10 things to avoid in resume
For ultra-keen job seekers, there's nothing more patronizing than being advised to double-check your resume. Part of that may be a mismatch in resume advice and recruiter expectations. We can assume you already know to use proper spelling and correct grammar, but who knew that using a Microsoft Word program could be the mistake that's landing your resume in the digital trash? Such mistakes alone may not be deal-breakers, but they still leave a bad taste in the employer's mouth. Augustine broke it down:. We asked recruiters and hiring professionals for the most common resume mistakes they're confronted with.
20 Resume Mistakes Keeping You From Getting a Job (and How to Fix Them)
Read it closely before you press "submit. If you applied, it's already obvious you want the job. The exception: If you're in a unique situation, such as changing industries completely, it may be useful to include a brief summary. Yes, you might have been the "king of making milkshakes" at the restaurant you worked for in high school. But unless you are planning on redeeming that title, it is time to get rid of all that clutter.
Only include this experience if it really showcases additional skills that can translate to the position you're applying for. Don't include your marital status, religious preference, or social security number. This might have been the standard in the past, but all of this information is now illegal for your employer to ask from you; so there's no need to include it. If it's not relevant to the job you're applying for, it's a waste of space and a waste of the company's time.
When you use a. If your employers want to speak to your references, they'll ask you. Also, it's better if you have a chance to tell your references ahead of time that a future employer might be calling. It's understood that everything on your resume is about you and your experiences. Never describe past work experience using the present tense.
If you still use an old email address, like BeerLover gmail. Amdur says there is no reason to put the word "phone" in front of the actual number. They know it's your phone number. This is not only dangerous; it's stupid. Do you really want employers calling you at work?
How are you going to handle that? Oh, and by the way, your current employer can monitor your emails and phone calls. So if you're not in the mood to get fired, or potentially charged with theft of services really , then leave the business info off. This information is completely unnecessary and may send the wrong message. Salary comes later in the interview process. Also, be aware of the font size, she says. Your goal should be to make it look nice and sleek — but also easy to read.
Curly-tailed fonts are also a turn off according to O'Donnell. It's not the time or place to bring up transitions from one company to the next. Once you're out of school, your grades aren't so relevant.
If you're a new college graduate and your GPA was a 3. But, if you're more than three years out of school, or if your GPA was lower than a 3. This may become the norm at some point in the future, but it's just weird and tacky and distracting for now. Don't try to sell yourself by using all sorts of subjective words to describe yourself, O'Donnell says. They'll decide if you are those things after they meet you," she says. Avoid including a job on your resume if you only held the position for a very short period of time, Gelbard says.
You should especially avoid including jobs you were let go from or didn't like. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.
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An objective. Irrelevant work experiences. Personal stuff. Your hobbies. Your age. Too much text. Time off. Personal pronouns. Present tense for a past job. A less-than-professional email address. Any unnecessary, obvious words, like, "Phone. Your current business-contact info. Your boss' name.
Company-specific jargon. Social-media URLs that are not related to the targeted position. Salary information. Outdated fonts. Fancy fonts. Annoying buzzwords. Reasons you left a company or position. Your GPA. A photo of yourself. Opinions, not facts. Short-term employment.
Lack of Specifics. Attempting One Size Fits All.
Your CV is a marketing tool that needs to stand out. This document will be the first impression the recruiter or employer has of you. To get through to the next stage of the recruitment process, your CV needs to be tailored to the role and employer which can be done by focusing on the experience, qualifications and skills sections. It is important to be realistic when searching and applying for jobs. Therefore, you should invest time in reading beyond the job advert.
Including them can get your resume knocked out of consideration for a job before it gets a thorough review. Employers are looking for reasons to screen out applicants when reviewing a batch of resumes to produce a manageable group of candidates to interview.
Sitting down to build a resume may be tougher than you initially think. Which relevant experiences and professional and educational accomplishments should you put the most focus on? To improve your chances of your resume making an impression and getting into human hands , you need to avoid some of the most common resume mistakes:.
Avoid These 10 Resume Mistakes
Skip to main content. Published: May 06, By Editorial Staff. Crafting a well-organized, powerful resume is one of the most important aspects of being on the job market. But, all of your hard work on your job application materials can be undone in a second if you make some of these grave resume mistakes:. Glaring spelling errors, grammar mistakes, punctuation blunders or other such typos are often a total disqualifier for employers and can send your document straight into the digital trash can. Embellishing your resume with falsehoods is likely the biggest mistake you can make on the job market, and the risk to your candidacy and your professional reputation is just too great over any short-term reward you think you might get from lying.
10 Things You Should Never Include in your Resume
The best thing your resume can do is stand out and make an impression. So here are 10 easily avoided mistakes you need to know about before you apply to your next job. These kinds of mistakes will get your resume tossed straight into the reject pile. How do you catch these simple but easily missed resume mistakes? After you finish with your resume, sleep on it and take your mind off it. Then give it a look with fresh eyes. A technique I use sometimes is reading all the content backwards , which forces you to slow down and catch more mistakes. Then, just to be safe, let a trusted friend look at it.
Does it matter if you make a mistake on your resume? It does.
You only have a short time to make an impression with your resume. Instead, choose action-oriented phrases that show rather than tell why you should be considered. Choosing overused business jargon can weaken your resume.
10 Resume Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
Preparing a resume can be difficult to do. Even if you consult the internet, there is so much information that it can be hard to take it all in. While you may have already read up on what you should include in your resume and how to word it just so, have you taken the time to learn about what you should not put in your resume? These simple do-nots can make the difference between getting the interview or getting your resume thrown into the trash. Michelle Hawley. Learn what to avoid including in your resume for job search success. Explanations for anything negative. These are better left off the resume completely. Buzzwords to attract attention. Instead of throwing in meaningless buzzwords, talk about processes you were able to improve at your previous place of employment or projects you contributed to. Your current address. If you are local, the employer might take into account what your commute time would need to be if you were given the job. Either way, it is easier to simply omit this information. A boring or outlandish objective.
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Read it closely before you press "submit. If you applied, it's already obvious you want the job. The exception: If you're in a unique situation, such as changing industries completely, it may be useful to include a brief summary. Yes, you might have been the "king of making milkshakes" at the restaurant you worked for in high school. But unless you are planning on redeeming that title, it is time to get rid of all that clutter. Only include this experience if it really showcases additional skills that can translate to the position you're applying for.
