It is that time to job hunt. One of the most important things besides your interview is your résumé. Your résumé is going to be the first thing that an employer sees, and is initially their first opinion of you. There are many mistakes that we tend to make when it comes to this, mainly because we have a lack of understanding of what employers and hiring managers actually want. And it’s crucially important not to let your résumé get put into that “no” pile. You might believe that your résumé is in tip-top shape and is in no need of reevaluating, but it’s important to update, revise, and modernize. They see dozens of résumés at a time, so what does it take to make yours stand out among the rest? Here are some mistakes that you may be making on your résumé, and some beneficial changes that will help you land that job!
13 Distracting Theme Or Color
There are hundreds of thousands of different templates that you can download from various websites that allow you to basically pop in your information and have a résumé created for you. The problem with this is that sometimes the color or design of these templates are so complicated, busy, and hectic, that it outshines the actual content in your résumé. Employers aren’t looking for the candidate with the most colorful résumé, they are looking at the things that are included in them. If the employer is too distracted by the chaos of your résumé’s template, they’ll pass it on.
12 Too Long
No employer wants to sit there and go through page after page of one person’s résumé. Yes, it is important to include all of your accomplishments, but it’s important to do it in the most simplistic way possible. The best way to do this is to aim for a one-page résumé. This means it will be straight and to the point, easy to read, clear to see, and visually pretty. The employer will thank you because you made their job a bit easier and you didn’t waste their time.
11 Too Short
On the other end of the spectrum, having your résumé too short can be a problem as well. Withholding information, or not providing any insight in the accomplishments that you have made will not allow the employer to see your abilities, therefore, they wont want to hire you. Yes, it’s important to have your résumé to be straight and to the point, but if it lacks any substance and it only fills up a quarter of a page, then it wont appear to be worth someone’s time. If you are lacking experience and aren’t sure what to put, list accomplishments you have made, abilities, or if you excel in any traits you may have.
10 Unnecessary Information
Although, sometimes you want to put as much information about yourself on your résumé, some things can be left behind. Things such as addresses of schools or previous places you worked are not necessary for your résumé. Including names in your accomplishments or relatable stories are things that can be left out. Also, make sure to not use the present tense when referring to a past job. Leave the extra bits for when you get called in for an interview, you will be able to fully explain who you are there. Here, your résumé is strictly for allowing employers to know what you have accomplished.
9 Grammatical Errors And Typos
One of the simplest, yet worst mistakes you can make on your résumé is grammatical mistakes or typos. It screams unprofessional, and lets the hiring manager know that you don’t pay too much attention to detail. Your spell check on your computer should be your best friend during this time, so make sure you check if there are any spelling errors. Another way to catch any mistakes is to have someone else take a look at it. Having a pair of fresh eyes will be beneficial because they will most likely catch if something is spelled wrong, a sentence doesn’t make sense, or even if a comma is needed. It is easy to miss these errors ourselves after constantly re-reading and revising it ourselves.
8 Unprofessional Font
As simple as this may be, but font is crucially important in your résumé. You do not want to pick a font that is incredibly hard to read. It may be pretty, but if it is too difficult to read, the employer will not spend their time trying to navigate their way through it. Use simple, basic font, do not use cursive, and especially do not use the Comic Sans font. I repeat, do not use Comic Sans font. Pick a font and a size that is legible to read and one that will not take the attention away from the actual content.
7 Contact Info Isn’t Up-To-Date
It is always important to make sure that your contact information is up-to-date. Double check your résumé to make sure that you didn’t put your old phone number or email address. It is also important to make sure that phone numbers and email addresses are correct. It is easy to misspell something or to accidentally put your sister’s phone number instead. Employers obviously won't keep calling and emailing you to ask for an interview, so you must make sure that all of your contact information is up-to-date.
6 State Accomplishments, Not Duties
When you list your duties that you were required to do in your last job in your résumé, it doesn’t necessarily show to the employer that you succeeded in them. Sure, you did your duties, but are they something that you want to show off to people? Instead, state your accomplishments, such as any degrees, awards, or certificates that you received, anything to truly show off that you earned something. Employers will focus on those accomplishments that you earned more than reading about just what was expected of you.
5 Too Much Personal Information
Your résumé is not your Facebook profile. This is not the appropriate place to embellish your résumé with lists of hobbies, who you’re dating, your age, or even your religious preference, and is definitely not a place to practice your humor. It is your personal and professional document that is there as a platform to showcase your most pivotal and important abilities and accomplishments. Unprofessional email addresses, such as a personal email address from middle school like, cutecheerleader456@yahoo.com, need to go. Even including time off that you have taken or including references is not necessary for a résumé, unless the employer asks for them.
4 It’s Visually Messy
You’ve packed in as much information in there, you take a step back and look at it, and it’s a mess. The font is too small, the margins are too wide, and all you see is a whole lot of black ink. You need to figure out a way to make your résumé page to be crisp, clean, and easy to read. You also need to let it flow as well, putting work experience or education out of the order that they were done will not only confuse the employer, but will seriously put you in their “no” pile. Cut out unnecessary things, and don't make sentences too wordy. Remember to just simplify as much as possible.
3 Lying
Straight up lying about your education, your work experience, or what you have accomplished is one big no-no. You never want to make something up or state something that you have not done before. This will only hurt you even more and if you do get an interview, you might get asked about these made up things that you won’t have an answer to. It is also crucial to not give an opinion about yourself, for example, stating that you are an “excellent learner and very organized” is just embellishing strengths that you personally think you may have.
2 Including Unnecessary Social Media Accounts
Giving out your personal social media URLs can turn into a very bad thing. Unless your personal account is related to the position that you are applying to, such as a LinkedIn page, they should not be linked. Stay away from giving out your opinion based URLs such as your personal Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook accounts, because first off, the recruiter won’t care to waste their time, and secondly, they will see all of your photos or posts that may contain some unprofessional things that you might want to keep private.
1 Not Personalizing Your Résumé
This meaning of "personalizing" your résumé means to make sure that you personalize your résumé for the position that you are applying for, and to avoid the “universal” résumé that you just send out to every job you are applying to. Instead, be sure to make changes in your accomplishments and abilities so that it fits the criteria for whatever field that you are going into. If you have an objective, make sure to personalize it and give a bit more insight into the specifics of the position. Don’t be a robot and produce a million of the same copies!
sources: forbes.com
