A couple weeks ago we were doing interviews for one of my company's openings. One of the candidates had a well done resume that reflected the experience and skills we were seeking. I was hopeful he would be a strong candidate based on this. When we started speaking with him, it became apparent this would not be the case. The job history he gave us did not match what his resume said, a huge red flag and something the rest of the interview team noted after the interview was over. In addition, he didn't discuss the skills he had listed on his resume. He did, however, bring a list of questions that were very good. Based on my own job history, I figured out what was going on, and I shared my theory with the interview team after the candidate left.
One of the things all candidates provide at the interview is a form listing how they heard of the job. His said the local career center. I worked for my state's career center for 2 years, and therefore I was able to put the pieces together. He had worked with someone at the career center, and that person had prepared his resume and given him the questions to ask. You could just tell he didn't do those himself. It's fine (and highly desirable) to have a qualified person help you with your resume. But, it needs to be written by you and really reflect your experience and skills. It is painfully obvious when it doesn't.
My hunch was confirmed last week when I got a call from a staff member of the career center asking how this candidate did. I told her the fact that his stated job experience did not match his resume was a huge flag for us. I did compliment the questions that he asked. I also shared that I had been a career coach in a previous occupational life and that her services are definitely needed by job seekers in our area.
You never know when skills from a previous job will pay off in another job, sometimes in unexpected ways.
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