| It can be extremely difficult to find a legitimate | | | | "A telecommute job that allows me to use my |
| telecommuting job, due to the fact that they are in high | | | | knowledge and expertise working from home." |
| demand, with hundreds if not thousands of people | | | | Why should such statements be avoided? |
| competing for one position. | | | | Firstly, the statement is too vague: what precisely is |
| How then do you manage to be the best of the | | | | your knowledge and expertise and what is the job? |
| bunch? With an outstanding resume. | | | | Secondly, by using "me" and "my", you appear rather |
| The resume is your initial and often only piece of | | | | selfish. Rather than telling the employer what you want |
| documentation by which a potential employer can | | | | from the job, it is better to indicate what you have to |
| decide whether or not to hire you. The following are | | | | offer the company. Use a headline that is direct and |
| some mistakes specifically relating to the | | | | related to the position, such as this: "Experienced and |
| telecommuting resume that you can avoid to ensure | | | | reliable virtual assistant, skilled in all areas of office |
| that your resume impresses the employer and is not | | | | management." |
| binned. | | | | This tells the reader exactly what they need to know. |
| 1. Fancy designs or frilly fonts. | | | | 4. Experience that is irrelevant to the position. |
| If the aim is to impress and be taken seriously, don't | | | | It won't do to fill in space with work experience that |
| use cursive fonts or cute little clip arts: they simply do | | | | doesn't relate to a specific position, for example, should |
| not belong on correspondence of a business nature. | | | | you be applying for a position as a transcriber, your |
| You should also check your email signatures to make | | | | customer service skills at the local fast food restaurant |
| sure that it is also appropriate and not a personal one. | | | | are not relevant. In this case, only the experience |
| 2. Résumé templates. | | | | related to transcribing should be included, such as your |
| Most recruiters hate these templates. They spend | | | | typing speed, spelling and grammar skills and your |
| many hours sorting through resumes: templates can be | | | | accuracy. |
| difficult to read and the design elements that you may | | | | 5. Personal Information. |
| have agonized over for hours may not even appear | | | | It is not necessary to indicate whether you are married |
| correctly on another monitor. Someone who is | | | | or not, how many children you have or describe your |
| considering hiring you needs to be able to scan the | | | | personal interests. |
| document quickly to check your qualifications before | | | | With the example of family, whilst some employers |
| moving on to the next. If this can't be done in around | | | | may see this as a sign of stability, others will see it as |
| 6-8 seconds, chances are it will be thrown out. The | | | | a liability: you may not be able to dedicate all of your |
| best thing you can do is to start with a blank document | | | | time to the position. Employers are not allowed to ask |
| and look at other resumes for guidance. | | | | the sorts of questions that may arise regarding your |
| 3. The selfish objective statement. | | | | family responsibilities, so leave the personal information |
| Your resume should be personalized as much as | | | | off. |
| possible - if it looks like all the others, it won't be | | | | Similarly, discussing your personal interests may indeed |
| considered. | | | | show that you are a well-balanced individual: however, |
| You should also avoid using "me" and "my" statements | | | | it may also indicate that you would rather be spending |
| such as in this one: | | | | your time having fun at the expense of work. |