MISTAKES TO AVOID
1. Don’t let your resume fail to present you in the most positive light because it’s prepared in the wrong format. If you haven’t taken the time necessary to determine which format is right for you, based on your background and current career objectives, chances are that you may make a poor selection. If this happens, you’ve immediately short-changed yourself and have not put your best foot forward.
2. Don’t make your resume difficult to read because there is not enough white space, the text extends from margin to margin, and there are no blank lines between sections, paragraphs, or bullets. No one is going to struggle through your resume. Instead, if they have difficulty reading it, they’ll discard it and move onto the next candidate.
3. Don’t make your resume difficult to read because the font is too small or too fancy. Again, no hiring manager is going to spend the time that is necessary to review a document that is difficult to read. Better to let it run onto two pages and improve its readability.
4. Don’t use design enhancements that are inappropriate for the targeted profession or industry (for example, lines, boxes, columns, and graphics).
5. Don’t overuse bold, italics, and underlining, which clearly defeats the purpose of these design enhancements. They only work if used sparingly throughout the document so that they can have the most impact.
6. Don’t smudge your resume with fingerprints or coffee stains, or let it be otherwise untidy. This includes folding the resume unevenly or stapling pages together in a haphazard manner. What do you think this communicates about you to a prospective employer? Nothing positive, we can assure you.
7. Don’t let your resume look poorly reproduced. With the electronic resources available today, there is no excuse for circulating a resume that is not well produced. If you don’t have access to your own printer, visit your local library or copy center so you can print original-looking documents. Always use a laser printer to print your resume.
8. Don’t make handwritten changes to your resume. There is never a situation in which this is acceptable! If you have to make a change to your resume, do it in the electronic computer file and then reprint the document.
9. Don’t produce your resume on odd-sized paper. Although many job seekers may perceive this as a competitive advantage, believe us when we tell you it’s not.
10.Don’t submit a resume with typographical errors. Again, this is never acceptable. Do you want a prospective employer to think you are careless about your work, or that you’ll send out business correspondence, proposals, and reports with errors? We think not! If necessary, enlist the help of a friend with strong English skills to proofread your documents before printing them and sending them out.
Make sure you are careful not to:
i. use sloppy grammar or diction.
ii. confuse your chronology. Always list most recent
accomplishments first
iii. list your current or previous salaries.
iv. include personal data (age, marital status)
v. note religious or political affiliations.
vi. make it difficult to get a quick summary.
vii. list names of references on the résumé; instead use a
separate sheet.
viii. be too wordy or lengthy in your description. One paragraph
about each job should be ample.
ix. bury your most significant accomplishments in a less than
prominent position.
x. put company names, dates, and title in the body of the
descriptive paragraphs. Set them off visually so the reader
can almost instantly grasp your whole history.
