10 Crucial Mistakes to Avoid in Your Resume

01-Jul-19

Your resume is your chance to show potential employers that you have what it takes. While most fear the interview part of the employment process, the resume is actually the stepping stone. Just think about it, if you don’t get the resume right, you won’t even get to the interview.

Unfortunately, some resumes get instantly thrown away because if an employer spots a crucial mistake, they won’t even give it a second look. Be careful not to make the following ten mistakes because they can cost you your job.

A well-structured resume shows that you are organized and detail-oriented. Now, think about what your will employers assume if they come across a resume that is all over the place.

Pay close attention to how you structure your resume. For starters, your personal details should always go on top.

When you are constructing the experience part, use a specific order. Even though some create the list based on their most esteemed positions, it will be clearer if you order it by dates. 

It will be best if you follow a template because it will give you guidelines all the way.

Even if you are applying to similar types of jobs, your resume needs to be personalized. Employers won’t dwell much on a resume that is obviously a copy, paste, and forward type.

Don’t include irrelevant experiences for a specific job. This will signal your employer that you are sending that resume to everyone. For example, if you are applying for a job as a bank clerk, don’t include making gift cards as your relevant experience.

Additionally, don’t forget to personalize your cover letter as well. Explain in the cover letter why you want to be a part of that company and how you want to contribute. 

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to cram too much information. As soon as the potential employer sees that confusing structure they will give up.

Avoid boring them with details. Keep your resume simple and direct. The most important element is to focus on your accomplishments and specific experiences.

Even if using keywords in the resume is highly suggested, don’t overload it. They need to be carefully picked and naturally embedded. 

You may want to express your personality through a “jazzed up” resume, but that is not a good idea.

If you are applying to a serious job position, create your resume accordingly.

Skip the crazy fonts and colorful paper and focus on the content. Every prospective employer wants to read closely what you have to say and weird design can only distract them. 

All your amazing skills and experiences will be overlooked if you send out a resume full of writing mistakes.

Spelling and grammar mistakes are unforgivable. You are submitting a few pages of content and if you can’t commit to checking the spelling how can you commit to a more important task? 

In case you aren’t very skilled at spotting mistakes, don’t worry. Just go through the list of best online writing services, find the one you like, and let the professionals proofread your resume.  

There is no place for a bad objective in a professional summary. What this means is that you should never include something common as “find a digital marketer position” in your resume.

The fact that you are applying for the job clearly states what you want.

Instead, focus on what you want to learn from that experience and how it can empower your growth. Don’t forget to be specific.

You want your resume to show how dedicated you are to your job. If you simply list your duties at certain positions, that won’t do you justice.

Employers don’t care about your job description, but they do care about how you accomplished the tasks. 

For example:

• Don’t: Worked with preschool-age children. 

• Do: Created daily schedules and monthly activities for preschool-age children. Prepared holiday festival programs. 

What can help you with explaining your activities is letting an expert give you a hand. If you read a reviews page, you can quickly find a professional who can assist you with writing job-winning accomplishments.  

8. Wrong Contact Information

This may seem like such an unnecessary thing to mention but you’ll be surprised how many people send out a resume with incorrect contact information.

If you don’t include the correct email and phone number, all your efforts will go to waste. 

Make sure that you double and even triple check your contact info before you hit that send button.

Social media platforms have become an inevitable element of many processes. Job application is no exception.

In case you don’t have a social media profile, that’s fine. But if you do, you should include the link in your resume. If you omit the link, it can seem like you have something to hide.

Of course, this only refers to professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn. There is no need to include your Instagram or Facebook account. 

Some may think that adding some white lies in the resume can’t hurt anyone but they can. They can hurt you.

Each information you include in your resume needs to be 100% true. If you say you can speak fluent Italian while you only know a few words, what will you do if they ask you to speak with some of the clients?

In most cases, the truth comes out so don’t risk it. 

Avoiding these mistakes is a crucial part of a good resume. Keep these common mistakes in mind while composing the resume and you’ll have nothing to worry about. If you want, you can even make notes that will serve as a reminder. 

By Daniela  @  Best Online Writers