Hit The Mark

I was preparing some materials for my class in preparation for our discussion on resumes and cover letters. It turns out to be one of the most popular topics each semester — seems no one feels very confident writing a resume and every one wants a little guidance.

And that’s probably because it’s easy to go so horribly, horribly wrong in a resume. I preach to sell yourself — a resume and cover letter is not the time for modesty. (It’s likewise not the time for grandiosity or outright falsifications, but that’s another matter entirely …)

I found this great list of really bad things found on resumes. Granted, I’m always a little suscipious of such lists of allegedly “true” things people have said/written/done — the reporter in my would like a little proof, perhaps a citation, if you please — but none the less, this list serves, if nothing else, as a reminder to proofread your resume. Better yet, have someone else read it. Someone who knows something about good resumes and good copyediting. Even if you have to pay for that service, it’s worth if you can land an interview and get the job.

Here’s a sampling. Enjoy!

Listed under “Objectives”:

• To acquire a creative development position within the entertainment industry that would utilize my vast (2 years) technical experience.
• To find a gig.
• My goal is to be a meteorologist. But since I have no training in meteorology, I suppose I should try stock brokerage.
• I demand a salary commiserate with my extensive experience.

Listed under “Reasons for leaving last job”:

• Terminated after saying, “It would be a blessing to be fired.”
• Responsibility makes me nervous.
• Being in trouble with the law, I moved quite frequently.
• In my last position, got nowhere as part of a 60-person herd.
• I did not give the company my full effort and received no chance of advancement in return.
• Note: Please don’t misconstrue my 14 jobs as job-hopping. I have never quit a job.

I am a bit, shall we say, “uptight” when it comes to the written English language. I like correct grammar. I like correct word usage and spelling. I like good syntax.

And I get downright cranky when I don’t get it.

Not long ago, I had a student who had me wondering if the world had gone mad. This student, a pleasant young man in his early 20s, never, and I mean never, used correct punctuation. For that matter, he didn’t capitalize his name. Or the first-person prounoun “I.” He wrote “UR” instead of “you are.”

It put me in a negative frame of mind. The Internet, I decided and not just because of Mr. UR, has destroyed our respect for our common language. The craft of writing has been replaced with lousy content copied and pasted from one site to the next. (We used to call that plagarism.) And it became increasing clear this attitude was creeping into even more mainstream forms of written communication.

But I’m beginning to change my mind. I’m beginning to see signs of a potential backlash against the slap-it-together, lousy-is-OK-as-long-as-it’s-cheap mindset that seems to have dominated web content over recent years. To that end, I’m going to explore this topic a bit further in subsequent postings.

It will make me happy.