In the world of recruitment, you would be very surprised what we receive, purporting to be a resume, on a daily basis. When you are applying for a position, please make sure you are concentrating on what you are uploading as a file from your laptop, computer or even phone.

To give you an idea, here is an example of some of the strange things I have seen sent in as a ‘resume’ or ‘cover letter’ over the last couple of years, here at people2people:

On the other hand, I have also received resumes, which are taken as a picture on a phone and attached as an image. A resume uploaded in the correct format, which can be read easily and uploaded onto our system, is always very much appreciated, other than a photograph of a piece of paper on the kitchen table.

I have also seen attachments coming through with the one simple sentence: “Resume will be submitted on request” With the volume of applications received and also the level of competition in the Sydney job market, the one thing you need to submit, is your previous work experience. The reality is, the other 100 people who have attached their resumes as requested, will be one step closer to having a call for their phone screen. Reviewing resumes takes time and in many cases, decisions are made in a matter of seconds before moving to the next application.

If you are in the market for a new job, knowing you will have to go through the application process, avoiding the receipt of a rejection email, please take the time to make sure you are on the right track. Attention to detail is extremely important. Although these bizarre attachments raise an eyebrow, and let’s be honest can be quite humorous, they really don’t do their senders any favours when making an attempt to showcase their professionalism. This is the very first chance to make an impression.