Laura,

I’m trying everything I know to get a call back for an interview, but it isn’t working. I’ve been spending a lot of time surfing job ads, and when I apply to something that seems perfect for me, I never get so much as a rejection letter.

It’s getting to the point where I’m worn out from trying to figure out if there’s something wrong with my resume. Plus, I'm never sure what to do about it.

Is it possible that my resume really IS the problem? Is there some magical change that I can make to turn things around?

- William

Many times, the answer to both of these questions is YES! There ARE critical problems with your resume, and you CAN tweak it to get better results.

In my industry, we use a kind of resume-speak that refers to these killer errors as screen-out factors.

Specifically, screen-out factors are the classic “sins” of resume writing:

• Subjecting yourself to age discrimination
• Following outdated practices such as using a resume objective
• Trumpeting your experience as an entrepreneur
• Failing to explain job gaps
• Highlighting your lack of credentials
• Putting references on your resume (which makes you appear desperate)
• Looking like a jack-of-all-trades, master of none

Screen-out factors play a major part in how employers view you as a candidate. If you keep using the same resume that contains potentially damaging information, your job search WILL stall.

How CAN you figure out if your resume is the main problem in your job search? Enlist a friend (or better yet, a colleague) to look it over. Then, have them answer these questions:

• Does this resume make me look older than 40?
• Is the fact that I didn’t finish my degree obvious?
• Does it look as if I’ve been unemployed for a long time between jobs?
• Is my design design too lackluster to stand out among others?
• And most importantly – is it hard to figure out what job I’m applying for?

If the answer to any of these questions is Yes, then you DO need to take a harder look at your presentation style and content.

Refreshing your resume to fit today’s job market is one of your smartest moves — and one you'll have to expedite in order to get better results.