Did you know about these common resume red flags and how you can avoid them?

If you want to succeed in your job search, you will need a well-written and well-organized resume to go with your job applications. Crafting a great resume is far from easy. You will have to face multiple obstacles when creating your resume, out of which the biggest will be getting rid of resume red flags.

Resume red flags are certain mistakes you may make while creating the document that will severely affect your chances of getting selected for an interview. Today, we will discuss the most common resume red flags that we have observed and how you can overcome them when creating your job application.

The Top Resume Red Flags to Watch Out For

Unexplained employment gaps

It is normal to have a gap or two in your career history. Job searches may take months to succeed, during which you may be unemployed. Within the last few years, several rounds of mass layoffs hit the US job market, so hiring managers are quite familiar with employment gaps nowadays. You will not be judged for having a gap in your resume. However, unexplained career gaps on your resume might send the message that you are trying to hide something. The best thing you can do is to be honest about your employment gap and provide a brief explanation. Try to emphasize the positive aspects of your employment gap, such as engaging in volunteer work or earning a new certification.

A history of job hopping

Does your resume contain a list of short-term jobs one after the other? Then, you are telling potential employers that you are a job hopper. While there isn’t anything wrong with changing your job in search of better opportunities, you must try your best to bring out your career history on your resume in a way that emphasizes your loyalty and commitment to an employer. You can explain the reason for your short-term positions on your resume (for example; contract work, temporary work, side gigs) and highlight the many skills you gained through each position to give a positive spin on things.

The appearance of a stagnant career

Does your career history highlight your career progression? If it doesn’t, you might be in for a bit of trouble when hunting for a job. Did you know that stagnant careers are a sign of a lack of ambition or lack of commitment to career advancement? You must always strive to bring out your career progression through your resume. Do this by highlighting any promotions you have received over the years. If you have changed careers to higher job titles, emphasize that on your resume. Other things that can showcase career progression are:

• Increased responsibilities
• Lateral career moves
• Notable achievements within roles
• Increased scope within a position

Multiple mistakes on the resume

If your resume contains a lot of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, formatting mistakes, or factual inaccuracies, you are in trouble. Mistakes that you make with the spelling and grammar of your resume tell potential employers that you don’t pay attention to details. This is an act of self-sabotaging your job applications. What you can do to avoid this is to proofread your resume multiple times before sending it out for job applications. That way, you are sure to overcome any mistakes you may have made.

Not reviewing the final product

One of the biggest resume mistakes job seekers do is sending out their resume without getting a professional review first. When you finish creating your resume, send it to a friend, colleague, or family member for an initial review. Their input will help you improve your resume. Once the basic improvements are done, you can have your resume reviewed by a professional. At Resume Mansion, we offer resume critiques to anyone who asks. All you need to do is email us your resume and one of our certified professional resume writers will review the document.

By?Resume Mansion