I just received this email …
Hello,
I saw your website
Here is my resume
Thanks
This is an example of how NOT to send a resume to a prospective employer.
The resume itself was unremarkable … the email and the resume included a few pretty big errors.
- Obviously he sent the resume out blind. He had no idea if midrange.com has any openings … or even if we have a staff that he might fit in with. He clearly ‘saw the website’ and just sent a message without any other consideration.
- No cover letter or introductory message … if he’s sending out unsolicited resumes, he should be sending them in a highly targeted fashion. The companies he sends to should be specifically selected based on research and his initial contact should include some kind of introduction as to why he would be a good candidate.
- His resume included two phone numbers … a home number and a work number. The work number is the one I take exception to. To me this indicates that he is looking for a new job on company time. IF I were to hire him … would he waste MY company’s time when it comes time to look for another job? Sure indicates that to me. Yes, he could have his current employer’s permission to look for a new job on company time (maybe he got laid off), but I have no idea if that’s the case. If he wants to be contacted during the day, put a cell phone number on the resume.
- The resume was also sent from his current employers email (even though that’s not the email address that’s on his resume). Same basic gripe as above.
This employment contact was analogous (IMO, at least) to sending out poorly copied resumes with a cover letter that included blanks that you fill in with salutations.
Yes, I know the economy sucks … and some people are desperate to get a new job. But you really need to search for a new job SMARTLY. Especially considering how (relatively) small the IBM i community is.