Top Resume Mistakes
It is extremely easy to make a mistake on your resume. There is no way to repair the damage that is done once an employer gets it. Preventing these mistakes is the key to landing a job interview and making the best first impression to potential employers. Here are the top resume mistakes employers continue to report: Here are the top resume mistakes and ways to avoid them:
1. Typos and Grammatical Errors
Your resume needs to be grammatically perfect. If it isn't, employers will read between the lines and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you, like: "This person probably cant speak well or write" or "This person doesn't pay attention to details.
Avoid making this mistake by having at least two persons proof read your resume for you before sending it off. Also, if you are sending your resume in via email, send it to yourself first to see what the employer will see once they get it.
2. A Bad Objective
Employers do read your resume objective, but will often overlook candidates that use clichéd phrases like "Seeking a challenging position that offers professional growth." Your objective should provide employers with a clear impression of your professional goals and how they would potentially benefit their organization. For example: "Seeking a challenging entry-level marketing position that allows me to contribute my skills and experience in fund-raising for a non governmental organization."
Be sure your objective fits with each position you apply for. Do not send an employer hiring for sales reps the same objective you would if you were applying for a post as a brand manager. Read the job posting carefully and tailor your objective to match.
3. Lack of Specifics
Employers what to know what you have accomplished not a list of you duties. For example:
From the perspective of an HR Manger there is a huge difference between a candidate who states, "Worked with employees in a restaurant setting" as opposed to one that states "Recruited, hired, trained and supervised more than 20 employees in a restaurant with $2 million in annual sales"
Both of these phrases could describe the same person, but the specific accomplishments given by the second candidate will make them more likely to be the one called for an interview.
4. Attempting One Size Fits All
Whenever you try to develop a one-size-fits-all resume to send to all employers, you almost always end up with something employers will toss in the recycle bin. Employers want you to write a resume specifically for them. They expect you to clearly show how and why you fit the position in a specific organization.
5. No Power Words/Action Verbs
Avoid using phrases like "responsible for." Instead, use action verbs: "Resolved user questions as part of an IT help desk serving 4,000 students and staff." Click here for a list of our top Power Words to help you get started.
6. Leaving Off Important Information
You may be tempted the jobs you took "just because" or "just for the money" The soft skills you've gained from these experiences (e.g., work ethic, time management) are more important to employers than you might think.
Be sure to include them on your resume
7. Visually Unappealing
If your resume has four different fonts with italics, colours and and stylization, it may be too busy on the eyes. This may give a negative impression to the employer and in general, is just difficult to read.
Show your resume to several other people before sending it out and ask them if they it visually attractive? If what you have is hard on the eyes, edit. Remember: sometimes less is more!
8. Incorrect Contact Information
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Notice the difference?
One incorrect digit, character or letter means that an employer will not be able to contact you. Check and recheck your contact information to make sure it is current and correct. Most importantly (and yes, more people than you would this do this) ensure that your full name is on your resume!
CJ Admin
