Two Resume Mistakes You Can Avoid Today

John Krautzel
Posted by in Career Advice


Even in the digital age, your resume is still one of the primary methods through which you can tell your story and put your best foot forward when searching for a new job. While your resume can open many doors, resume mistakes can just as easily slam them closed. Here are tips to avoid two of the major resume mistakes that keep job seekers from getting the offer they want.

Resumes That Need Proofreading and Formatting

As one survey reported in 2013, 58 percent of employers automatically dismiss job candidates when their resumes are filled with typos and grammatical mistakes. Spelling mistakes, poor word choices, and punctuation errors send a message that you are careless - and if you're careless with your resume, employers may wonder if you'll be careless on the job. By all means, proofread your resume and use your computer's spellchecker, but do not stop there. Call in a second - or third or fourth or fifth! - pair of eyes to look over the document and catch any resume mistakes you may have missed.

Many resumes are also in need of formatting work before being ready to go out. A hiring manager typically only spends six seconds reading a resume, so make sure yours is designed to draw the eye straight to the key elements. Avoid large blocks of text, which are difficult to read. Use bullet points and headlines to make vital information pop. Make sure your formatting is clean and simple, with all paragraphs and bullet points lined up from one section to the next. Fancy fonts and graphics constitute another standard resume mistake; avoid them in favor of a crisp look.

Resumes That Are Too Vague

The second category of resume mistake to avoid is using jargon and fluff in place of discussing actual achievements. You shouldn't be vague and use a resume that's general enough for any job opportunity. Instead, customize your resume for every job you apply for. Highlight what you have achieved in your previous jobs, being as specific as possible and calling out key factors that are relevant to your target job. Establish a core resume that you can use as a foundation, then use research to tailor your resume for each company and position you are interested in pursuing. Reformat your resume for each position, if necessary, so that it highlights the accomplishments a job recruiter will most appreciate.

Job seekers who are new to the market sometimes have a special problem with creating resumes that display specific accomplishments. If this describes you, take a hard look at your resume to remove vague statements and pointless filler. Instead, do a little research to figure out exactly what your prospective employer is looking for, and narrow your resume to focus on precisely those items.

If you are able to avoid these two major resume mistakes, you are likely to keep your resume in the "to be considered" pile when all the other vague, confusingly formatted, badly proofread resumes are tossed out. Make a good impression with your resume to open the doors to an interview and ultimately a new job.

Photo courtesy of a454 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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  • KAILAS J.
    KAILAS J.

    good suggestion

  • SIDDIQUA B.
    SIDDIQUA B.

    good suggestion

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    Why do you think that is @Harold? How do you feel when you leave the interview? How is it left? Does the interviewer say that he/she will call? Do you get any feedback? After the interview, do you send a thank you note? Do you follow up with a phone call? Do you ask why you were not selected? Sometimes we think we do great at interviews when, in fact, we don't do all that great. So ask - you might be able to pinpoint what the issue is - if there is one.

  • HAROLD S.
    HAROLD S.

    Lately, I've been getting interviews. First a phone interview followed by an initial face to face interview. So far, no offers which is dissappointing, considering I've researched the company, tailored my resume and displayed confidence during the interview.

  • Betty Harvey
    Betty Harvey

    Very good advice!

  • Rafael c.
    Rafael c.

    useful

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    @Mary Lou - why do you feel that you have to better your resume? Check out some of our articles here and see if you can get some ideas. Don't fear the resume. Just list down the tasks you performed in each position along with your skills and schooling. As I mentioned earlier - make sure to use some of the keywords from the job posting. Once you write a resume or two you will see how easy it is. Keep us posted.

  • Mary Lou E.
    Mary Lou E.

    I need advise in how to better my resume. Thank you.

  • Gail H.
    Gail H.

    Good Points. A lot of work to do!!

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    It has been my experience that most companies use scanning software to weed out the resumes. If you don't include the keywords from the job posting on your resume, your resume will never make it to the hiring manager. I read @Shelley's response and that may be true for some companies. But the majority of companies rely on a computer program instead of a human. So by all means - get those keywords in there, check your spelling and have someone else read your resume. Or read it out loud. By doing that and hearing it, you may find that it's not what you want - does not portray the real you. Always remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression and that impression is going to come from your resume and cover letter.

  • Ramon C.
    Ramon C.

    Simply, well presented and useful....I can use this points!

  • ALEXANDRA C.
    ALEXANDRA C.

    Employment recruiters only see what their receptionists feel is a match for positions open on their systems many times the actual recruiter can see other qualifications and yes format and spelling means a lot as well and length of resume - who wants to read a long resume

  • Belal Ahmed
    Belal Ahmed

    nice guidance

  • Shelley Horwitz
    Shelley Horwitz

    John, you are quite wrong when you say "A hiring manager typically only spends six seconds reading a resume..." Actually, hiring managers spend considerably more time looking at a resume, but first you must GET YOUR RESUME TO THE HIRING MANAGER!!! Typically in my field, technical writing, a company will receive more than 250 resumes on the first day a job opening is made public. Most of those resumes never make it to the hiring manager's desk. First they are scanned by some relatively low level member of the HR staff, looking for typos, appearance, and keywords for the specific job opening. THAT SCAN takes the six seconds you mention. When the scanner passes a resume on to the hiring manager (maybe 10 or 15 from the submitted 250), that manager will spend a lot more time reviewing the contents than the scanner did. The key to success (way beyond your two childish mistakes) is to make sure your resume identifies your skills in the specific job you're applying for (to get past the scanner), then emphasizes your experience using those particular skills to impress the hiring manager.

  • Julia M.
    Julia M.

    I have neither of those mistakes on my resume. I was told I have too much experience and should cut down my resume!

  • Darrell Peebles
    Darrell Peebles

    Funny; Lance A. talks about "A" interested reader of this article.... Too funny. I review my resumes almost bi-weekly, and still find ways to improve them, typos or not. I've never seen a resume without a flaw, be it a typo, a grammatical mistake, or excessive data, poor thought flow, or weak use of terms. I used to do resume writing for a living, on the side, and even teach resume classes. In the last 5-10 years, it's gotten to be a whore's game, where people will charge large sums of money to give you marginal ideas, unnecessary improvements that add no value, or hose them up. they even go so far as to supposedly set you up with a great opportunity only to sleazily tell you they can't present your resume without a costly fix. I don't know of any organization that offers integrity with their offerings. I did, and 95% of those I revised or improved received offers. This is just another unregulated industry that capitalizes on the poor employment market.

  • George Jacob
    George Jacob

    Scott D., it's hard to say what could help you and your resume, as it very much depends on the employer. If you feel like you're getting dumped before you even get in the door, then I'd say adjust your goal to getting in the door. Once you're in front of a recruiter, it's much easier to explain where you are and what you're looking for (or willing to take). So it almost seems like a matter of focusing on your cover letter, so you can frame your experience through the lens of the job description.

  • George Jacob
    George Jacob

    Hi everyone, thanks for your comments! The typos weren't intentional in the article, so I went aheand and fixed them. However, I think it does go to show how much typos do make a poor impression. As a member of the grammer police, I know just how distracting typos can be.

    Breathe... I meant "ahead" and "grammar." :-)

  • Scott D.
    Scott D.

    I also find it hard to customize a resume for a job description that is too vague and posted on the internet. Do I tell an employer that appears to want a beginner all of the accomplishments I have so that I will be considered OVER QUALIFIED before I have a chance to even talk to him?

  • Scott D.
    Scott D.

    In 2003 I had to return to college for a third time. Employers were demanding a Bachelor of Science degree even though I had over 20 years of experience. By June 2006 I had earned TWO Bachelor of Science Degrees. Now I am either over or under qualified for every position I have applied for and have had to take jobs such as a gas station attendant to survive. I clearly have not been able to use both the education or work experience that I have. How do you get this message accross to potential employers who look at your resume and write you off before you even have a chance?

  • Jose L.
    Jose L.

    Wow, people! The typos were intentional.

  • Russell R.
    Russell R.

    What is good for the goose is supposed to be good for the gander. If you are going to give advice, please make sure you set a good example and follow it. I don't believe I was the only one who found typos in this article. Really!

  • Scott R.
    Scott R.

    Attention: LANCE A and Dayna S. Thank you John Krautzel. This was me.

  • Cynthia W.
    Cynthia W.

    I caught the typos too, and I'm supposed to take career advice from this article?

  • LANCE A.
    LANCE A.

    Kind of sad when a "professional writer" is presenting a article on resume common mistakes. And a interested reader of this article that being a one Dayna S. catches a common typo shame... shame....

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