The most common resume mistakes people make and how to avoid them.
A well written resume and a poorly written one are usually the difference between getting a chance at getting an interview or not. In this guide we are going to go over the most common mistakes employers complain people constantly make on their resumes and how to avoid them.
1. Typos and other Grammatical Errors
People make this mistake all too often. When an employer reads a resume that has typos and/or grammatical errors they think the person is careless and obviously doesn’t care about presentation or that they just don’t know how to write. Avoid these errors by getting several people to proof read your resume before you submit it, relying on spell check isn’t good enough.
2. A Boring Resume
A resume is your way of marketing yourself, don’t use phrases such as “responsibilities included” or “duties included.” Your resume should be about what you have accomplished at the company and not a list of your duties.
3. A General Resume that doesn’t have any Focus
Making one resume and submitting it too many different hopeful employers is not a very good idea. You should tailor each resume to a specific job within a company so your resume shows exactly how you will fill their position.
4. A Poorly Organized Resume
A resume that isn’t organized properly will likely end up in your employers recycling bin. Don’t include a list of your hobbies first; dates of employment are not as important as job titles, and if you don’t have very much work experience related to that specific job it is a wise idea to place your education before your work history.
5. From Little Fibs to Blatant Lying
Lying on a resume is a very bad idea. Everyone wants to shine a positive light on all of their work history but lying is not a very good idea. Even if you can look past the moral implications there is a very good chance you will get caught.
6. A Bad Objective
Employers do read your objective but often don’t pay attention to cookie cutter sentences like “Seeking a demanding position that offers expansion opportunities.” In your objective you should focus on the employer’s needs as well as your own.
7. Forgetting to Include Important Information
Many people forget to include certain information on their resume that they think employers might not care about. Things like extra education, awards, volunteer work, or other recognitions are important to employers because it makes you look like a well rounded person that would make a good employee. These little extras will also make your resume stand out from other applicants without such accomplishments.
8. Including Personal Information
If you have personal pictures on your website or private information on your blog, or if your email address is something along the lines of “smoochiepoo87@hotmail.com” it might be a good idea to leave those things off of your resume.
9. Too Flashy
If your resume contains small page margins, 6 different styles of fonts, and 3 different colors you can be the smartest person in the world and I’m willing to bet money on you not getting the job. Stick to one font and a basic resume template and you should be fine. It is also wise to pass your resume around to some friends and family before submitting it to an employer and get their opinion on the layout.
10. Forgetting Important Contact Information
Don’t forget to include your phone number, cell phone number, email address, fax information, mailing address, and double check them to make sure there are no errors.
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