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10 MISTAKES YOU MIGHT BE MAKING ON YOUR RESUME......And How To Fix Them
"In this content, you will find not only the most common mistakes but also how to fix them, even if it's obvious. No, I'm not talking about Format, Fonts and Colored paper.
Introduction
So, You've been considering a job or career change,
You're entering the job market,
Or,
You're wondering why your resume hasn't got you that interview yet,
You might be worrying that it's because of resume mistakes, your resume format from that free resume template you got on Microsoft Word or resume grammar mistakes. Chances are it could be one or all of the above and many more that you're not even aware of!
In this content, you will find not only the most common mistakes but also how to fix them, even if its obvious.
What You'll Learn
- the importance of a resume
- how to revamp Your resume
- how to do a self-audit to check to see if they're making the common mistakes on their resume
- how to avoid making the mistakes if they are making a resume from scratch
- How Often Yur Resume should be uodated
Who Should Read This
- the reader needs to refresh their resume
- the reader wonders why their resume isn't getting them a job
- the reader is making a resume for the first time
share buttons after who should read this
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Resumes are used to make a favorable impact on a prospective employer. Your resume is often the first impression a potential hiring manager has of you. For this reason, it is often referred to as one of the most crucial steps taken during a job search.
To stand out among other applicants, you need a resume that markets your strengths and matches for the job.
A great resume:
- Grabs the attention of employers and recruiters.
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Sells your strongest skills and accomplishments.
RESUME MISTAKES
#1 People forget the primary job of the resume is to get an interview not to get Hired
Huh What? I thought the primary goal was to get hired?
Well it is but think of your resume as an online dating profile in as much as that profile should be optimized to get you views, engagement and to get a date with an ideal partner. You wouldnt expect to get a marriage proposal just from your profile and if you did get that offer sight unseen would you accept it?
How often have you submitted a resume and got a job offer without an interview, just based on the words on a paper?
Never, right?
So it goes to show that the job of a resume is to get the interview and the outcome of the interview is to get a job offer! One leads to the other.
Solution:
Treat your Resume as a very important piece of marketing collateral, of your most important product, which is You!
This slight change of mindset is critical as your target your resume to intelligently entice the reader to want to know more and invite you to an interview.
More importantly, this leads to the next mistake you can overcome as you target your resume specifically to the job that you are applying for..........
#2 The resume is not customized for the position applied for
So many people make a resume once upon a time in their past and keep it for the rest of their lives. When the time comes they really, really need it to begin the job application process they do a quick look over and update some obviously wrong information and hit copy/paste and send. This ends up as a generic basic form.
Solution:
A customized and highly targeted resume will significantly improve your chances of getting noticed and getting the interview. much like a Jedi mind trick, your Resume will tell the hiring manager or recruiter,
' This the resume you are looking for.'
How do you do that?
- find the actual job posting for the position and look for the most commonly used terms and phrases.
- make sure you use those key words in Your , tagline (see below) and are used in your narratives and bullet points without excessive repetition.
- Use them in your cover letter
#3 The Resume Tagline is missing and not under the Title
A tagline is not a slogan but is the keyword or keywords that both truthfully/accurately describe your key strengths AND are targeted for the specific job.
This should be located underneath your name and contact info so the resume reader will think 'oooh, they are a customer service specialist/call center/
Solution:
- locate the job post
- identify the 3 most commonly used 1-2 words or phrases such as call center, customer service
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-write-a-resume-headline-2061036
#4 The resume doesn't have the most important information in the top third of the first page
If your resume is the first impression and the top third of the resume, in particular, is very important in those crucial first few seconds.
Hiring managers spend less than half a minute when first looking at the resume. After an initial first impression, readers will generally skim from the top down.
The eye is naturally drawn to the top third of the page. For a resume, this means that the top third of the page is a great place to highlight pertinent and impressive information. Use the space to give the reader a sense of who you are, your personal “brand,” and to list impressive accomplishments, achievements, and/or areas of expertise.
Solution:
Here's what should be in the top third of your resume.
- Your Name and Contact information
- Your Resume keywords targeted for the position applied for under
- Your Professional Profile
- Professional Skills
#5 The resume is about DESIGN not Content
You spend hours finding and downloading a template with an eye-catching design and then you go ahead and copy/paste your resume that basically hasn't changed since 2012 and wonder why you didn't get the callback. Its because you put design above content.There's a difference between design and format in my opinion. Design is about how attrctive the resume looks to you. format is how attractive the resume looks to your reader.
Solution:
Follow the other solutions mentioned here in this article and research other ways to optimize your resume content.
The rules to follow before you focus on design.
- Make sure every word has earned its way on to the page.
- What do I want the reader to know after reading each sentence or section?
#6 The Resume doesnt have a Strong Narrative
A strong narrative is perhaps the hardest skill to master when writing any copy especially on a resume, that's why so many people just revert to bullet points.
the resume doesnt have job description keywords
The Resume includes too may I's and You's
The Resume is too short or too long
Repeated job experience in multiple jobs
Overuse of bullet points instead of narrative
The Resume has experience with no quantifiable results
the resume has overused buzzwords
The resume is not targeted to what you can do for the Employer
double triple quadruple check for spelling and grammar
They think their resume never needs to be updated except when they get a new job
BONUS TIP
"An unprofessional email address is a major problem for 35% of employers". Having an inappropriate email address like is the same as showing up to a job interview in your pajamas, so unprofessional.
According to the knowledgeable folks at SNAGAJOB, having an email address like hottiekisses@email.com or TruPlaya4Lfe@email.com can make all the difference in whether the Employer calls you back for an interview or not.
Well, in today's technological world your email address is in many cases your first impression. Having an inappropriate email address like is the same as showing up to a job interview in your pajamas, so unprofessional.
SOLUTION!
Create a new email address.
Creating a new professional email address also shows employers that you are a serious candidate, it's easy and not to mention, free. So take the time and create an email address that you're not embarrassed to share with employers because, with so much competition out there, you've got to be sure you do everything you can to land the job. Don't let an inappropriate email address make a negative first impression on employers.