6 Common Resume Mistakes

6 Common Resume Mistakes

As a career coach, I see many resumes that do not help a candidate get to the next level.  Remember, your resume is a marketing document that helps you get the interview; which ultimately gets you closer to getting the JOB!  Below are a few of the most frequent mistakes I see on resumes:

Having Spelling Errors—I recently did a search for the word “manger” on LinkedIn within a 50 mile radius of my zip code and found over 3,000 people having this on their LinkedIn profile. I don’t think that people understand that this is not a good thing; check your spelling c a r e f u l l y.

Forgetting to use Accomplishments—People often will put their job description under each job title but forget their achievements on their resume.  Employers don’t need to see that you filed payroll reports or attended conferences, employers want to see results. Show them you are qualified based on your experiences and achievements.

Being too wordy—Sometimes, less is more and has more impact.  If you put too many million dollar words in your resume, it dilutes your strengths. Try being clear and concise in your messaging.

Focusing on What you Want (i.e. Objective Statements) vs. your Value (i.e. Summary)—Employers want to know what you can do for them. So what better way to show your value than to prove it to the reader that you’ve got the stuff they are looking for in a candidate.  Past experience generally is a good predictor of future performance. Show your achievements and results. 

Having a Resume Longer than 2 pages--Unless you have publications, you should be clear and concise in your writing and be able to tell your story of who you are within 2 pages.

Lack of Interest or Clearly Defining Who you Are—Sometimes job seekers want to be everything to everyone so they do not specify who they are.  An employer may take only 20 to 60 seconds to glance at your resume and make the decision to keep or put it in the circular file (read, Trash).  The top third of your resume is very important real estate and if it doesn’t hit them over the head as to who you are and what your value is, then it will not be moved to the next level. Spend some time working on your branding of who you are by knowing who you are.