Things to leave off your resume!

• Links to your Facebook fan page, Twitter ID, blog (unless you manage a professional one for the business)


• Quotes from references. Really! Your reference will be contacted at a later time and given sufficient time to talk about your candidature.


• Your photograph. Take it off, unless you’re asked explicitly to add one to your resume.


• Confidential information from current employer, such as, links to your work that you’ve placed on a personal site (I’ve come across such a resume!)


• Personal information: about your spouse (where he/she works, company name, etc.), kids or neighbor’s dogs.


• Leave the resume looking professional. Don’t jazz up the background or have a font that’s best used on a greeting card!


• Weird email ID’s. Here’s why: http://bit.ly/2UphZ6


• Redundant contact details. If you don’t want to be reached, then don’t send out the resume!


• Abbreviations, acronyms and writing the entire resume in CAPS!

True Story: An act of generosity.

This story completely moved me….

A friend of my wife’s has come down to India to visit her ailing mother. Her mother has been diagnosed with cancer and fighting it for a while now. It’s really sad and painful to hear that her cancer is in the final stage. Our friend has been traveling to India quite frequently in the past year to be with her mother. The frequent traveling comes with its share of challenges. First, our friend has had to work across time-zones to complete her assignments on time. Second, she’s had to rely heavily on her colleagues to help her out.

But here’s the part which really struck a cord with me. The constant travel back and forth to India resulted in her using the accumulated vacation time (or whatever was left of it). For the current travel of three weeks, she had to apply for leave with loss-of-pay (LOP). While she was contemplating the next steps, she discussed the LOP option with her manager. She also had to keep her team/colleagues informed accordingly to ensure that work doesn’t get disrupted. Understanding her dilemma, her team took a collective decision to transfer their vacation time to her account! Really. It’s a really big deal; they gave her their vacation time!

It’s a gesture that’s very touching and she’s really grateful for being part of such a wonderful team.

The firm, manager and team she works with need to be commended. I know of many companies that might not allow for such a thing to happen. HR policies and legal issues are often cited as reasons for denying requests. Yet, in this case the manager has taken a stand. It's a rarity.

The bottom line, your current job may not be the best one out there. Your paycheck might not keep you happy. You may be traveling 25 miles one way to reach your office. And many more such reasons to look for the next job. But actions like this are rare and it’s one reason that’s worthy enough to stick around.

PS: Please keep her mother in your prayers today.

Candidate Tip - Part 9

Few months back, I started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ on this blog with an intention to answer recruitment related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies. I tweet these tips on my twitter account too, and use #candidatetip for the tips.

If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to people searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? You can read them here

1. It's not a good idea to get your spouse to answer the phone, when an interviewer calls at a scheduled time. It's awkward!


2. If you're sharing your LinkedIn profile as a resume, don't include your personal Twitter/Blog Link. http://bit.ly/aTLGfm


3. Think twice before you take a role that requires you to report to a friend.


4. Why on earth would you want to put your sun-sign on your resume?! Beats me. Unless off course you're asked. That would be weird!


5. There's no real benefit in adding a redundant/not-in-use LinkedIn link in your resume. Avoid it.


6. Coming from a competitor definitely gives you an edge, but you still need to ace the interviews. Take nothing for granted!


7. It's not a great idea to take another interview on phone, while you wait in the lobby for the present one to start!


8. Try to not change your contact number(s) in the middle of an interview process. If you have to, keep the recruiter informed.


9. Yes, your spouse might be a financial analyst/genius., but the job offer and its components will only be discussed with you!


10. It's ok to ask the hiring manager a few questions on his/her style of management. You'll know if it works for you or not.


11. Your colleague(s) might be leaving the team, but it isn't a reason for you to look for a job change! Unless the entire project/program is canned.


12. It's not a good sign when you want re-negotiate after having already accepted the job offer. Think, ask questions and then say yes.