In recent years, the job market has become increasingly competitive. Still some professionals are highly successful in conducting effective job search. According to me they are successful not only because of good resume as many jobs portal sites are providing resume builder tools and its easy to create an attractive resume, I think they are successful because they know how and where to share resume. Sharing resume in effective and efficient way is important as it is the first step towards creating your Personal Branding (the process of clarifying and communicating what makes you and your unique value proposition different and special). In Web2.0 world we often share our own and others’ resume. It has provided much ease to job seeker as now recruiters can be reached easily through social network.

Some common mistakes made while sharing resume are:

• Sharing resume with inappropriate person:

Sharing resume without knowing whom to share with is the biggest mistake and almost ends with frustration. Before sharing resume it is necessary to know which job profile you are looking for and job profile offered by employer. Once you are clear with objective and get the opportunity matching your profile, then only share resume.

• Sharing without Cover letter:

Cover letter is a letter of introduction and creates first impression about you. So when you are sharing resume with someone it is necessary to enclose the cover letter. Many times job seekers send their resume without cover letter, which is just like going for tea with someone without introduction. Cover letter must be brief and to the point, and should demonstrate that you meet the requirements listed in job description. You can add bullet points to make it attractive. Also address your cover letter to a specific person and avoid general salutations like “Dear Sir/Madam” .

• Improper Subject Line:

Most of the recruiters in job description specifies job code along with title to be entered in Subject line, so proper subject line must be entered. Even if any specific job code or title is not given in job description, then also subject line must be relevent and indicate which job you are applying for.

• No Customized resume:

You may be eligible for some different type of jobs, so while sharing offline make relevant changes in resume as per needed. This is a common mistake as job seekers have only one resume and they share it without even customizing it. So make sure to share a customized resume as it will increase your chance for an interview call.

• Spelling Mistakes:

Check for spelling mistakes not only in resume but also in cover letter and subject line as any spelling mistake in this will create a bad impact.

• Using vague email id:

Email id used for sharing resume must be professional and simple. It can be your name or somewhat similar to it if exact name is not available. But make sure not to use absurd email ids.

• Sharing resume in bulk:

Often job seekers share resume in bulk and this habit can yield adverse effects on job hunt. When resume is shared in bulk, then in cover letter general address is made which is wrong. Also recruiter can see all others with whom resume is shared.

• Sharing with friends:

Social networks are the biggest source of job opportunities today, which makes it very essential to share resume with friends. But many times job seekers share resume in a very informal way, forgetting that they are sharing it for job opportunity. This is a very common mistake as while sharing resume with friends everyone thinks that our friend is going to take care of all things, which is not the case.

Creating a good resume is easy and so is sharing it effectively, if these common mistakes are avoided. Just remember that -

“Be discriminating; don’t shoot at everything that moves and shoot such that you hit the target”

These days submitting resume to potential employers has become a piece of cake. With increasing job sites and companies advertising their needs on their web sites, you are just a few clicks away to sending your resume. But, that does not mean it gets read and noticed. The more easy this gets, the more careless the candidates get. It’s not about how many companies you have applied to, it’s about how serious you are to work for a given company. It’s important to choose the company, study the company, align your interests with the companies long term goal. If these are not well aligned, very soon one will feel the stress, as passion would be lacking.

Key is to differentiate yourself from the crowd. Remember, the HR who sorts through thousands of resume for a said job will spend less than 1 minute per resume. Unless he/she finds something interesting and creative, the resume would go into the trash bin. If you are a fresher and don’t have much experience to show, you got to get creative.

Not having work experience does not mean you are not intellectually and technically sound.

This is where CodeMunch can help you differentiate from thousands of resumes. When you actively participate in groups, start intelligent threads, respond to others queries. One is not only becoming more technically savvy, but one is also proving to the world that he/she can tackle situations and get the said job done.

Add to it, the added advantage of having friends review your resume, rate and comment on it. Just another way to know where you would stand in the crowd. These could be friends or potential employers seeing how the community views you.

Happy munching!