The country is getting back to work, and that means many companies are hiring. So, it’s time to dust off those resumes and start filling out applications.
But before you do that, look at your resume and see if you notice any of these major mistakes. You might be cutting yourself off from success without even knowing it.
- Being Too General
Be specific about your accomplishments. If you’re a sales manager, how many clients did you gain per quarter? How many people were on your team? What were your specific responsibilities? You didn’t just “lead” a team; you trained, directed, and managed a team of 12 people. The more numbers you can use to paint a picture of what you did, the better.
Although you DO want to use job description keywords for your position, you don’t want your resume to look like a general job description. Instead of responsibilities (manned the cash register, opened the store, cleaned bathrooms), mention how many customers you interacted with on a daily basis, the organizational system you created to open the store, and how long you took to do the cleaning.
- Bad Formatting
You want your resume to be easy to read. That means you can’t just type it out in Microsoft Word and send it. You want a nice template with bolded headings and bullet points. Word has several of these built in, but you’ll need to enable them before starting your resume. Just make sure to choose something relatively no-frills – too many design elements (unless you’re applying for a design job) can be distracting.
- Lack of Identifying Information
Your resume should have, at a minimum, your name and contact information. Even though you fill that information in online, your resume might get printed out and given to a manager. If you don’t include that information, your resume will most likely end up in the trash.
- Incorrect Information
Typos are bad and absolutely to-be-avoided, but mistakes in the dates you worked, job titles, or company names could cost you the job. Hiring managers frequently check your resume to make sure everything makes sense, and if you’re working multiple 9-5 jobs at the same time, they might think you’re making things up.
Did you check your resume for any of those mistakes? Good! Now you’re ready to get back to the job hunt. Good luck!
Do you have any other resume tips? Let us know in the comments section below!
