Big Mistakes Everyone Makes In Their Resumes
look at these documents for a living. They have trained eyes and master’s degrees in the art of the resume. Watch out for these major resume flaws and save yourself the embarrassment of being unnecessarily judged before you even set foot in the office.
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1. Spelling and grammatical errors
Even those of you who are fluent in English can fall victim to this one. According to a CareerBuilder survey, 58% of employers have dismissed applicants on the basis of typos. Take a look at the top 100 misspelled words and avoid sloppy work. There are even grammar check sites you can use to help you solve this one.
2. Submitting incorrect information
This is a no brainer and yet a quarter of jobseekers still do it. There are details that seem inconsequential to exaggerate but dishonesty at such an early stage might be an indication of higher risk dishonesty in the future. At some point, these things do come out and it takes much more effort to do damage control later on.
3. Being vague
You are using your resume to inform and introduce yourself to potential employers. If you omit exact dates, gloss over experiences, hasten descriptions, fail to include skills, use irrelevant details, or your resume is too short or too general, it doesn’t say much about you and defeats the purpose of the resume.
4. Giving everyone the same resume
While you may be applying to similar positions at several companies, different employers look for different qualities in their employees. Failure to do research on a company and tailoring your resume shows a lack of initiative and laziness. Customizing your resume is always a better idea. RELATED: HOW TO WRITE A RESUME THAT GETS YOU THE JOB
5. Too much or too little formatting
Over-formatting, sloppy layouts, distracting fonts, or just plain ugly–balancing the information provided and the usage of typeface are important. Your resume doesn’t have to be over the top, but it has to be presentable. Good resumes are complete and presentable. Find a resume style that suits you and is in line with the industry you are applying for.
6. Squeezing too much information
While having a resume that’s too short isn’t a good idea either, overloading on the information raises red flags. It shows disorganization and can easily confuse potential employers about the image you are trying to establish. Decluttering your resume does not mean removing necessary information. Brevity is an art.
7. The objective statement
This one is still debatable. Some employers appreciate the goals you set for yourself if they are properly communicated. Otherwise, the objective statement is a waste of space with babble that’s already assumed. In order to optimize the statement, tailor it and stay away from template objectives. Communicate something substantial and don’t include it just because every resume guide tells you to.
How is your resume looking now? Test it out.
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