A resume is the first step in landing your dream job and you wouldn’t want to have these resume mistakes, which can actually ruin your chances, even you are super talented. The competition is brutal in the job market and a recruited spends less than a minute on a resume, so you will have to shine and craft your resume which is free from these resume mistakes. After scanning 100’s of resumes, we have carefully crafter this blog for you.
The blogpost will feature 10 resume mistakes, which you should avoid to shine and get your desired job. Let’s dive into theses resume mistakes:
1) Never miss your Industry keywords
Today, most companies use application tracking system to filter the resumes due to the bulk of applications. There are specific keywords designated for each role or domain or industry, by which the recruiters will search. SO, it’s your responsibility to research and mention all the relevant keywords related to your job, so that your application is not rejected because of this. For example, if you are applying for finance jobs, your quick keywords could be corporate finance, portfolio management, financial modeling and valuation, DCF, and many more. So, the first step is to list down all the relevant keywords related to your domain or Industry and then ingest tactfully into your resume.
2) Missing Golden Numbers to quantify your work
Recruiter and Employers are interested in your achievements and you can only showcase your achievements by using numbers to quantify them. So, each and every accomplishment should be quantified with the help of numbers, as these resume mistakes can cost you, your dream job. Numbers are always impactful rather than general statements and best the way is to start each accomplishment, if possible, with the help of numbers. For example – “Saved $1 million dollars for my business unit through operational transformation project”. If you will mention these numbers, a recruiter will definitely ask you a question and you can drive your interview.
3) Too much focus on roles & responsibilities
This is one of the common resume mistakes which we have seen. The reason is very simple. As, its very easy to mention your job role and responsibilities, so people prefer to write that only. But, as we mentioned earlier, a recruiter or employer is interested in your accomplishments rather than your day to day work. Ideally, in a one-page resume, you should only mention your accomplishments, but in a way that it should reflect your responsibilities. But, if you still want to mention your responsibilities, then follow a 80-20 rule, where 80% should be your achievements and 20% should be your day to day responsibilities. We have another detailed blog on this topic. You can refer here.
4) Avoid Graphics or Pictorial Representation
As we mentioned, most of the resumes are filtered with the help of application tracking system, so that might some of your information presented in pictorial or graphical form. Although, if your industry demands such creative resumes, or if you are sending your resume through reference or directly to a person, then in that case it would be acceptable. Overall, it’s better to avoid it because your work will speak for you.
5) Don’t miss your Soft Skills and Personality element
Our focus is always to showcase our best technical abilities, through projects, certifications, or area of expertise, but what about your personality. Today, the times have changed and employers look into personality elements very carefully as compared to technical skills. Your personality or of skills or leadership abilities can help you to stand out from the crowd, so don’t miss that, as this is also one of the common resume mistakes we have observed. You can showcase your personality through your career summary, area of expertise, or through your achievements.
6) Length of your Resume
Most of the time, candidates are confused about the length of the resume. If you have substantial experience or achievement to mention, then it would be completely fine to go over 1-page and up to 2-pages, but don’t go beyond that. Though the ideal would be 1-page, as we mentioned, don’t miss relevant information because of page length. But each word over a page should be worth enough for the recruiter.
7) 1-Standard Resume for all
This is one of the biggest resume mistakes we have observed. You can’t have a standard resume for all your jobs, even within the same industry. Ideally, keep 3-4 different resumes for your domain or Industry, or tweak your resume for each role, unless if you have applied to exactly 2 similar roles.
8) Incorrect contact details and Missing the LinkedIn link
LinkedIn profile is a must these days and you can’t miss this piece of information. Almost all the recruiters will have a glance at your LinkedIn profile because LinkedIn gives you a lot of scope, to showcase your skills. So, update your profile regularly, and don’t forget the link in your resume.
This is also one of the most common resume mistakes, to give incorrect contact information. Please avoid this, as this can land you in big trouble.
9) Missing Career Summary or Area of Expertise
As we mentioned, time is the major problem for recruiters due to the bulk of applications. So, these small pieces can help you to grab attention. A career summary is an essential element of your resume, and that should be a gist of your experience and expertise. Similarly, the area of expertise is a snapshot of key technical and leadership skills, which you must mention on your resume.
10) Missing Action Verbs and Grammatical Errors
Action verbs are very important for your resume such as Increased, Directed, Achieved, Accomplished, Saved, Improved, etc. Always use action verbs in all your statements, where you want to showcase or highlight your achievements.
Last, but not least, the font, grammar and usage should be perfect and standard throughout the resume. There should not be any room for error in this regard. This will reflect your careless attitude, as these are the basics for writing a resume. You can use Grammarly, it’s an exceptional tool.
We hope this post will help you to avoid these common resume mistakes and you can showcase your true potential and talent to your desired employer or recruiter.
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