Make some effort with your resume, for crying out loud

Michael Hess, a blogger at BNET, writes about the terrible cover letters and resumes he receives from people wanting a job. Among the most common abuses in his mind:

No cover/introductory letter — I am a realist. I accept that the days of handwritten and snail-mailed cover letters and résumés are over, and for the most part that’s OK. But even in the era of e-mailed job applications and online résumés, the lack of a proper introductory note — no matter how brief — is inexcusable. A good cover letter can be as valuable as the résumé itself, since the cover is the “personal” part of the application, while the rest is the same work history that every other employer will receive. If I get a blank e-mail with a résumé attached, or an e-mail with nothing but a link to someone’s information online, the chances I’ll look any further start at zero and go down.

Terrible cover letter — An atrocious introductory note is almost as bad as no letter at all — and  sometimes even worse. I have received e-mails written in text-speak (”u sound like an awesome company, and I think I’d b an awesome employee, LOL”). I’ve gotten short notes that read as cavalier or arrogant (”my info attached, call for more info and interview”). And I’ve been sent e-mails that were short-sighted turn-offs (”what are the pay and benefits of the job?  If they are what I am looking for I will send my résumé”).

Bad résumé – Despite all of the resources available, quality résumés are very rare. I’d be surprised if one out of 20 that I read even comes close to what I consider “well done.” My feeling is that if someone can’t do a good job with the most important document he may ever write, what does that say about the work I can expect from him? When I wrote my first résumé, I had everyone I know read it to make sure there were no typos, that it flowed well, was well-written, honest and concise, showed me in the best possible light, raised no red flags, and so on. I knew I had exactly one, fleeting chance to get and keep an employer’s attention. No room for error in that.

I will chide Mr. Hess: I could not discover his company on the BNET site.