Should You Send Your Resumes When Not Qualified?

No. I thought about leaving just those two letters for this one blog!

Especially now, with unemployment over 10%, resumes are flying out through the Internet airwaves like there is no tomorrow. Recruiters, human resource managers and anyone involved in any hiring process are all inundated with countless incoming resumes.

I receive over 100 a day myself for JTL Services, Inc. By the time I go through 50 of them, my attention level his well below par. There are two main frustrations with the resumes that I receive and that I thought I would share in hopes to open some eyes and minds of those who are throwing their resumes to the wind hoping it catches a nice current into a job. 1) The format and 2) The content.

The Format
By now, if you do not know how to compile a professional resume and furthermore do not know how to find out how to do so using the Internet, just about all bets are off. How can I, as a hiring manager consider someone who has not spent any quality time organizing a professional resume?

Click here for a recent post about resumes I recommend reading if you haven't.

Though it pains me to direct you to a job board like careerbuilder.com, I do so for those who really do not yet know where to go to see some quality sample resumes. Click here for some resume writing guidance.
The Content
Content is equally frustrating. There are many quirks about content that I have blogged about in the past. Of particular annoyance are those who are applying for a job that they possess very little and sometimes no skill-set at all. For example, a payroll supervisor position really doesn't require a Realtor, but yet, I have at least a dozen Realtor resumes as of late that are applying for accounting positions. Sure, some Realtors have accounting degrees and some experience, but I am not referring to those. I realize a Realtor has to be responsible for their own small business accounting of their income and expenses, but that is hardly the experience necessary to perform an accounting position at a corporation.

Please, applicants, review the job description. If you do not possess the skills that the job requires, move on. I don't want you to get complacent, sending resumes and assuming that just because you sent out enough resumes, you will find a job. Not in this market.

Use quality online job boards and keep searching until you find the job that fits your experience, education and skill set.

Conversely, you may be over qualified. Click here for a recent blog post from Jeff LeFevre, owner of a national recruiting agency and a blogger for Free Job Advice.

As always, keep your chin up. We are getting close to putting the darker days behind us.