Recently ResumeDoctor undertook the immense project of interviewing several hundred recruiters/headhunters to find out what they are saying about resumes. These recruiters stemmed from varied specialties and industries throughout the US and Canada, (Engineering, Information Technology, Sales and Marketing, Executive, Biotech, Healthcare, Administrative, Finance, etc.). ResumeDoctor sought to find out what are the recruiter’s likes and dislikes in a resume they receive and what is going to get a resume read by them. Some of the "Pet Peeves" shared will be obvious, while others might surprise a job seeker.

According to recruiter Gayla Moore of Taylor Recruiting in Austin, TX, "A general objective is a good way to have your resume tossed out immediately. A candidate who states they want to be with a great company who values its employees... well, guess what? Everyone wants that!!"

Instead of an Objective that can pigeonhole your focus too narrowly or an introduction that adds nothing to your background, use this top piece of real estate to really SELL yourself, by creating a HEADLINE. Don’t be shy. Tell them who you are and what you do immediately. Come up with one powerful sentence or phrase to "grab" your reader. Think of this like a headline to a major front-page news story ... PATS UPSET RAMS IN SUPERBOWL. What is going to grab that reader to want to read further? For instance:

Senior-Level Health and Safety Manager with Extensive Experience Working with FDA Regulations in the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Arena.

Recruiter Tip: This headline can be customized to match the job description and "hot-buttons" of the employer or recruiter.

We all know the temptation is there to beef up your background by stretching the truth here and there to land that job. BEWARE! It is becoming more commonplace for companies to do extensive background and reference checks on a candidate’s background prior to hiring. Also, companies are demanding that their vendor recruiters do more extensive background checks. The chances of being caught are forever increasing.

Recruiters stated the most common misleading information being put on resumes is:

• Inflated titles
• Inaccurate dates to cover up job hopping or gaps of employment
• 1/2 finished degrees, inflated education or "purchased" degrees that do not mean anything
• Inflated salaries
• Inflated accomplishments
• Out and out lies in regards to specific roles and duties

Connecticut recruiter, Tom Mahon shared this story, "One bonehead forgot we had worked together a few years earlier (I still had his old resume) and sent me a new resume where every title was upgraded. His former Employers apparently promoted him because he was doing such a great job at his current Employer."

If you are in sales, don’t be surprised if an employer will ask to see your W2’s to verify your sales income before being hired. So in a nutshell, recruiters are “hip” to what is going on. Present your resume accordingly, be TRUTHFUL.