Hired: Five common resume strategy flaws

Flash! The resume has not disappeared from the face of the earth even with everyone socially network connected. Things are looking up for the coming months, but competition is fierce and you will still need an effective resume to compete. Here are five common resume strategy flaws, complements of Tom Dezell, author of "Networking for the Novice, or Naive Job Seeker":

1. Quality will trump quantity. Take the time to look for places you would like to work and could benefit from your skill sets. Then research what individuals in an organization you would likely work for, followed by as much information about the company you can find. Don't shotgun resumes. Research and aim, and remember that you don't need a published job opening to contact a company.

2. Rather than describe what you did, tell the reader how well you did it. Use the job description as an outline, and then sell your sizzle. Quantify any increases in earning, savings, customer satisfaction, etc., using dollar ($) and percentage (%) signs that catch the reader's eye more effectively.

3. Quality Control. At least 80 percent of typos and errors in resumes can indirectly be linked to over reliance on spell check. Word turns spell check off when using all uppercase letters, so be careful and do your own spell checking.

4. Lack of understanding regarding the online resume process. When your resume is uploaded to a website, the document is converted to text, losing all of its formatting. For electronic transitions, change bullets to asterisks and adjust places where words break between lines. See Susan Ireland's methods for converting to text for additional help. Google her name.

5. Two feedback extremes. First, job seekers choose not to seek any outside opinions on their resumes. Get feedback before getting rejections! On the opposite end, getting too much outside feedback can cause confusion. Get opinions from a couple of people you respect, then ask recruiters and interviewers for opinions, but make sure they have knowledge of the hiring practices related to your field. If you don't ask, you don't get.