A resume is a resume is a resume, right? Wrong! Your resume or Curriculum Vitae is a critically-important document to enable you to find the perfect job for you. It is deceptively easy to make a disastrous error which will keep you from being considered by a prospective employer. Here are the top 7 pitfalls that you should prevent when you are preparing your resume:
1. Attempting one size fits all
Whenever you try to develop a one-size-fits-all resume to send to all employers, you almost always end up with something employers will toss in the recycle bin. Employers want you to write a resume specifically for them. They expect you to clearly show how and why you fit the position in a specific organization.
2. Focusing on duties instead of accomplishments
Employers want to see the responsibilities you had in your various roles, not the duties you performed. Therefore, rather say “Developed a 5-year maintenance plan” instead of “Managed the maintenance plan”.
3. Grammar and spelling errors
This is a no-no. Your resume needs to be grammatically perfect. If it isn’t, employers will read between the lines and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you, like: “This person can’t write,” or “This person obviously doesn’t care.”
4. Lack of specifics
Employers want to see what you have accomplished. Don’t fall into the trap of being too vague; be as specific as you can. For example, instead of saying “Worked with employees in a restaurant setting”, say “Recruited, hired, trained, and supervised more than 20 employees in a restaurant with 2 million dollars in annual sales.
5. Too long or too short
Despite what you may read or hear, there are no real rules governing the length of your resume. Why? Because human beings, who have different preferences and expectations where resumes are concerned, will be reading it.
That doesn’t mean you should start sending out five-page resumes, of course. Generally speaking, you usually need to limit yourself to a maximum of two pages. But don’t feel you have to use two pages if one will do. Conversely, don’t cut the meat out of your resume simply to make it conform to an arbitrary one-page standard.
6. Poor formatting
Resumes that aren’t clear and easy to read are a huge turn-off for employers. On average employers spend around eight seconds reviewing each resume – leaving you little time to make a good first impression. Avoid rambling on in your resume. Rather use the tried-and-tested bulleted format. It’s crucially important to keep your resume concise so that it can be absorbed quickly. The template that you choose to follow when composing your resume should be striking yet uncluttered. Avoid confusing layouts, and beware of using different fonts and sizes.
7. Lying
Nobody’s going to check, right? You may be wrong and cause yourself a lot of embarrassment or worse. Giving your university grade a boost, claiming to have attended university when you haven’t, lying about your current job title or embellishing a period of work experience won’t do you any favours in the long run. At best, your lies will be obvious and your resume will be rejected out of hand. At worst, you may be invited for an interview where you’ll either trip yourself up or be asked questions that you’re unable to answer. Simply never lie on your resume.
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