Common Resume Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs

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A resume is the first opportunity that you get to show companies what a perfect fit you would be for their open position. It’s your chance to sell yourself, show off your skills and experience, and make a good impression. This is why it’s so critical that you get yours right. You want your resume to stand out among hundreds of others, but it’s important that it does so for all the right reasons. With that in mind, here are six common resume mistakes you should avoid at all costs.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

1. Overlooking Glaring Grammatical Errors

A resume is one document that absolutely needs to be grammatically perfect. Any punctuation blunder, spelling error, or similar typo can be a disqualifier for hiring managers and employers, regardless of anything else in your resume. Thankfully, there is software out there that will check your grammar for you. You can ask a trusted friend to proofread the document for you too.

2. Including Made-Up Information

All of the information that you provide on your resume must be completely true. As tempting as it can be to exaggerate certain facts or tell a small lie here and there, this is a huge mistake. After all, these days, recruiters can verify many details with a few clicks or a short phone call. If you’re caught lying it can land you in very hot water, both with a prospective and your current employer.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

3. Forgetting About Relevant Experience

Some people get so caught up exaggerating their resume that they forget about the experience that they can actually add. If you worked a few jobs after school or completed a certificate of registration, you should write about it in the skills and experience section of the document. Even if these experiences aren’t directly relevant to the job, the soft skills you gained probably are.  

“A resume is meant to show your work and education, not what you like to do on weekends, but all too often people include information about how they enjoy basket-weaving, swimming, or going to the movies. The justification most people use for including these things is that they think it will help to show they are a “well rounded” person. The only reason you would include hobbies or other interests on your resume is because it is professionally relevant. For example, you can you enjoy swimming if you are applying for a job as a physical trainer. It is best to either find a way to list relevant career interests under your experience or save it for the interview.” – 7 Things You Shouldn’t Include on Your Resume

4. Using An Unattractive Format

Hiring managers usually scan resumes for just a few seconds before deciding whether to move them to the next round or throw the document in the trash. If the format that you use for your resume is confusing or unattractive, then it can frustrate recruiters and leave you with the latter group. Because of this, you should stick to with a clear font and one or two colors alone.

5. Leaving Out Social Links

It’s no secret that many of today’s recruiters check out prospects’ social media pages before deciding whether or not to offer them a job. Instead of just allowing this to happen, you should take full advantage of the platforms. Make sure that each of your pages showcases you in a professional manner and then provide links to these on your resume.

6. Neglecting To Make Changes

When you’re applying to lots of different jobs at the same time, it can be tempting to use a generic resume for everyone one of them. Unfortunately, this can keep your resume from being successful with any one of those jobs. Most companies review resumes electronically before a person sees them, which means that, if yours doesn’t include important keywords, it may be overlooked.

To craft a successful resume, be sure that you avoid making a mistake listed above.