What Your Resume Says About You
You want your resume to impress the future employer reading it. Although it’s the first impression job seekers get to make, it’s amazing how many people continue to gloss over errors. In today’s job market, you need to make sure your resume is going to be read – rather than quickly scanned and thrown away.
What Your Resume Says About You
So, do you know what your resume really says about you? Here are some typical mistakes job seekers make and how they translate to employers:
1. Forgetting To Proofread
Typos, misspelled words, and bad grammar mistakes can make a hiring manager think you’re careless or won’t pay attention to details on the job. Show you are capable of doing the job by choosing words carefully and catching any mistakes.
2. Including Too Much Information
Including too much information can make employers think you aren’t able to write clearly and concisely, which has become increasingly important in today’s high-tech world. Your resume might not be read if it’s too long, either.
3. Organizing Poorly
A busy, cluttered resume may make others think you are unorganized and scatterbrained on the job.
4. Sending The Same Document For Every Job Opening
This shows you aren’t great at adapting. Show the future employer you know what they need and you are the one who can help them fill that need.
5. Using An Inappropriate Name For Your E-mail Address
This will very likely make hiring managers skip your resume altogether. It’s unprofessional—create an e-mail account with some variation of your name for job seeking purposes.
6. Including Incorrect Or False Information
This can make the employer think you haven’t updated your resume for the job opening—or worse, that you aren’t being honest.
Here are some easy tips to spruce up your resume in just a few minutes:
- Make sure your name is bold and stands out from the rest of your resume.
- Combine sentences that are too similar. This will make your message much clearer and allow for easier reading.
- Change all responsibilities to accomplishments you had at that position. Most people who will read your resume don’t want to hear about the general tasks you did, but rather how you benefited the company while you were there.
- Eliminate anything that doesn’t pertain to the job for which you are applying. You want to show the employer you know what they are looking for and YOU are it.
- Read your resume out loud or have a friend look it over. You will catch anything that sounds awkward and your friend can probably give you some suggestions you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
- Don’t bury important skills. If it’s important in your field to have extensive computer skills, write about that in your professional profile (at the top) rather than burying it in a ‘skills’ section (at the bottom).
The lesson is to take your time to make your resume showcase the best “you.” Highlight those accomplishments. Update it when necessary. Make it concise, compelling and error-free.
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