The Basic Resume Mistakes You Can Avoid

Resumes are the first way to communicate your skills with an employer. A well written resume opens new opportunities while a small mistake can cause yout to loose opportunities. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid during writing your resume.

1. Grammatical and spelling mistakes

These mistakes can make you seem like you lack attention to detail and this might result in you coming across and irresponsible and unprofessional. Be sure to proofread and correct your mistakes before handing in your resume.

2. The use of common templates

Use of generic templates show that you lack creativity and the actual passion or need to work hard for the role and might come across as lazy. Personalize your details according to your role and use templated relevant to your industry.

3. Failing to tailor your resume

 Every job has different requirements and your resume should be updated accordingly with each job you hand it for. Make sure to highlight your relevant experiences in the field.

4. Excessive information.

Writing too much information dragging points out would overwhelm or bore the employer. Try keeping each achievement and points brief and to the point to stay relevant and noticeable.

5. Employing Inappropriate Contact Details

Why It Matters: Another issue which should be avoided for the sake of professional correspondence is to use unprofessional email address which will give an impression that you are not really serious about this job.

How to Avoid It: Avoid using informal addresses like hotmail, yahoo, etc, and consider using your full name on the address (if possible) e.g., [email protected] Do not email with something like: Nickname number inappropriate words.

6. Poor Formatting

Why It Matters: Messy, poorly matched or hard to distinguish and comprehend resumes may offend the hiring managers and make them look for other candidates.

How to Avoid It: Always write your document in a clear manner using normal formatting; section headings, bullet points and size 10-12 fonts. Also, make sure there’s proper white space left on the document so that the appearance can be pleasing to the eye and the document easy to read.

7. Listing duties instead of achievements

Why It Matters: Merely writing down what the job holder accomplished in a previous position does not reveal how he or she made valuable contributions.

How to Avoid It: Concentrate on accomplishments and where possible, measure them. For instance, do not write something like “Coordinated a team”, instead try writing “Supervised a team of 10 employees and increased project’s time to completion by 20%.

8. Why There Are Unexplained Gaps in Employment

Why It Matters: It is advised that there is no any form of gaps in the employment history and if there is then, it must be well explained an addressed.

How to Avoid It: Being clear about gaps is to at least briefly describe them in your cover letter or on your resume. For example, “Left work for sometime to go and do other level of studies.” or “Able to devote time for the family but still volunteered on other active duties.”

9. Forgetting Keywords

Why It Matters: ATS is used by most employers to go through resumes, and failure to find specific keywords means you are automatically eliminated.

How to Avoid It: Prepare job description and ensure that you revisit it and incorporate a number of keyword searches that best fit the skills, qualifications and experiences. These should be used within your resume as it scans for ATS scans.

10. Omitting Key Information

Why It Matters: Leaving out important information such as phone numbers and email addresses or work experience usually does it for resumes.

How to Avoid It: Make certain your resume contains your first and last name, optional professional email address, appropriate phone number, and optional LinkedIn page. Combine the keywords from the job description with your overachieving experiences or achievements, education and skill set.

The above given tips will come in handy for all those who wish to have a promising resume that helps them succeed in their professional life. These tips are to help you find your right place within your relevant market by helping you make a reliable, interesting and relevant resume.