It seems that these days everyone is either worried about their job or actively searching for a new one. Many people are digging out there old resumes only to find that they haven’t really been updated in years. Your resume is the first (and sometimes only) impression an employer will have of you and in that sense a typo is the equivalent of spinach in your teeth on a first date... if it’s the first thing I see I probably don’t have to go much further, and if I notice it after I’ve developed a level of interest I can only wonder how a person who otherwise seemingly has it together can be ignorant of the hunk of green leaf taking up residence next to their gums.

I spend a majority of my day, on a majority of days reviewing resumes in the human resources department of a large law firm down here in Miami. The following are real issues I encounter, not random accidents or omissions, but the day to day things that make me question how such a person can function in society...

EMAIL ADDRESSES - SexyChica69@yahoo.com, RedNeckBaby@aol.com, and GunLoverinFla@gmail.com are not appropriate email addresses to put on a resume. In a world of free email accounts it should not be that hard to come up with some variation of your.name@freeemailprovider.com. Note: Pay special attention to this advice if your name is at all similar to Frank Uckoff or Samantha Hitty... Note 2: If you are not an attorney or a judge, then the words law, esquire, or JD, should not appear in your email address... unfortunately this applies to you even if your initials are J and D.

OBJECTIVES - There is some writing teacher out there taking peoples hard-earned money instructing them to include an ‘Objective’ section on their resume. Am I crazy or isn’t your objective to get the job? When submitting a resume to a company your objective is pretty clear: to gain employment. Everyone’s objective is simply some oddly arranged version of that sentiment, and no matter creatively you can word it, ‘finding a position which will allow me to use my skills to the fullest’ just sounds like a lot of crap.

PICTURES - No matter how good looking you are there is absolutely no need to send a picture of yourself along with your resume. Unless I will be picking you up from the airport for your interview there is no need for me to know what you look like. Furthermore, ladies, it says something none to flattering about you if you think that being attractive is going to score you any kind of points. It doesn’t matter how ugly or beautiful you are, if you show up on the day of your interview on time and dressed professionally you are starting from the same place as everyone else.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION - These are tricky. A well worded letter of recommendation from a previous employer can be a valuable window to who you will be as an employee. Letters that are more than 15 years old, or were obviously written under duress or pestering really don’t do that. Letters of recommendation are also best saved for the interview. Submitting your resume via fax, along with 10 pages of recommendation letters can be slightly annoying. The same goes for high school/technical school transcripts or diplomas. Slightly annoying.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR FINAL PRODUCT - Once you are ready to start sending your resume out to prospective employers, take a moment and email it to yourself. What do you see? Does your attachment have a funny name? Did your email provider append an advertisement to your email? Inevitably those ads are either for dating services or penis enlargement and not the type of thing you want to be the first thing an employer associates with you. Taking a minute and looking at your submission from the view of the employer can be invaluable.

Ok, next time: Tips for Interviewing...