Showing your resume around to get feedback? Doing so can be a career-killer, especially if you're blindly taking others' advice.

Here are 5 groups you might seek out for an honest, effective perspective on your resume--including some resources that I'd recommend skipping if you really want more interviews:

1 - Personal contacts (friends, family, etc.)

Unless they are familar with your career accomplishments, this group can only be mildly helpful. You might want to ask if they've cracked open a resume book in some time if they start to dispense advice on formatting or fonts.

Otherwise, they know you best, and may be able to point out some career high points that you've missed.

2 - Recruiters.

Most headhunters who are familiar with your field can give insight into the skills employers are seeking (and the competencies missing from your resume).

Most, though, are not well-versed in design concepts. If your self-written resume lacks pizzazz from a messaging standpoint, they'll tell you, and this is great advice to heed.

However, if you're being instructed in old-school tactics such as using a Microsoft Word template or adding an objective, run the other way.

3 - Hiring Managers.

While this is obviously the group you want to please, remember that each person has formatting preferences that may not appeal to other employers. Therefore, don't rush to redo the resume based on just a single opinion.

If it seems that you're receiving recommendations on a total revamp (especially after putting significant thought and content into your resume), seek a second opinion from other sources, such as recruiters.

4 - Career Professionals.

Dispensing your resume to a professional career coach or resume writer can be an effective way to gain feedback--or it can be a horrendous experience.

Be wary of anyone who instantly tells you that your resume is awful. No one, not even someone who sees resumes all day long, can judge your content without getting to know you and your career first.

Tips on fonts and formatting techniques make sense for most people, and even a few pointers on how to boost your message can help, but a truly helpful "resume review" is close to impossible without access to the full story of your career.

Obviously, you'll also want to avoid those who have minimal recruiting or business experience to offer (see So, you want to be a professional resume writer?).

5 - Anyone Else.

Showing your resume to any 10 people will result in 10 different opinions!

Therefore, those who don't know you well or have a career in a different field (such as your former colleague, your hairdresser, or your friend in IT) will not be your best source of feedback.

In fact, too many career professionals spend time "undoing" the so-called tips dispensed from these types of contacts.