1st 5 Resume Mistakes

Resumes are everywhere; from the millions floating in cyberspace to a handful crossing a hiring manager’s desk to some being used as a coaster or scratch paper. How do you make sure your resume is being seen by those who make the hiring decisions? Here are 10 things to avoid when drafting your resume.

Mistake 1- Too many resumes today have an unclear message.

A lack of clarity about what the resume is going to be used for is the biggest problem that most job seekers fall prey. If the writer of the resume is unclear about the value the job seeker has and the ideal type of job that the job seekers wants, then the reader of the resume will have the same experience.

The typical resume has 30 SECONDS to make an impression. That is, it has that time if it gets past the computer applications that are in place to scan resumes for key words. Your resume must have a message that yells to the reader that you are the preferred candidate for the job.

Use your specialization statement to make the initial impression and engineer the rest of the resume to support that statement.

Mistake 2- Passive language and poor sentence structure doom most resumes to the wastebasket.

Use strong and quantifiable language to demonstrate your unique skills and abilities. Use strong quantifiable language to make the claims you want the employer to realize about you.

Check out the difference between these words and use these examples to help set the tone for your word choice:

Replace :

·       Set up entire with established

·       Worked with fostered

·       Helped with aided

·       In-depth with expertise

·       Assisted with supervised

·       Cut with reduced

Avoid boring, over-used words :

·       Excellent communication skills

·       Goal-driven

·       Multi-tasker

·       Personable presenter

·       Goal-oriented

·       Detail-oriented

Avoid age, health and appearance word and phrases :

·       Young

·       Energetic

·       Youthful

·       Healthy

·       Professional appearance

·       Mature

When possible use numbers to quantify your achievements :

·      Managed group of 26 workers

·      Worked with over 425 clients

·      Increased sales from $1 Million to $3.6 million over a 3-year period

Mistake 3- Most resumes make poor use of real estate.

The most important ‘real estate’ of the resume is at the top of the resume. The first quarter of the resume is what most reviewers will read and it is the best place for you to make an impression. Don’t blow it! Here are a few tips for you to consider:

• Make sure your name and contact information is easy to find. When employers are looking through hundreds of resumes they may want to find your resume, so make it easy for them to find you. Put your name at the top of the resume along with your contact information so the reviewer can easily get in touch with you.  If your resume is emailed, the file name should be your full name separated with underscores.  (EX. John P. Smith should be john_p_smith)
  
  
• Have your specialization statement near the top of your resume and then use the remaining space of your resume to substantiate your claims.
  
  
• If you have some summary bullets of the information in your job history to support that claim, like the number of years of experience or a claim of projects completed or money earned, then include those in quick hitting bullets under the specialization statement.

 Example use of good use of real estate :

Mistake 4- Passive language and poor sentence structure doom most resumes to the wastebasket.

Proofread! Keep in mind that 76% of hiring managers discard applications if they find typos or grammatical errors. If you aren’t paying attention to this important document, how much attention will you pay when you are employed?

Mistake 5- Keep it genuine and accurate.

Exaggeration is great… if you are a journalist or a storyteller, not so much if you have to back up your statements.  Claim nothing you can’t substantiate with facts.

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