Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid

Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid | Resume.com

When you’re ready to apply for a position, you may notice a mistake on your resume. The mistakes you made can be modified to accurately describe your job responsibilities for each company you’ve worked for. Correcting your mistakes provides you with the opportunity to learn a new approach before you send out your resume to the job you applied for. Remember to stay mindful of what mistakes you can make, the importance of them and the steps you can take to make corrections.

What is a resume mistake?

A resume mistake is an unintended error you make when writing down your experience. An error can be corrected or left to be seen by an employer. A resume error could affect your chances of receiving a call for an interview. Overall, resume mistakes may be caught early on, so you can bolster the quality of your resume.

Why are resume mistakes important?

Resume mistakes may be a good learning experience for you, so you know what mistakes to look for in the future. For example, if you found a mistake while proofreading the experience section, try to take note of the error’s location and reread this section over to make sure it can be understood by the employer. Also, catching resume mistakes should help you identify what changes you need to make to a resume that’s posted on a job posting website. In this case, employers may spend more time looking at your resume if it’s available for them to review on a public domain.

Common mistakes listed on your resume

Check out this list of resume mistakes that you should watch out for when writing your resume:

Spelling mistakes and grammar errors

Spelling mistakes and grammar errors can be one of the most common mistakes found on your resume. However, it’s one of the most easily-avoided mistakes as well. Try to place your finger on each word you’re reading to see if there is a clear sentence structure. Also, alter the font you use and paste it into an email document to get a different look at the content you wrote.

Missing keywords related to the job posting

Employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to find out if you used keywords used in the job description. You’ll want to use some of the words to show that your experience aligns with the expectations outlined by the employer. Carefully consider the number of keywords you’re using and apply judgment to make sure it’s enough to attract the employer’s attention.

Outdated work experience

One of the first things you should do when you’re proofreading your resume is to identify if your work experience displays your relevant job experience in chronological order. You should list the skills you’ve gained from top to bottom in your resume to exhibit what skills you want the employer to take notice of. Your job experience should be listed in the same way and explicitly list the dates of your company, starting with your most recent employer.

Cluttered and elongated content

You need to have a clear and concise resume that can be readable and digested by employers. Cutting the content of your resume down to one to two pages makes it easier for them to notice what experience you have and if it applies to the posted position.

An irrelevant resume summary

You should remove the summary and other outdated practices like headshots when crafting your resume. You want to make room to list the relevant work experience that entices an employer to hire you. If you’re applying to an entry-level position, you may list volunteer experience and academic organizations you’ve worked for to add more space.

A gap between skills and accomplishments

It’s key to apply for positions that match your skill set and the accomplishments you’ve earned in your previous role. Take more time and effort to describe the value you bring to the company.

The placement for important information for each job

Similar to the job description, list the main point that you want the employer to know about relating to a job you’ve held. State that you’re responsible for overseeing an area of the company. For instance, say that you managed a group of people or held the responsibility of fostering engagement of company employees to increase their performance.

Numbers to quantify achievements

Numbers quantify the results you made for the company you worked for. Be sure to highlight your results and how they benefited the company. For example, you can say that you managed a team of 12 people and increased productivity by 20% during your tenure with the organization.

Modest description of job experience

You want to sell yourself on your resume to portray your confidence before stepping into an interview. You can talk about how you won the employee-of-the-month award to demonstrate that you’re a team player willing to work with employees to achieve company goals.

How to fix mistakes on your resume

Refer to these steps for best practices on how to make corrections on your resume:

1. Proofread your resume aloud

First, you should print out your resume and read your content word-for-word. This method is a test to find out if you’ll proceed with what you wrote or make edits. It’s a great way to put yourself in the position of a hiring manager and check if they want to hire you based on how you communicated your experience.

2. Ask for someone to read it to you aloud

You should have at least one other person read over your resume before you send it off to an employer. Ask your mentor, friend or family members to assist you with this task. They can provide constructive feedback to improve your resume and if they think it motivates employers to interview you. Your mentor might be the best person to read over your resume as they can refer to their professional experience in the industry the job is in to guide your revisions.

3. Make notes of edits and fix them at the end

When you’re reading over your resume, take notes of the edits that need to be made. You can separate the rounds of edits, so you know which stage the mistake occurred and when you get to the final draft stage. You should feel comfortable sending out a high-quality resume that properly reflects your professional experience.

4. Use online tools to catch more errors

Make sure that your spell checker is on in your word processing document. You can use an editor if you’re working online. You need to remember that these tools can be used as a guide but proofreading is the last step to take before you finalize your resume.

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