It is a mistake to think of your resume as a history of your past, as a personal statement or as some sort of self expression. Sure, most of the content of any resume is focused on your job history. But write from the intention to create interest, to persuade the employer to call you. If you write with that goal, your final product will be very different than if you write to inform or catalog your job history.
Avoid basic Resume Mistakes to get attention of employer to be hired
- Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors:
A grammar error or misspelling can stand out like a sore thumb and tell the employer that you’re careless. Luckily, these mistakes are easily avoidable. Spell check, but don’t rely on spell check to do all of the work for you.
I have seen plenty of resumes with embarrassing mistakes that spell check didn’t catch — it was a real word, just not the one that the candidate wanted to use in his resume (be careful to never, ever leave that first “L” out of “public relations” in your resume). - Sloppy formatting and fonts:
You want your resume to stand out, but there is such a thing as standing out in a bad way. You may think it’s creative to use 6 different fonts and colors, but that kind of creativity tends to just look clumsy. Avoid too many font types and steer clear of font sizes that are too big or too small.
Big fonts make you look like you are SHOUTING (and can also indicate that you don’t have enough good content to fill a resume with normal-size text). Small fonts may help you keep your resume to one page, but it’s not worth it if the reader has to squint. - Going negative:
Bad bosses aren’t uncommon. You’re bound to have at least one during the course of your career. But regardless of how difficult a current or previous manager is or was, never bad-mouth him or her in your resume or cover letter. Even if the criticism is justified, your negative comments will reflect poorly on only one person: you. Coming across as a potential problem employee who has a hard time dealing with authority won’t get you anywhere. - Incorrect contact information:
I once worked with a student whose resume seemed incredibly strong, but he wasn’t getting any bites from employers. So one day, I jokingly asked him if the phone number he’d listed on his resume was correct. It wasn’t. Once he changed it, he started getting the calls he’d been expecting. Moral of the story: Double-check even the most minute, taken-for-granted details sooner rather than later. - Include Dates:
A recent trend I have noticed is that some people have started to leave out major time periods on their resume when they worked at a particular job. Please don’t do this (it may appear that you are trying to cover up holes in employment). It’s best to be honest at all times. - Don’t Include an Irrelevant Objective:
I’ve seen resumes that mentioned the desire for an HR position when the person’s resume is completely accounting-related (or vice versa). If you’re making a job/career change, you can touch on that in your cover letter; however, list your technical skills and certifications that may be relevant to the position you’re applying for.
Incorrect Contact Information:
I once worked with a student whose resume seemed incredibly strong, but he wasn’t getting any bites from employers. So one day, I jokingly asked him if the phone number he’d listed on his resume was correct. It wasn’t. Once he changed it, he started getting the calls he’d been expecting. Moral of the story: Double-check even the most minute, taken-for-granted details — sooner rather than later. - Resume Tips:
Keep the resume as simple as possible.
Highlight and Focus the skills and experience part.
Your resume is about your future; NOT your past.
It is not a confessional. In other words, you don’t have to tell all. Stick to what’s relevant and marketable.
Don’t write a list of job descriptions. Write achievements!
Promote only skills you enjoy using. Never write about things you don’t want to repeat.
Be honest. You can be creative, but don’t lie.
