I recently received an offer for a free resume critique from being a member of a job search website. I decided to get it done to see the holes I had in my resume. Taking a look at the "professional" reviewers comments, I started to question their approach.
I've always been advised to not include a summary/objective section on my resume for positions within the financial industry, yet - they mention
"I can tell you right off the bat you are missing one of the most important parts of the resume...the summary! The first thing an employer looks for when he or she reads a resume is the summary. A great summary is absolutely essential for having a strong, hard-hitting resume that makes an impact on employers. It’s the summary that establishes the focus of the resume and provides the reader with a concise picture of the value you offer, and implies where you are headed in your career at this point. This section is the most-read section of the resume by hiring managers (it’s the “hook”) and you miss the chance to grab the reader’s attention.
In addition to a great summary, I also recommend including a "Core Competencies" section. This is an “at-a-glance” category that serves two duties; it gives a quick overview to the reader but it also serves as a keyword section for the database search engine. Recruiters will be using search terms to find you. Core competencies should be specific areas of expertise and knowledge that can be supported by solid accomplishments."
They also mention not to list your graduation date or hobbies/interest; however, I've been told in the past to include both, the latter to show you're not all work and no personality
"Regarding, your education, employers just need to know that you have a degree, not when it was obtained. Readers often use the dates to determine the age of the job seeker. Remember age discrimination can go both ways so it’s best not to risk it by omitting them.
You've also included some information here that is not proper "resume-etiquette." The last thing a potential employer is going to read about is your interests. This information adds nothing to your value as the best candidate to do the job. Employers aren't interested in your hobbies- they just want to know if you can bring value to their organization."
Now if what they say is the case, I'd consider giving them a shot for a resume re-write; however, I want to get insiders opinions on the advise that was provide. Is this industry norm that I've been unaware of or would this just bloat my resume and remove any personality.
Just FYI - I'm 26 and have been working in the financial service sector for approx. 3.5+ years.
This is some of the worst advice I've ever seen. The people choosing your resume is a group of bankers that went to your school (mostly a bunch of analysts and a VP). You're marketing yourself. Look at the resume books of top b-schools, a lot have a "personal" section.
Yea, that's pretty terrible advice. You would get better advice just posting on this website...
As stated above, look at the resume books from the top business schools...Do you see any objective lines? Maybe 1 or 2 and I guarantee they are on the resume's of foreign students.
I would not follow this advice.
From the comment about "add a summary", I would guess that the site in question is jobfox.com
They throw out the same generic feedback for every "free" resume critique. Like the others above said, stay far away.
Thanks for everyones input. You've confirmed my suspicion that this is complete BS.
Remember, you get what you pay for.
I hate hate hate objective lines. I think they might be good if you just handed HR a resume with no job open or no cover letter, but when you are applying to an IB analyst position I think your objective is pretty obvious. Resume services are tough for this industry. You really need to have someone who has worked in the business redo your resume because it is so specific.
Agreed - you can't listen to general resume advice when you applying to IBD, PE, etc...
can we get the name of the job search website....
so we know what NOT to use
Believe it or not, promo came b/c of company that has partnered with Doostang
Haha, if you go and look up threads on Doostang, you'll also find people calling some of their practices 'sketchy' (e.g., posting up positions by companies that weren't hiring, or long expired postings, etc.) While Doostang does provide some access to a lot of small or mm type firms that aren't household names and you would probably overlook, there's also quite a bit of competition for each post. I haven't heard many (or any) success stories from Doostang on this forum...
From my experience, doostang seems to be at least a quasi-scam. In fact, one time I called a bank (a tiny bank) about a posting and their recruiting associate asked wtf doostang was.
And I got the same free resume critque one time. It was from jobfox, seemed like BS to me.
Knowing it was free, I would still have written a letter asking for my money back. Just to prove a point.
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