Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book,
Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves:
Resume does not list phone number, only an e-mail address, or has inappropriate e-mail address.
In the age of electronic submission, many candidates seem to think decision-makers will want to
communicate by e-mail only, but a phone number on your resume is an absolute must. Be sure to
include a daytime phone number as that’s when recruiters are most likely to call you. The recruiting
process often moves too rapidly for e-mail; recruiters prefer to call — and expect you either to answer
or call back without delay. Without a phone number, “I can’t call you,” said recruiter Alice Hanson, “and
most jobs I have on my desk need to be filed in 24-48 hours. I find a good candidate and can’t connect — it
drives me wild.” If employers can’t reach you very quickly, they’ll move on to the next person. They still
want to see e-mail addresses listed as an alternate contact method, however, and recruiters note a
surprising number of candidates who fail to provide sufficient contact information.
Your e-mail address must be professional. “I don’t want to know if you are ‘sokkerguy’ or ‘kittylover’ says Joe Briand, partner at The Clarion Group, Placerville, CA. “Use Yahoo or Gmail and get a professional-sounding address for your job search.” See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.
