I just got a resume mailed to me. That’s so retro, and honestly, rarer than you might think. As I’m a not a techno elitist, I looked at it. So, the strategy worked, to a point; it did get me to look.
Unfortunately, the person printed it on some very strange paper…it looked sort of like green clouds. Someone I showed it to asked me if it was stained. Very distracting and unappealing. And they included a cover letter, which I can generally take or leave, but the letter was generic, on a totally different color and kind of paper than the resume. The kicker was that the name of the company was handwritten in (not kidding) and the person forgot to sign it.
Really?
Then I decided what the hell, let’s see what role they want. The role this person specified in their cover letter as applying for is very similar to stuff we have available, but this individual got the title wrong. Or more likely, this was the title another company used and they didn’t want to waste paper by redoing the cover letter. Strange.
As if this wasn’t enough, this person included letters of recommendation and a few random complimentary emails to round out the package. Dating from…1991. Can I just say, waaaaaay too much information.
I’ve lightened up over the years about typos and grammatical errors in resumes and cover letters; there is a diverse workforce out there and we need to cut people some slack sometimes (not often). But there isn’t an acceptable excuse for laziness, sloppiness, or poor judgment. If you want a job, act like you really want it and do it right: if you want to set yourself apart from the crowd, do it in a good way!
Lessons learned from this person’s unfortunate effort:
- If you are going to write a generic cover letter, just keep the whole thing generic! It doesn’t impress me that you hand wrote the name of my company in! Ridiculous. It’s better to actually create a short and sweet custom cover letter if you have the wherewithal to do so. And if you can’t be bothered, then, don’t bother.
- If you want to set yourself apart in some way to get your resume read…don’t send it in on weird paper. I’ve had people send in posters, I’ve seen signs on cars, I’ve had people send strange gifts, I've received handwritten notes on used/recycled cards (oh yeah), etc. But, most people don’t hire the gimmicky job seekers, because they seem…weird. Your gimmick has to be really brilliant to work. And, most of us aren’t brilliant (sorry, that means you, too). Using networking to get your foot in the door is still the best way. Failing that, your presentation, whether virtual or physical, has to be virtually flawless. Have a friend or three review for you. Preferably, friends who are gainfully employed and have some sense.
- Don’t include written references from 20 years ago. It’s fine to have some of this kind of stuff in a brag book you can bring to your interview. Or, if you’ve created an online resume, you can include these items somewhere on there. But for your average intro to a company, it’s simply too much information. And it dates you.
I wish my unfortunate resume submitter and others seeking new jobs the best of luck. But remember, it’s not all about luck: you WILL improve your chances of getting the job you want or need by putting your best foot forward, using common sense, and staying away from freaky paper and ancient references.
tracy c