Ten Common Resume Mistakes to avoid
Not getting enough calls. Time to double check your resume. Right now in 2009, recruiters are facing resume tsunami. Unless your resume stands out, you are not going to get that interview call. That said, there is no such thing as a perfect resume. The best resume, employers say, is the one that portrays the candidate as a solution-provider. Prove you can make their problems go away and you’ll get hired. Employers are looking for a clear, concise resume not a fancy or dangerously creative resume. Don’t stand out for the wrong reason.
So without much ado, here are the top 10 resume mistakes that people make.
- Your resume reads like an essay. While that is great for a term paper, recruiters usually scan your resume in less than one minute. Get to the point.
- No personal branding. Why you ? Differentiate yourself from the pack. Turned around a project, calmed down an irate customer, walked on water …. don’t be modest on your resume.
- Spelling Errors, Typos and Grammar. Nothing turns off a potential employer more than a resume that was not double checked for proper English. Always proof read your resume 10 times before you send it out. Better yet have a buddy read it as well.
- Contact Information is wrong. Not to harp on this but one wrong digit on your telephone number = no calls. Same for email. Your automated spell checker can’t catch this. You have to.
- Gap in employment. Briefly mention the reason for your ’sabbatical’. Don’t write a paragraph, save that for the actual interview.
- Overstating your work experience/position: Nothing turns off a potential employer more than lying on your resume. Background checks, Online research, reference checks – there are a hundred ways a potential employer can double check on you. Don’t do it. Not worth it.
- Complicated Format: Make it easy on the eyes. Avoid a complicated format. Get the employer to focus on your accomplishments and not on your MS-WORD creativity. A majority of the large organizations use Resume software to store your resume and most of these softwares will not save your fancy format anyway.
- Too vague or too detailed. Being too vague or too detailed will turn off a potential employer. Middle ground is best. If there is a specific job or skill that is so relevant that needs to be very detailed, leave it for the interview.
- One-size-fits-all resume. Goes without saying that your resume should be tailored to the job that you are applying for. Research the employer & position and tailor a resume that fits.
- Action Verbs missing. Load up your resume with energy. Instead of saying “part of a team of 5″, say “Architected a solution with 4 other programmers”. You get the idea.
Now get out and get the job of your dreams. Search for jobs right here on 8hours.com.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
[...] Hours.com blog recently posted their list of the most common resume blunders that job hunters make. Ten Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid is a reasonably comprehensive list of potential mistakes that you will want to check for prior to [...]