the Innovative Partners Blog

In today’s job market, a lot of resumes are flying around. They range from resumes created by individuals, to those who have paid big money to have a company prepare their resume. Given the volume and some of the amazing things we see on resumes, I thought offering a few tips on resume preparation to you might be helpful.
1) Never put your picture on a resume. I am not sure who thought this idea up, but we see it more and more. It is a very bad idea. Any HR Manager concerned about being charged with discrimination will shred your resume if your picture is on it. Your resume should not include information such as age, sex, race or religion.

2) One page is plenty. Imagine you are the HR Manager tasked with reviewing 100 resumes received for one position. Would you read a multi page resume? The purpose of the resume is to get an interview. If you feel compelled to tell your entire life’s history, make two resumes; one short and concise that you can send out and the long version to hand over in an interview.

3) Avoid the hype. Often resumes tell more about what the person wants to be as opposed to what they are. Tell the truth on your resume. Also, consider the content of your resume for the position you are applying for. If you are sending a resume for a sales position, pontificating on your sales management experience will not be helpful. Spend a little time fine tuning your resume to describe your skills for the position you are applying for.

4) Lastly, avoid scented paper or pretty colors. I have received resumes coated with perfume that reeked so badly I had to take them outside to dispose of them. Your experience and education are the qualifications that will get you the interview.

5) Special Notes to first time job seekers. If you are looking for your first job, you might think the experience portion of your resume might be thin. It may help to consider your experiences in life to date. If you have never missed a day of school and have perfect attendance mention that. If you are making straight A’s or in college placement classes talk about that. Attending school every day and being there on time is a great demonstration of your ability to be where you are supposed to be and be there on time. If you are making straight A’s it demonstrates that you are willing to put the work in to get the job done. Smart employers will take note of those things.

6) Lastly, attitude is everything. Most employers I talk with agree an employee with a great attitude is the one they want. An employee with a bad attitude and all the right experience still has a bad attitude.

Innovative Partners, Inc. has been in the human resource business for the past 16 years.  There are many great staffing companies serving many different segments of the market. As a company, we specialize in recruiting and hiring the top 10% of the available employees.  We focus on employees and companies who feel quality is important.

We focus our recruiting efforts on employees willing to put forth the effort to provide a level of service beyond our customers’ expectations.  We provide an office environment which demonstrates our appreciation for their efforts along with a benefit program they deserve.  People are always surprised to learn that over 84% of our employees are still working at the company we assigned them to after a year.  Our clients are looking for the best and when they find those “best” employees they keep them working.

Our client list is made up of companies that recognize the need for quality employees. Some companies are willing to except just a body to fill a position and that is great for them. But they are not our customers.  Our customers realize that the quality of the people they have working for them effects the quality of their product.  Having qualified, hard working employees can make the difference between success and failure in any business.  We partner with companies looking for great employees who they are willing to invest in, so that their business can grow.

If you are consider yourself a top 10% employee, please contact our office to schedule an interview for consideration. If you are seeking quality, screened employees who can make a difference, please contact our office to discuss options we offer.