What are the most common mistakes made when writing a resume?

Please do not use the templates provided online that auto generate a resume for you. Any resume you submit, no matter the format, needs to be in a simple text format. That means, no tables, pictures, strange symbols, or columns. Also, think of your resume as a news paper article. Every single sentence needs to captivate the reader and convince them to keep reading (that you are qualified).

In my experience, choosing the wrong resume format can be a fatal mistake in the job application process. It can make you appear unqualified or unprepared, even if you have the skills and experience that the employer is looking for. Consider your experience, skills, industry, and career goals when selecting a format. Tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying for.

Some important factors to consider when deciding what format to use for your resume are; - It should be easy to read and skim through. - It should highlight the necessary information that makes you the top candidate. - It should be tailored to the type of role you are going for.

White space. You may need more white space. Recruiters spend much of their days reviewing resumes, and their eyes get tired. Make your resume easy to skim. Sometimes, adding strategic bolding helps draw the eye to your key points.

I'm an executive recruiter and review resumes every day. Here are 4 impactful ways to level up your resume: 1. Professional Skills - Include a section towards the top highlighting your relevant skills, technologies, etc. This is helpful when you submit to job postings and your resume is scanned (by a human or tech) looking for specific keywords. 2. Reverse Chronological Experience - Make sure you list your most recent experiences first. 3. Experience Easy to Read - Make it easy to read each company, role title, and date for each job. 4. Results Oriented - The bullets in your experiences should be full of numbers highlighting impact and scope (e.g. # of direct reports, sales performance, etc.)

A 2 page resume is enough. 3 things to keep in mind to ensure that your resume does not go beyond 2 pages: 1] No need to elaborate your work experience which is beyond 10 years. Things have changed dramatically and only brief information is enough. 2] No need to add career objective. Instead interweave into your professional summary the matching skills which tell the prospective employer that you are a good fit. 3] Bullet points are effective. And ensure that only one sentence per bullet point is mentioned.

Most recruiters only have time to read your resume 'above the fold': the upper half of the first page. Spend 90% of your time working on that part. Make sure it's concise and tells a coherent story about your experience.

A one page resume is guaranteed to be too short. Focus on including relevant information for the job you are applying for and to keep detailed experiences to the past 10 years, and anything further summarize through title and company. Resume length is generally a thing of the past when someone would need to print out and hold your resume. Now, length (not too long >4 pages) can be your best friend as it can highlight more of your experience and keywords.

Some professions expect and accept longer resumes, such as higher education. That said, for most people two pages is adequate, with three being fine for senior executives or people with more than twenty-five years experience. If a resume is longer than three pages, the candidate risks casting the impression they do not know how to be brief in a world where attention spans are short.

Keeping the details relevant to the job you are applying for is the key to making your resume stand out. Even before updating or preparing your resume, it is important to know your target roles. If you are a fresher, having a one-page resume is enough. If you have 10 years of experience, you can have a two-page resume, keeping the focus on the recent and relevant experience.

The 7-second test - Most resumes get ~7 seconds of attention. What do people notice first? What stands out? Hand your resume to a friend and ask them what they notice first. Does it make them want to read more?

Strive to make your resume simple yet aesthetic. A simple layout and format, helps in clearing ATS. A well designed resume with the addition of colours and visual elements (in moderation) will catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers.

Default templates from Google Docs or Microsoft Word will work best for most people. They are clean, simple and easy to parse by automated systems.

In line with spelling mistakes and language you use, layout is as important. One font, one size, one color. I'm not against a graphic CV if the information is well presented and easy to read with enough detail about your work experience. If you are working in the design space I would encourage you to get creative. Otherwise you won't go wrong with a simple Word format and good old bullet points.

I see alot of resumes where people try to reach a certain page length by making fonts smaller, and reducing spacing between lines. If someone has to struggle to read your resume they won't read it. Do not make it hard for anyone to read your resume. It should be easy on the eyes, simple, clean, and uncluttered.

Always proofread your resume. A great resume can easily be ruined by common typographic or grammatical errors. Reading it out loud to yourself will help you spot common errors before you send it in. You could also have someone else review it for errors.

I have worked with CEOs and boards of directors who've had members criticize tiny mistakes on resumes. This impacted whether or not a person would be considered for a leadership-level candidate pool. I recommend reading the room and playing to your audience.

This goes without saying. Use a tool such as Grammarly AND a word document spelling review to catch any spelling and grammar errors.

Absolutely, I have seen very strong candidates being rejected on the back of a poorly written CV. Attention to details, communication skills, they are both highlighted in the way you write and present your experience.

Imagine you're a marketing professional applying for a senior role. Your resume lists "marketting" instead of "marketing" under your skills section. As a career coach, I'd recommend rectifying this error. Spelling and grammar mistakes can undermine your professionalism. Employers may question your 'attention to detail', which is crucial in marketing. To avoid such pitfalls, proofread your resume meticulously, use online tools to catch errors like Grammarly OR seek feedback from a trusted friend or advisor. An error-free resume demonstrates your commitment to quality and can significantly improve your chances of securing an interview.

Generic, task-based content is one of the most significant shortcomings of many resumes. You must ensure you communicate the value you brought versus what you were doing. If your resume bullets start with "responsibilities included, " you may need to rework your resume.

Merely listing generic responsibilities won't help you create a resume that stand out. Enhance it with your unique accomplishments, ensuring their relevance to the job you are applying for, and quantify the outcomes as needed.

Personalize your resume for the specific job you are applying to. For example, it doesn't help adding that you are a great carpenter when you are applying to an IT position, even worst when you add more information unrelated to the position than the one relevant for the job. Investing 1 hour to personalize the resume might help you to get higher in the long candidate list and be considered for the job.

Your resume should be tailored for the role you are applying for. This means making sure that the information included in your resume is relevant to the role. For instance, the skills you choose to include should be ones that have been highlighted or mentioned in the job description. Tailor your work experience to the job description by highlighting how you have worked in similar situations.

I always advise candidates to have a project section, similar to the skills section, but one that highlights the projects relevant to the role you are applying for. This is another simple way and effective way of tailoring your CV as opposed to writing the whole thing from scratch.

Grammar, bad formats, or short of achievement are not that common nowadays, really. Most people have had their resumes proof-read and all their badges displayed in their resume. Here is a much more common mistake which most people make in their resume. They try to "describe" and "summarize" their work experience and aim to be "thorough" and "detailed." This is the biggest mistake - writing your resume like a product sheet to present an accurate picture of your history. A good resume should be more like an Ad. It should highlight instead of summarize. List facts not to be factual but to support the overall narrative. More facts creates information overload for the recruiters and dilutes the key message.

8 out of 10 people make this mistake. They write their resume without tailoring it to requirements of a job application. They do not have clarity on where they want to apply. Because of this, the resume ends up being a generic one thereby reducing its chances of being shortlisted.

If you have any extra-curricular activities that demonstrate skills and traits that can be useful in the role, put them in. For example, if you run marathons, that demonstrates discipline and mental resilience. If you volunteer as a mentor or teacher, that can be really helpful when joining a team, as you can support junior colleagues.

When applying for jobs abroad, ensure you review the specific rules in the country you're targeting. For example, in some countries, including personal information like your date of birth and a picture is perfectly normal, while in others, it's strongly discouraged.