Hiring Managers Share Most Unusual Résumé Mistakes

August 24, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – According to a recent CareerBuilder study of 2,654 U.S. hiring managers, nearly half (45%) of human resource managers said they spend, on average, less than one minute reviewing an application. 

When asked to recall the most memorable or unusual résumés, human resource managers and hiring managers shared the following:  

  • Candidate said the more you paid him, the harder he worked. 
  • Candidate was fired from different jobs, but included each one as a reference. 
  • Candidate said he just wanted an opportunity to show off his new tie. 
  • Candidate listed her dog as reference. 
  • Candidate listed the ability to do the moonwalk as a special skill. 
  • Candidates –a husband and wife looking to job share –submitted a co-written poem. 
  • Candidate included “versatile toes” as a selling point. 
  • Candidate said that he would be a “good asset to the company,” but failed to include the “et” in the word “asset.” 
  • Candidate’s e-mail address on the résumé had “shakinmybootie” in it. 
  • Candidate included that she survived a bite from a deadly aquatic animal. 
  • Candidate used first name only. 
  • Candidate asked, “Would you pass up an opportunity to hire someone like this? I think not.” 
  • Candidate insisted that the company pay him to interview with them because his time was valuable. 
  • Candidate shipped a lemon with résumé, stating “I am not a lemon.” 
  • Candidate included that he was arrested for assaulting his previous boss. 

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