Your resume is often the first impression you make on a potential employer, and it’s important to put your best foot forward. However, even the most diligent jobseekers can make mistakes on their resumes that can hurt their chances of getting an interview.
In this article, we’ll explore some common resume mistakes that are easy to overlook but can significantly impact your job search.
1. Creating a Resume That Is Too Long or Too Short
It is essential to strike a balance with the length of your resume. A resume that is too long can be overwhelming for the reader and may cause them to lose interest or not fully review all of the information.
On the other hand, a resume that is too short may not provide enough information about your skills and experience, and may not effectively showcase your qualifications for the position.
A general rule of thumb is to aim for a resume of one to two pages. This allows you to provide enough information to highlight your relevant skills and experiences without overwhelming the reader. We have an article that guides you through the benefits of a 1-page and 2-page resume so that you can decide for yourself.
2. Not Customizing Your Resume for Each Job Application
Not customizing your resume for each job application is often one of the most overlooked mistakes by jobseekers due to a lack of time or knowledge. However, it suggests a lack of effort and attention to detail to your potential employer. It also indicates that you are not genuinely interested in the job or company.
When you apply for a job, personalizing your resume is one of the best resume tips to stand out to recruiters. This means including the skills and experiences most relevant to the job and demonstrating that you are a good fit for the company’s culture and values.
By customizing your resume for each job application, you can increase your chances of getting noticed and being invited for an interview. It also allows you to showcase your relevant skills and experiences in a more targeted and relevant way to the specific job and employer.
3. Putting Education Above Experience
It is generally more important to highlight your work experience rather than your education on your resume, especially if you have been in the workforce for a while. This is because most employers are primarily interested in your ability to perform the job and contribute to the company, and your work experience is the best indicator of this.
However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. For example, if you are a recent graduate with little or no work experience, it may be appropriate to list your education before your work experience. In this case, your education can serve as a substitute for work experience and can demonstrate your potential to an employer.
4. Adding Excessive Details About Your Previous Employers
It is not a mistake to include brief overviews or blurbs about your previous employers in your resume. In fact, doing so can help to provide context and background about your work experience and can help to highlight your skills and accomplishments.
However, overdoing it can give rise to a few potential drawbacks. Including excessive information about your previous employers can make your resume too long. Moreover, if the information you include about your previous employers is not directly related to the job you are applying for, it may not be as effective in highlighting your skills and qualifications.
In some cases, you may not be able to include specific information about your previous employers due to confidentiality agreements or other legal considerations.
5. Not Backing Up Your Skills or Achievements With Proof
To prove your expertise and value to a potential employer, it is important to back up your skills and achievements with proof in your resume. Without concrete evidence of your skills and accomplishments, your resume may come across as lacking credibility and may not stand out as much to hiring managers.
While mentioning your acquired skills or achievements, you can use specific and quantifiable examples. You can use numbers to make it more concrete and impressive. For example, instead of saying “excellent leadership skills,” you could say “led a team of 20 employees to successfully complete company-wide communication training, resulting in a 25% increase in team productivity.”
If you have received any awards or certifications that demonstrate your expertise in a particular area, ensure to attach them while sending your resume.
6. Not Incorporating Meaningful Metrics
Not incorporating meaningful metrics into a resume can be a mistake because it leaves the reader without a clear understanding of how you will add value to their organization. This can make it difficult for the reader to accurately evaluate your suitability for the job and may result in your resume being overlooked.
These metrics can include the required skillset, sales figures, budget sizes you have handled, project goals accomplished, customer satisfaction scores, or employee engagement scores according to your industry.
Ensure to read the job description carefully to know what the organization is looking for and if it aligns with your resume. Add the necessary and proven metrics to stand out from other candidates.
7. Sending Unprofessionally Named Resumes
After hours of working on your resume, you’re ready to save and submit it. However, many jobseekers fail at this crucial point. Sending a resume with an unprofessional name can be an often overlooked mistake by jobseekers.
It makes you appear less serious or professional to an employer, which could hurt your chances of being considered for the job. For example, names like “Resume1.doc” or “Resume2.pdf” appear vague and do not give any information about the contents of the file. Also, names like “MyResume.doc” or “Resume_John.doc” are too general and do not distinguish your resume from others.
Using your full legal name that appears on your identification documents is the most common and professional choice for a resume name. You can follow this format—”FirstName_LastName_Resume.doc” to name your resume, which is clear, professional, and makes it easy for employers to identify your resume.
Craft an Error-Free Resume to Land Your Dream Job
Writing a resume can be time-consuming, and as a jobseeker, you may feel the pressure to submit your resume quickly to apply for a job before the deadline. This can lead to mistakes being overlooked.
To increase your chances of landing the job you want, ensure to review and edit your resume carefully to craft a professional and error-free resume.
