Holiday Party Chatter

I went to a local SHRM holiday party last night. We dined on finger foods and talked about recruiting, job hunting and everything related. The conversation eventually turned to the quality of job applicants - specifically their resumes and writing skills.

Basically they had nothing good to say about the quality of resumes they are seeing lately. One recruiter says she sees 1 good resume out of every 25 that come across her desk. Now I'm sure she's exaggerating a bit but her comments cast a shadow of doubt over the writing skills of many job seekers. Another recruiter commented on the overall communication skills of applicants in today's job market. "These people can't write properly", she blurted. "They send in these emails and instead of writing 'are you' they use IM speak and say 'R U'...it's totally unprofessional"

This is a special message to all job hunters.

Learn how to write!

I dont like to shout but your level of writing skills are not helping you find gainful employment. Bad writing skills, typos and poor grammar are something that do not belong in your job hunt. It's time to banish them.

So here are some tips and advice for improving your writing skills.

1. have at least 3 people proofread your resume before sending it.

2. stop using acronyms and 'IM speak' in your emails. Recruiters are looking for quality applicants. When you substitute 'you' for 'u' it leaves a bad first impression.

3. hire a professional resume writer. Go to PARW to find one.

4. if you cant afford a resume writer visit your local unemployment office. They usually have counselors who can assist you with your resume.

5. search the internet for writing resources and teach yourself better writing skills