resume mistakes are very common even the most talented applicants will be denied their dream career due to a resume error or two. Employers may believe you’re careless, unqualified, or just plain stupid if you make these mistakes.
Let’s make sure it doesn’t happen. If you avoid these 21 pitfalls the next time you’re customizing your resume for a career, you’ll be guaranteed to get the job offer.
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1. A Horrible Email Address on your resume
You could be perplexed as to how your CV might be refused in under two seconds.
It occurs! Often job seekers sabotage themselves by using an awkward, silly email address in their ‘personal information’ section at the top of their CV.
It just takes 5 minutes to create a ‘professional sounding’ email address using Hotmail, Yahoo, Google, or any of the other free email providers, or you can normally only connect a new address to your existing account!
These absurd (and sometimes shocking) email addresses immediately give us a bad opinion of the nominee.
Wouldn’t it be a shame if you had to miss out on the right job opportunity because of your “hilariously amusing” email address?
2. Grammar and Spelling on your resume
On a CV, there is NO EXCUSE for spelling and grammar errors. There is no else to say.
Know that this is a text that reflects you, and errors can reflect poorly on you, making you seem careless and lazy.
Test, check and double-check the curriculum vitae.
Sitting back and reading it aloud is a perfect way to do this. This will highlight any lines that are too long that include further punctuation.
Then send it to a friend who will proofread it and provide you with some positive feedback.
3. Dates that are incorrect on your resume
You must ensure that you have correct start and end dates when listing your jobs; typically, specifying the month and year would suffice.
If you don’t have this detail on your CV, the recruiter will assume you’re trying to conceal something.
4. Photo of the candidates
Although this may be appropriate on the continent, having a headshot on your CV may entertain the recruiter, but it would almost certainly send your CV to the ‘no’ pile.
There’s no need unless your line of work wants you to have the right picture, such as acting or modelling.
A candidate’s ability to do the job will be judged based on experience, career background, and qualifications, not on whether or not they have a pretty smile.
5. Formatting Mistakes of Some Kind
Nothing is more frustrating than staring at a CV on a tablet or paper and trying to figure out where each segment begins and finishes.
Poor printing will not only scare off recruiters; it will also place an applicant at a disadvantage on career boards since some of them fail to view papers that are poorly formatted.
If you make a mistake here, you’ll be shooting yourself in the foot.
6. Not Using Word
You can also keep the CV in word format rather than a PDF or ZIP file.
Give the recruiter a compelling excuse not to open your CV, and they will accept it!
And keep in mind that it is the Word-based CV that will be entered into the recruiter’s HR scheme and shared on work boards… It’s not fancy paper.
If you are a graphic designer or multimedia artist, avoid the urge to submit a connection to your webpage where people can download your CV.
Again, a simple Word-based CV will do, and once you’ve piqued a recruiter’s attention, you can still lead them to some supporting content.
7. In the same way, it is important NOT to ramble on with lengthy, drawn-out paragraphs.
Put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. They don’t have the time to read long paragraphs, so they want a nice punchy CV that easily gives them all the information they need.
Your CV should be easy to search and get to the interesting meaty bits of your work background, abilities, and achievements easily.
Make an effort to keep the paragraphs brief and bulleted.
Allow liberal use of white space to make your CV easy to read.
8.Excessive Information
Adding too much personal information that is irrelevant to the work, like applying a picture to your CV, is a waste of space and can hurt the chances of having a job.
Does a recruiter need to know your age, height, weight, religious or political affiliations, marital status, or sexual orientation if you’re not pitching for a date?
The recruiter is legally required NOT to make a decision based on any of this detail… Why give them the chance?
9. Falsehood
Everyone lies. Unfortunately for them, a number of companies are doing rigorous background checks prior to hiring anyone.
So, if you cheat, you will be caught.
- Fonts that are Amusing
We get a lot of ostensibly ‘creative’ CVs that use five different fonts and every color in the rainbow. Come to a halt. It seems to be ignorant.
The golden CV rule is to use one easy-to-read font, such as Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman, in black.
Still stop difficult-to-read fonts such as Blackadder ITC and downright hideous fonts such as Comic Sans.
When you reduce the size to 8, it means that your CV is too busy.
10. CV that is generic
Applying for jobs has never been easier with the introduction of the online career board.
Unfortunately, this means that many people have taken a scattergun approach to work applications, sending out the same CV over and over again, regardless of the position.
Unfortunately, the days of using a single CV to apply for all available work openings are long gone.
11. The absence of a cover letter
A covering message, like a tailored CV, is often used as a nice-to-have rather than a must by candidates.
It will, however, make a significant difference about whether or not you land an interview.
A well-written cover letter will pique an employer’s curiosity and make them want to read the CV right away.
Keep it short and sweet, listing your skills and demonstrating why you’d be a great match for the company you’re applying to.
12.Gaps in jobs
Many individuals have holes in their resumes. It isn’t the worst thing anyway. However, you must be truthful.
If you took a sabbatical, were laid off, or were unable to work due to illness, it is still preferable to justify (truthfully) the void on your CV.
Leaving any doubt in the mind of the recruiter can only serve to convince them that you are not the best choice for the position.
13.The Incorrect Chronological Order
Lack of sequential order is another common CV blunder.
Often include the most recent job title and accomplishments while in that position.
No one wants to read your resume, and no one cares that you started working for your grandmother on her farm in 1990.
14. Inadequate Employer Information
While YOU are well aware of the kind of company Zebedee Incorporated is, you can not believe your prospective employee does unless they work in the same industry.
Have a brief overview of the industry and business on your CV, along with the address and website information, to assist the reader in determining if it is a direct or ancillary industry to the job.
Read Also: 5 Ways You Can Enhance Your Career Development
15. Odd hobbies
List hobbies and passions such as “a keen interest in weapons” or “collecting stuffed owls” and you would not give the impression of a well-rounded person.
It is critical to strike the right balance in this segment of your CV, as it is in most others.
Don’t sound too generic or dull by mentioning reading and learning as your key passions, but also don’t sound too crazy!
16. Meaningless introductions
Inserting meaningless clichés into an introduction is a total turn-off.
But you’re a “hardworking,” “detail-oriented,” “unit member” with a “solid work ethic” looking for a “new challenge.”
A succinct (and personalized!) presentation should highlight the businesses and positions in which you have excelled, as well as the qualities you will bring to your future new career.
17. Referees
Some sources will warn you not to have references on your CV, and I can see why; with a small room to offer yourself and a high likelihood that they will not be approached… So, what’s the point?
There’s a reason for this! It boosts prestige. Marketers refer to this as ‘social evidence,’ because that is the closest thing to a testimonial.
It’s not a bad thing if you don’t have them, but it’s certainly a good thing if you do; you’ll only seem more trustworthy.
It demonstrates that you trust what others have to say for you – and that you aren’t merely bragging about how amazing you are for the sake of the work.
And if the recruiting manager has no intention of calling the current boss, they will be aware that it is a possibility.
Keep two former bosses in mind, from your two most recent (or relevant) jobs.
Read Also: 8 Ways to Make A Living When You Are Unemployed
18.Inadequate contact information
It’s infuriating when you choose a great nominee only to learn that they’ve misspelled their email address or placed the wrong phone number on their resume, making it difficult to contact them, you’d be surprised how often this occurs.
Double-check your details.
19. Keywords are excluded
One of the most effective ways to get your resume heard is to use keywords that correspond to the job description. It demonstrates that you’re a good candidate for the role and that you’ve met all of the minimum standards.
Examine the work posting and make a list of any keywords used by the applicants. They may be abilities, credentials, or life experiences.
To avoid being kicked out of the recruiting pool before you even get your foot in the house, make sure to have as many as possible in your resume.
20 Not quantifying your wins
Don’t just say you did something; back it up with proof. Quantifying your successes on your resume may seem impossible, but it adds credibility, makes your assertions more credible, and makes you appear more trustworthy.
Provide whatever facts you have to back up your achievements. Adding meaning to the claims of numbers is the simplest and most accurate way — use percentages, revenue estimates, and so on. Quantify as many as you can, It’s not as difficult as you would believe.
21.Using a “statement of intent.”
Objective claims on resumes are a thing of the past. If you use it, it shows that you’re not up to date with recent resume trends. Instead of an authoritative statement, use a technical description in the section below your name. Two or four sentences that read like an elevator pitch that shows what you will do with the organization should be used in the technical review.
Summary:
To outperform the rivals, avoid the following top resume errors. This allows recruiters to focus on what matters most — the specific skills and credentials — rather than getting overwhelmed by unprofessional, but easily avoidable, errors.