6 Common Resume Mistakes

Mar 5
08:47

2010

Karl Giles

Karl Giles

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What not to do when creating or editing a resume.

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Spring is the best time of year to begin tuning up your resume before your next opportunity presents itself. Here are 6 common issues with resumes that get overlooked:

1. Unfocused Content - A resume should highlight your employment history so that your skills may be conveyed accurately and quickly. Most employers screen a high volume of applicants’ resumes for a particular position so your resume may only have seconds to catch that person’s eye. Make sure that you highlight your accomplishments at your former positions rather than just your duties when revising your resume.

2. Spelling & Grammatical Errors – Use a fresh pair of eyes – that is,6 Common Resume Mistakes Articles someone besides yourself that can look over your resume for any spelling or grammatical errors. No matter how good of an editor you may think you are, asking someone else to review your resume can reveal errors that you may not have caught. Perfection on resumes is important and since writing is a fundamental skill, gaining an interview from an exceptional initial impression depends on it.

3. Generalized Resumes – Not personalizing the resume on an employer specific basis can damage your chances of moving on to the stage. A generalized resume is a quick way to have your resume trashed by your potential employer. Show the employer that you took the time and effort to cater the resume to the position in which you are applying for.

4. The Multiple Page Resume – Another quick way to knock yourself out of contention for your next job is to have a multiple page resume. Trim your resume down some by taking off all of those jobs you’ve had since you started working and begin to list only the positions that pertain to the job at hand.

5. Complicated Design – If your resume includes several different types of fonts, a border, and several walls of text you should definitely consider revising. Keep your resume design simple by limiting the number of fonts and steering away using too many design details. Your focus should be on conveying your professional skill set.

6. Weak Objective Statement – Keep your objective statement centered on what you have to offer to the employer. Generalized objective statements are the worst way to start off a resume besides having an unprofessional email address. Make sure your employer knows that you are serious about the job and look forward to contributing to the business or organization.

Follow proper resume formats, include related content, and make sure that you do not make these common mistakes. Once you have completed your resume, don’t forget to post in on multiple job boards. EmploymentGuide.com is great for those looking for hourly jobs. Others include CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com, and HotJobs.com.