Writing a resume is simple, right? Just put everything you’ve ever done down on paper (digital paper, of course), make sure it’s in chronological order and hit “send.”
Then, wait for the job offers to start rolling in, pick the one you want most, head into your interview, start your salary negotiations and get to work.
Of course, you already know it’s not as simple as that. In fact, you might be like a lot of other people out there who get highly stressed when writing your resume, you may have sent out dozens or more of them…
And still haven’t gotten an interview call.
But have no fear. FindYourJobNow.com is here to help make the resume writing process easier and less stressful so you can up your chances at getting a job interview… and landing the job!
Have a look at these articles we wrote for you: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. These are four “must read” articles that are all about resumes.
Now, you might know what you should put in your resume, but did you know there’s a lot of blunders people make when constructing one?
See, writing your resume isn’t all that simple. Even if you’re using AI to help you, chances are you could be “overdoing” it, “underdoing” it, or simply doing it complete wrong.
That’s why today, in addition to the articles we linked above, we’re going to show you the top resume blunders to avoid.
By avoiding these blunders, your resume will look much more professional and has a better chance of catching the eye of the hiring manager.
So, what are these resume blunders?
Well, let’s start with one of the easiest ones to avoid…
Mislabeling your resume. When you create your resume, you absolutely must be sure you save it with a file name that’s appropriate. We suggest using something like your name, then “resume.”
So, it looks like - file name: John Smith, Resume
If you don’t name the file yourself, your computer may do it for you. You don’t want that.
Next up we have another blunder to avoid. And that’s adding your “head shot.” Unless you’re applying for a job that needs to know what you look like, never add a photo to your resume.
Another blunder: not using spell-check before you hit send. Check, then double check the spelling and grammar in your resume. Any errors might make you look unqualified for the job.
Be sure your contact information is up to date and professional. Never use an inappropriate email address.
Don’t list skills or unrelated work that’s completely irrelevant to the job you’re applying for. You may have a scuba diving certificate, but the hiring manager at the auto plant doesn’t care about it. Stick to what’s important to the employer.
Now, for every job you send your resume to, be sure that resume is tailored for that job. It might be a pain, but creating job specific resumes will give you a much better chance of getting noticed.
Don’t bother adding references to your resume. If an employer asks for references, (which is good – it means they’re taking notice of you), you can supply them later.
Stop using “objective” at the top of your resume. The employer knows your objective, to get a job. Instead use a “summary” of your skills and qualifications as they pertain to that job.
Don’t list your hobbies. Like we said earlier, nobody cares if you’re certified in scuba, or love knitting. Stick to what “they” are looking for.
Money: A time will come when you and your new prospective employer will talk about salary requirements. Salary requirements should never be in your resume. Remember, your resume is about what you can do, not what you want.
Don’t under-do it with the details. You should detail WHY you were successful at previous jobs. Don’t just list job duties and say you were successful. Add detailed accomplishments to those duties.
Now, here’s the hard part: Don’t overdo or underdo the length of your resume. If your resume is 10 pages long, you’re probably adding way too much information that doesn’t pertain to the job. Also, you don’t want a resume that’s 50 words long either.
Ideally, your resume should be about 1 page, maybe 2. Keep it to 1 page unless you have a very long list of jobs you had that pertain to the one you’re looking for.
There you go, resume blunders to avoid!
Now that you know how to make your resume stand out, it’s time to find a job.
Head over to our homepage at www.FindYourJobNow.com and use our advanced job search toolbar. It’s as simple as that.