What I found were some similarities and some very clear differences. This is certainly helpful!  
 
If anyone else wants to add to this list, I am still open to additional information if you have any to add.

A few quick notes:  
- A nicely written cover letter goes a long way. It's a great way to introduce yourself to a potential employer and let them know why you would be a good fit for a position at their business. If you have been out of the work force for any reason this is also an appropriate place to explain that.  
- Volunteer experience is nice to see on a resume. The type of organization a person is willing to volunteer their time for is also interesting to see.  
- Whether the resume is a free template, paid or created on your own it is the attention to detail that is key. I've seen resumes where a person will list "attention to detail", as one of their skills but their resume is full of spelling errors, grammatical errors and the formatting is all over the place. While extra creativity is nice to look at, accuracy and attention to detail is preferred.  
- For retail in person is preferred, if sending in a digital copy then PDF format is best for compatibility reasons.

I do not like applicants to send their resumes by email.  
I put my construction ad for 2 weeks asking to send their resumes by fax or mail only no emails and I had received no resumes at all. Where were the people complaining this year that it is impossible to find a job. If an applicant can not make steps to fax or steps to mail a resumes then that person is not worth to hire. I find too easy (or too lazy) to send resumes by email.  
Worse is a person responding to my ad to say 'I am interested in the position, call me' .....sorry but that goes right in the garbage, it is not application way to get a job. Call me old fashion I guess.

plus zero said "I do not like applicants to send their resumes by email.   I put my construction ad for 2 weeks asking to send their resumes by fax or mail only no emails and I had received no resumes at all. Where were the people complaining this year that it is impossible to find a job. If an applicant can not make steps to fax or steps to mail a resumes then that person is not worth to hire. I find too easy (or too lazy) to send resumes by email.   Worse is a person responding to my ad to say 'I am interested in the position, call me' .....sorry but that goes right in the garbage, it is not application way to get a job. Call me old fashion I guess. "

Fax and snail mail? Really? If you want people to put effort into applying for a position, why not just have them apply in person? That way you get to meet them and shake their hand. However, requiring prospective employees to apply as if it's 1993 is a great way to lose interest in prospective employees.  
 
Speaking as someone who was a major part of hiring in an office job for 5 years, I learned a lot about the hiring process. Specifically, people aren't just competing for a job, but employers are also competing for the best employees. Requiring them to pretend it's 20 years ago doesn't make a lot of sense to me.  
 
In fact, at that previous job (Where the company turns a profit of over 4 million annually), when people asked us for our fax number the owner used to say "I'm sorry but it's 2015, we haven't used a fax machine in over 10 years. You should consider embracing a more current form of communication."  
 
It makes him sound like a jerk, he's not. His tone was always very polite, but his message was to the point. "Fax is dead, or at least is should be."

I agree with most of the other poster’s points, however we’re the opposite in one area - We would much rather an email or polite (and brief) drop off. Multiple calls or repeated visits asking to meet with the recruiter can be a turnoff (especially before or the day after a posting closes). What might be an eager, hard working person sometimes come across as extremely pushy and demanding. Also, if you are a “no show” at some point for an interview and didn’t call ahead to cancel or reschedule, please don’t expect the same employer to take the time to setup another interview for you in the future. I guess the morale of the story is everyone should be respectful of everyone’s time and energy during the recruitment process

My daughter and I disagree on cover letters. She is a professional and has successfully obtained jobs in 3 different cities in 3 different provinces. She doesn''t think they are necessary. I disagree. If I were an employer I would pay more attention to the resumes with cover letters. I see quite a few employers agree with me. Could the difference be in the cities they get hundreds of applications and cover letters are just more documents to sift through? The positions she applies for also require 2 interviews to narrow down the applicants.  
 
Edited by Ter, 2017-10-21 09:24:19

I basically agree with fishing guys post so all i will add is that fax is dead lol and that even tho the positions i hire for dont need a traditional education making a form resume acceptable and cover letters not necessary i still prefer a cover letter because it gives me a gimps into your personality and if you would be a good fit, explain anything you cant put in a resume ect. a decent cover letter makes me want to read your resume, same with a friendly paragraph in your emailed cover letter  
 
as you can tell i dont really care that much about grammar and spelling (im lazy here lol)but do make sure whatever format you use is easy to understand

I do not ask to apply in person because the office is out of town and the hiring owner is in the field WORKING the whole day. It is not all business that have a building with few offices and managers in it.  
I am not making people guess how to apply I do specify different ways. I did not use an old fashion communication to apply use a horse, or telegram, or smoke codes.  
We get faxes from sales advertising and insurance purposes.  
Thank you for telling us how to do business.  
 
Edited by plus zero, 2017-10-21 10:36:23

plus zero said "I do not ask to apply in person because the office is out of town and the hiring owner is in the field WORKING the whole day. It is not all business that have a building with few offices and managers in it.   I am not making people guess how to apply I do specify different ways. I did not use an old fashion communication to apply use a horse, or telegram, or smoke codes.   We get faxes from sales advertising and insurance purposes.   Thank you for telling us how to do business.     Edited by plus zero, 2017-10-21 10:36:23"

You can request your applicants to apply any way you choose and you offered mail as an alternative to fax but the other poster is not wrong in saying that you are also competing for employees as they are for the job.  
 
As you stated your method yielded no results, what i took out of that was that you did not fill your position from that advertisement thus was a waste of resources and job seekers should take their time to apply to adds that are difficult to reply too because chances are there is less competition  
 
In the last 10 years i have needed a fax 3 times, all for government requirements, luckily i had a friend with an insurance business i could borrow their fax, now even they changed the way they received their paperwork requirements and i can now communicate, submit bids and documentation using email (yeah!!) it is much easier, anyway my point was that it is getting harder and harder to find a fax to use so at some point you may want to upgrade the way you receive resumes  
 
when i am looking for an employee i too dont want them to call, show up, email repentantly because im busy working, thats why i need help lol. so i dont list my phone number and i have a separate email set up only for resumes, that way i only have to go through it when i want someone and only my business contacts have my primary email

is the best way. If you have experience for the type of job you are applying for, concentrate on that. No need for anything too fluffly as it takes too much time to go thru it. Also, dress up (according to job) and get that resume out there if you really want a job. Employers get a lot from first impressions. Maybe old fashioned but still the best. One thing I believe in, is that a university education is not needed for a simple retail job. There is a lot of employers hiring people that have a university education but may not know anything about the job. But, then there's the person who has had ample experience and may have to take a back seat to someone with education. I do not think that is fair and in my opinion, the person with the experience and know how is the person for the job. Don't get me wrong, I believe in the education aspect but only where it is appropriate.

PDF is by far the most accepted document format. I may be reading your resume on a tablet or phone, which may not have word.  
 
Keep it on the straightforward side, no flowery language, and please don't lie about things like past jobs or current skills.  
 
Also, use nice bright white paper. It will make you stand out in a good way.

1. How many previous jobs are listed. 4 jobs in the last year isn't what I'm looking for.  
 
2. Is the resume made for this position or did you just print off 30 resume's to pepper all over Brandon.  
 
3. Are you applying for the job as posted?  
I'm sure you've heard the story about David Lee Roth demanding a bowl of M&M's with all of the blue one picked out in his dressing room before every show. What you might not know is that he put that in the middle of the contract so he would know if the venue had actually read the specific's of the contract. If he walked into his dressing room and there was just a bowl of M&M's or no bowl at all he didn't do the show because he knew the venue hadn't read the contract. So I put something like that in every add I post to weed out almost 90% of the people who apply. Sometimes it's as simple as posting an "APPLY HERE" button at the top of the posting that sends you to a random companies application page. I'll then specifically say that all resume's must be sent to "THIS EMAIL ONLY"...literally improved my quality of applications 10 fold.