In today’s digital world of social media profiles and online networking, are resume’s still that important when job hunting? Yes! In fact, the quickest way to be screened out as a job applicant is to submit a resume with a simple flaw. Some people find writing a resume extremely difficult, and while there is plenty of advice out there with tips on what to include, what not to include can be equally important.
You want your resume to stand out and make an impression. Here’s the one caveat: you have about 6 seconds to make it positive, and unfortunately, there are plenty of common resume mistakes that flag you as a person they don’t want to hire.
Avoid these 5 common resume mistakes to make a positive impression with your resume:
Typos and Grammatical Errors
It’s the most obvious, but also the most important: your resume needs to be grammatically perfect. Any errors could lead employers to believe you lack attention to detail or basic writing skills. It’s easy to miss errors, try printing your resume out and giving it to a friend to review.
Don’t Include an Objective that Doesn’t Match the Job
Each resume you submit should be tailored to the specific job you’re applying for. You might have a certain objective or summary that fits one role but doesn’t make sense for another. In fact, many job applicants opt to omit an objective completely as it can be taken care of in a cover letter and considered “fluff” on a resume.
Omit Personal Hobbies
It’s true that most employees will consider your personality and culture fit throughout the hiring process, but they’re not looking for that information on a resume. At the resume stage, employers are looking for one thing: whether the applicant has the qualifications and experience to perform the functions of the position.
Leave off Irrelevant Work & Education Experience
Unless you are applying to your first job, your resume shouldn’t be a laundry list of any and all experience you’ve ever had. Employers want to see information on your resume that is relevant to the position they want to fill. Including too much irrelevant experience will make it more difficult for them to see that you are qualified and may even cause them to throw up some red flags.
Similarly, education should be a larger part of your first resume, and you want to be sure to include relevant certifications, however as you gain more real-world experience education should take up less space on your resume.
Don’t Lie
It should go without saying, but making large embellishments, or other falsehoods, on your resume is not a good idea. Employers will conduct reference checks, and it’s likely you’ll get caught in a lie during the hiring process. Let your accomplishments and strengths shine and tell the story of why you’re the right candidate. If you are worried about resume gaps, there are ways to use them to your advantage and avoid telling a lie.