🚮 35 Resume Filenames Recruiters Won’t Respond To

If your resume’s filename doesn’t make sense to a recruiter, they probably won’t read it.

Photo Credit: Sean MacEntee

As much as you might want to think otherwise, recruiters are people like you and me.

They get too much email to read it all, they have anti-spam filters in their inboxes and they misplace downloaded files too.

So if your emailed resume or CV has a filename that’s unclear at best or incomprehensible at worst, recruiters aren’t going to bother spending even 6 seconds on it, and if they do actually download the attachment, they’re more likely to overlook it later.

Over the past 7 years, I’ve received hundreds of resumes from job seekers looking for feedback. Below are the worst resume filenames I’ve seen, with the personal names changed to protect the senders.

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These are all real:

1) Whalen Smithers, Updated Resume, Nov 2008.doc

I should hope it’s updated if you’re sending it, but don’t say that.

2) Resume Revised.doc

And I should hope it’s been revised if you’re sending it, but don’t say that either. Do say whose resume it is though.

3) BritneyEng_Last3.doc

Always, always, send in your Last revision. Just keep in mind that whichever revision it was, 3rd or whatever, it is the Last one in the recruiter’s eyes so there’s no point in mentioning it.

Also, no need to tell the recruiter which language you used, just be sure it’s one they understand.

4) Pink_Panther_CV (3).docx

Because it’s important to show how much work you put into this, right? 3 revisions is supposed to be a lot? Or maybe you’re so good that you only needed 3 revisions to reach this level of perfect resume?

Ditch the number and you’ll be ok.

5) JohnFK_CV.doc

There’s no need to save space. You can use your whole name.

6) AVK_resume.pdf

There’s no need to save space by going initials-only. You can use your whole name.

7) Gwen_Stacy.doc

And the recruiter is supposed to know this is a CV because… ?

8) Peter Parker_ENG_08.doc

And the recruiter is supposed to know this is a CV because… ?

Is it ENG for English or Engineering?

Besides, no matter what year it is, including the year is going to make it look dated.

9) CV Herschel Krustofsky Résumé 5769.pdf

Besides, no matter what year it is, including the year is going to make it look dated, but if you must do it, kudos on using the correct local, non-Gregorian calendar.

And don’t think we didn’t see what you did there, including both ‘CV’ and ‘Résumé’ to cover all the bases. Very clever, eh? But if you were wise enough to adapt to the local calendar, you should be wise enough to adapt to the local resume term and go with that alone.

10) John CV 2010.doc

Maybe there are other Johns?

Maybe that’s an expiry date?

11) Marge Simpson Jan 2009.doc

Dating it to the month is even worse than dating it to the year…

12) CVTonyStarkjanuary2009.doc

…and crunching it all together just makes it hard to read…

13) 112713 J. R. R. Tolkien CV – England.doc

…but dating it to the day is definitely the worst.

14) Bruce Wayne CV Nov. 2012.rtf

Beating a dead horse, you know by now that the date is wasted space, but you almost made up for it by using the under-appreciated RTF format.

15) Resume Download Australia3.doc

Technically it is a download, but why state the obvious?

Actually, if you read the whole thing quickly, it sounds like a competition (“It’s the latest ‘Resume Download Australia!’”).

Don’t specify a geographical place unless your job search is global, or at least, you want to give the impression that it is.

16) Lancelot_Resume_-_Marketing-Brand_Development.doc

It’s not a bad idea to brand your expertise but give your full name and ditch all the _-_-_.

Don’t let this happen to you…

17) Lois Griffin – English summery.doc

Is it a resume or a summary? And if the latter, at least spell it correctly.

18) Curriculum Vitae.doc

Ah, but whose CV is it?

19) MY DATA.docx

Aside from the fact that a resume isn’t only data – in fact, most people don’t mention data at all, even when they should – this could be almost anything.

Don’t make recruiters rename your files for you.

20) LEED-Resume.doc

Are those initials? An acronym?

Just use your full name and dispel all doubt. Please.

21) Sherlock_cv_new.doc

What is a ‘new’ cv? What happened to the old one? Because they’re all new to a recruiter.

22) CV 21-07-11 Net ’05.doc

Is this a code, or some kind of shorthand?

Was it rewritten on July 21st, 2011, after an initial writing in 2005?

Help us out here.

But if you think that’s bad…

23) HC20GN3FH1.doc

I’m not even going to try and I don’t think anyone else will either…

On second thought, I will- maybe this is a chemist trying to show off the compounds they’ve worked with?

But wait, I’m not done yet-

24) bsmyn47.docx

All I can tell you is that those aren’t the job seeker’s initials. And the number? Your guess is as good as mine. Looks like an anti-virus report.

25) Lord_Voldemort_Resume.pdf

Ok, I admit that I’m nitpicking here: dashes are better than underscores from an SEO point of view, but that’s all I got.

26) jimmydesignresume.doc

By adding the word ‘design’, a reader might think you have other types of resumes.

By cramming it all together, a reader might hope you have other types of resumes.

27) Data systems analyst resume.doc

Sounds like a resume template for data analysts… or someone who used a resume template for data analysts but was too lazy to rename it.

28) homer jay simpson CV one page springfield March 14 2006.doc

With that much information in the title, there’s seems to be no reason to actually go ahead and read the darn thing.

29) Donovan Resume el.doc

State your full name, and get rid of anything that looks like random letters.

30) Stewie G english revised august  2011 resume.doc

State your full name, and get rid of anything that is grammatically incorrect.

31) Updated Marketing Resume of David Brent.doc

Phew! Glad you bothered to update it for us.

Get rid of that and you’ll be fine.

32) BILBO BAGGINS-Underhill.doc

Maybe you’ll get lucky and the recruiter will download this directly into a Resumes folder…

The Underhill name/word wasn’t included anywhere in the actual resume, and the fact that it wasn’t also CAPITALIZED makes me wonder if it’s supposed to be a name at all. Just serves to confuse.

33) 07.14.CarterPewterschmidt.ProfesionalSalesResume.docx

Where to begin?

Too long, there’s a typo, hard to read, dated… just a great example of what not to do.

34) CV James Dean_2014_2 pages.pdf

So if I think resumes should only be one page long, I know right away not to read yours. Thanks for saving me the time.

35) p mason lawyer arbitrator cv.doc

No one wants to hire anyone who can’t make the minimal effort to look professional by Capitalizing Titles.

Bonus

36) FKafka_resume_WHERE THE DEAD HOLD SWAY.doc

WTF?

Interesting choice of attention-getter, but it’s usually not good when the reader is thinking “I have to see this!” Or worse, going around telling colleagues online and off, “you’ve got to see this!”

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• 35 Resume Filenames Recruiters Won’t Respond To

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Your turn

What’s the worst resume file name example you’ve seen?

Have you made any of the blunders above? Tell us in the comments.

Super bonus

Pro-tips with Sarah: How to Name Your Resume File

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😞 9 Job Listings Guaranteed To Leave You Rejected

Poorly written job descriptions can hide a good job, but you’re usually better off not trying to find out.

Photo Credit: JD Hancock

If you apply to a job you don’t qualify for and never get a response, that’s on you.

But when companies complain that hiring takes too long, needs too much effort and is just too expensive, they aren’t helping themselves or you by posting bad job ads that attract more candidates than they can handle.

Here are some of the things they’re doing wrong.

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Free bonus: Download a PDF version of this article to use as a handy reference.

9 signs of bad job listings

1) Vague

A good job description should clearly list requirements and how to apply, but things can get forgotten or just misunderstood by the people posting the ads.

For example, this can happen when non-technical people try to write a technical job listing.

2) Missing requirements

A typical bad job description example would be a high responsibility role (such as a manager or executive role) that only received a short job description.

3) Unreasonable requirements

I remember seeing a newspaper job ad in 1998 that called for 5 years of Java programming experience when Java itself had only existed for 3 years.

4) Too many requirements

Many companies associate a senior position with a wide breadth of experience but sometimes they go too far. A classic example- some job openings for programmers list so many tech skill requirements, you wonder if such a genius even exists.

5) Only requirements and nothing else

A job ad shouldn’t read like the ingredients on a cereal box, it should clearly compel you to respond in a specific way.

A job ad shouldn't read like the ingredients on a cereal boxClick To Tweet

6) Candidates are asked to specify their salary requirements

A sure sign of a company with a very limited budget, such as a company close to bankruptcy.

Back in 2002, I interviewed for a project manager position at a Jerusalem tech company. I did specify my salary requirements, and they invited me to an interview only to later offer me less than half what I had specified, hoping that by then I would have fallen in love with the position to the point where I would be super-flexible. I refused, and they closed less than 6 months later.

7) No clear link between the hiring contact and the job opening

When a small company is growing, the hiring contact might not be from a human resources department or even the department trying to fill a position. The danger here is that the ad was written by someone who doesn’t understand the company’s needs.

8) No hiring contact or company mentioned

Who posts a job ad without mentioning who the ad is for?

Headhunters, hired by companies to fill positions in secret. This is actually how Amazon.com recruited me in Paris back in 1999 before they publicly launched in France. However, their job ad did have a hiring contact: a recruiter at the recruitment agency they used, so nothing too suspicious there.

But if the ad doesn’t at least mention a recruiter, keep away.

9) Request for personal information

While job ads in the UAE can go as far as specifying a preferred nationality, ads elsewhere may be more subtle but just as problematic in implying that only certain groups of people are wanted. Don’t set yourself up to be discriminated against.

Bonus

10) Bait and switch

Some companies use their job listings as an appeal for business or affiliate partners instead of actually looking to hire you. Even worse are the people using job postings as part of an identity theft scam… (perhaps by requesting personal information)

Funny

 

What to do when you recognize these signs

You can either:

Seek clarification

A poorly-written ad may expose unqualified hiring personnel but hide a good future boss. If the ad is otherwise appealing, contact the company or recruiter for extra details before applying. It’s not important who wrote the ad, but it is important to understand the company’s real needs and most importantly, whether you can fill them or not.

Ignore the ad

Unless you work in an industry sector that rarely has openings, it’s never a good idea to apply to every job opening you can find, and that’s before taking into account potential legal issues that can come up. The time and effort just aren’t worth the headaches and frustration. Job search is hard enough as it is.

Question of the article

Of the worst job ads you’ve ever seen, which one was the most memorable and why? Tell us in the comments.

More on bad job descriptions

• How bad job ads are failing job-hunters and recruiters
• How Lackluster Tech Job Listings Can Lead to Bad Hires
• Red Flag Phrases To Avoid In Freelance Help Wanted Ads
• What They Don’t Tell You On The Game Design Job Description…

Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow me on Twitter for warning signs to look out for in your job quest.

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🌱 The Top Job Search Articles of 2016

Over 60 job search experts’ most popular job search articles from this past year.

Photo Credit: wetwebwork

Just like every year, I asked the top job search bloggers and experts for their most popular article of 2016 and here they are…

The list has no particular order.

Enjoy!

Free bonus: Download a PDF with all the article links listed here in an easy offline format.

Top Job Bloggers’ Most Popular Articles of 2016

This year’s compilation is brought to you by Grammarly:

	Suzanne Lucas: No, Megyn Kelly Should Not Have Worn That Dress
	Donna Svei: Job Seekers: New Tool to Double Your Visibility to LinkedIn Recruiter Users
	Daisy Wright: Are You Guilty of Unconscious Bias?
	Janet Scarborough Civitelli: Great Bosses Do Exist!
	Lisa Rangel: 2017 Executive Resume Trends
	Adrienne Tom: The Key Ingredient to a Successful Executive Resume
	Meg Guiseppi: Essential Checklist to Optimize LinkedIn For Executive Job Search
	Kirk Baumann: 21 Interview Tips to Help You Shine
	Anita Bruzzese: How to Stop a Mooching Co-Worker
	Heather Rothbauer-Wanish: Five Ways Your Resume May be Making You Appear Old
	Jeff Lipschultz: The Secret to Job Interview Success
	Marty Nemko: Just Choose a Career Already!
	Alexandra Levit: New Job Preparedness Study Emphasizes the Importance of Integrity and Adaptability
	Lavie Margolin: Soon By Home? Managing a Work-Faith Issue
	Dana Leavy-Detrick: Personal Websites For Job Seekers (And How To Create One)
	Dorlee Michaeli: Online Job Fairs: How to Succeed (Even If It’s Your 1st Time)
	Debra Wheatman: The One Thing You Need to Change
	Donna Sweidan: Focus on Career Trends: Bridging the Skills Gap Without Breaking the Bank
	Mark Dyson: How to Use Your Blog for Today’s Job Search
	Julie Walraven: What Limitations Are You Putting On Your Success?
	Alison Green: my best employee quit on the spot because I wouldn’t let her go to her college graduation
	Mary Elizabeth Bradford: How Savvy C-Suite Executives Network
	Gayle Howard: Your job search success: Commitment is critical
	Hannah Morgan: 43 Best Job Search Websites 2016
	Margaret Buj: 4 Signs That A Company Is Not Right For You
	Jennifer Gresham: 5 Strategies To Land Your Dream Job (Even If You Don’t Feel Qualified)
	Andrew Rosen: How to Write a Good LinkedIn Summary
	Johanna Rothman: Many More Than Five Tips to Combating Ageism in Hiring, Summary
	Marc Miller: Why Are You Not Being Found? Try Thinking Like a Recruiter

	Erin Kennedy: How to Craft an Eye-Catching Executive Resume Brand
	Jeremy Schifeling: The Only 4 Things On Linkedin That Matter
	Dana Manciagli: 5 common social media mistakes that could sabotage your job hunt
	Ibro Palic: How to Answer: Why Are You Interested In this Position?
	Penelope Trunk: Open letter to the guy who refuses to be the sole breadwinner
	Patricia Edwards: Hired or Not? Emotional Intelligence can make the difference
	Biron Clark: How to Attract Recruiters on LinkedIn: 3 Quick Fixes and 3 Habits to Get Noticed
	Mac Pritchard: Your Next Job Search Doesn’t Need to Be So Painful
	Brad Waters: 10 Ways to Uncover the Hidden Job Market
	Will Thomson: 5 Things on You Should NEVER Say or Do on a Resume
	Barb Poole: 12 Ways to Deal with Age Discrimination in Your Job Search
	Wendy Terwelp: Revealing Your Personal Power in the Workplace
	Katrina Collier: How To Personalise A LinkedIn App Connection Request
	Jenny Foss: 7 Ways to Get Out of a Job / Career You Hate (When You’re Feeling Totally Stuck)
	Jim Stroud: How To Do a Background Check on Anyone
	Rick Gillis: Damn it, recruiters, job seekers are people, too!
	Lindsey Pollak: In 2017, Let’s Finally Stop Shaming Millennials And Do This Instead
	Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter: Why Career Storytelling Is an Art
	Susan P. Joyce: Finding a Job Without a Job Board
	Adrian Tan: 10 Job Search Tools Every Jobseekers Need To Know About
	Karalyn Brown: Instead of being noisy, could your personal brand be simply about being quiet?
	Dorothy Tannahill-Moran: How Do I Avoid Making Another Bad Job Choice?
	Neil Patrick: 12 ways to make a recruiter love or loathe you
	Mark Babbitt: 7 Critical Skills You’ve Left Off Your Resume (But Shouldn’t)
	Darcy Eikenberg: To Stay or To Leave Your Job? Four Secrets to Help You Decide
	Brie Weiler Reynolds: 20 Flexible Jobs That Let You Set Your Own Hours
	Miriam Salpeter: Tired of job hunting? Start a business instead!
	Jason Alba: Awesome Journey of a Job Seeker (Felix Feng)
	Joey Trebif: 7 Steps to Achieving Your Career Goals
	Sharlyn Lauby: Should I Quit or Wait to Get Fired – Ask #HR Bartender
	Barbara Safani: How Volunteer Work Can Help You Land Your Next Job
	J.T. O’Donnell: Why Recruiters CAN’T Find You On LinkedIn
	Jacob Share: Top Email Subject Lines Job Seekers Are Using

Free Bonus

Download a PDF version of this article with all the links from the top job search articles of 2016.

Click the image below to get access to The Top Job Search Articles of 2016:

JobMob Insiders can get this free bonus and other exclusive content in the JobMob Insider Bonuses area. Join now, it's free!

Read next

Check out another JobMob year-end roundup:

• The Top Job Search Articles of 2016
• The Top Job Search Articles of 2015
• The Top Job Search Articles of 2014
• Top 40+ Job Search Blog Posts of 2013
• 56 Best Job Search Blog Posts of 2012
• The 51 Best Job Search Blog Posts of 2011
• 56 Most Popular Job Search Blog Posts of 2010
• 39 Best Job Search Tip Articles of 2008

Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow me on Twitter for tips from the best job search experts online this year.

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