<\/span><\/h2>\nJust as with your salary history, stating a target salary on your resume gives a potential employer way too much information.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- If your desired salary is low, you will get a low offer.<\/li>\n
- If your desired salary is too high, a manager might not even consider you – your resume might get rejected without considering any qualifications.<\/li>\n
- If you have a broad skill set and the right qualifications, a prospective employer might consider you for one of several different positions.\u00a0 Listing a salary objective virtually guarantees that this WILL NOT happen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I’ve interviewed people for one position, had them interview well, and everyone agrees that they like the candidate, but that person just isn’t the right fit.\u00a0 Later, when a more suitable position opens, you have them in mind.<\/p>\n
If someone says to me “I’m willing to agree to $90k as a senior production DBA, but $85k as a database developer is too low”, then it’s difficult for me as a hiring manager to consider that option – maybe you WANT to move toward development, and the lateral move is worth the $5k short-term hit, but in my mind, I’m now asking the question: “How long are you going to stick around before you bail out for a higher-paying job”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/span>Do Not Provide References<\/span><\/h2>\nIf the interview process goes well, you’ll be asked for references.<\/p>\n
If not, then it’s irrelevant.<\/p>\n
Either way, pull the references out of your resume and create a separate reference sheet.<\/p>\n
Use the same styles and fonts as your resume, and title the document “Reference List for _Name_”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/span>Do Provide an Objective and Summary<\/span><\/h2>\nSome professional resume doctors will tell you NOT to list an objective, while others advise that you should merge the summary and objective.<\/p>\n
As a hiring manager, I like to see both.<\/strong><\/p>\nThe objective should be one line, and tells me what kind of job you’re seeking.<\/strong>\u00a0 I could review your summary or job history to see what you’ve done recently, but an objective straight-out tells me what kind of job you want.<\/p>\nIf I got your resume because the recruiter sees database experience, but your objective says “Seeking Opportunity as Sr. Developer”, this tells me right away that there is a disconnect.<\/p>\n
Likewise, a summary should be 1\/2 page or less, describing at a high level what you’ve done in the last 10 years, plus relevant additional experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n