Introduction
Every little detail on your resume matters in today’s hyper-competitive job market. From how it’s formatted to the content on it, your resume needs to be in tip-top shape by avoiding common resume mistakes.
And suppose you have one small singular mistake.
In that case, whether caught by the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or by a human, the odds of you getting a job at the company for which you’re applying to go straight down the drain as mistakes make it look like you ignore details.
Now I’m sure you’re wondering, what are these catastrophic mistakes that I need to avoid?
If you keep reading, you’ll find 14 resume mistakes you should avoid to better your odds of landing a job.
The 14 Resume Mistakes To Avoid
Resume Mistake #1: Spelling, Grammar, and Formatting Errors
The first of many resume mistakes you’ll want to avoid is those of spelling, grammar and formatting.
According to a survey done by TopResume, TopResume reported the most common errors anyone could make when creating a resume were spelling, grammar, and formatting errors.
And it was reported that 79% of the time these errors were deal breakers when trying to get a job.
Knowing this, it’s imperative that you double-check your resume for these errors and have someone else check it too.
Whether that be a friend or family member, having a second pair of eyes on your resume will make it much sharper.
Furthermore, once you’ve had a second opinion, put away your resume for a few days. Then when you’re ready, check your resume once more, as you may be able to find other resume mistakes that you’ve made.
If you need help formatting your resume, check out our article How to Format a Resume. Within that article you’ll learn how to format a resume and get 5 free templates to use as well.
Resume Mistake #2: Missing or Incorrect Contact Info Listed
The second thing you’ll want to check for when actually writing your resume is your contact info.
This is also crucial for you to check for because without the right contact info listed, employers will not be able to reach you. Which kills your job hunt.
When listing your contact info there are four items that you need to put down which are:
- Your First and Last Name
- Your Cell Phone Number
- Your Email
- Your Address (City, State, and Zip will do fine)
After reviewing many resumes personally, I noticed that these types of resume mistakes happen more often than you think.
And when I tried to contact those people with outdated contact info I immediately threw their resumes in the trash (metaphorically speaking).
So make sure that you put the correct contact info on your resume for employers to contact you.
Resume Mistake #3: Using Too Much Passive Language
Another killer mistake that people make when creating a resume is that they use passive language.
This mistake commonly happens when job seekers are describing their results and past responsibilities.
And as defined by the dictionary:
Passive language is defined as the subject of a sentence when acted on by a verb. For example, passive language on a resume could look like this:
- There was a 22% increase in revenue growth that was realized in our team over two years…
- Promotion from Business Development Representative to Account Executive was awarded to me only after 12 months of working at XYZ company…
This type of language on your resume makes you seem disorganized and uncertain of your abilities and achievements.
Additionally, passive language makes it look like you’re not confident in yourself taking away all the potential value you could add to a company.
To change this way of speaking, you’ll want to use more action verbs and proper tenses within your resume.
Which makes your resume more organized while strengthening the overall impression that you leave with the employer.
An example of active language on a resume looks like this:
- Promoted from Senior Customer Service Representative to Customer Success Manager after only 8 months with the company…
- Led and directed all Sales Development activities while increasing meetings booked by 10% Month over Month…
As you can see, active language makes your resume more robust and organized when listing off your bullet points.
If you need more verb ideas, look at Jobscans list of action verbs that can be used for resume writing.
Resume Mistake #4: Not Organized and Coherent
After you have modified the language on your resume, look it over to see if it’s organized and coherent.
When typing out your resume, you don’t want to have information all over the place as your resume should be easily scannable from top to bottom.
So make sure your content is concise and to the point. And format your resume so employers can easily read it within 5-7 seconds.
Resume Mistake #5: Using a Generic Untailored Resume
Another mistake that you’ll want to avoid is making a generic resume. Job seekers usually make these types of resume mistakes as they make one resume then send it off to many companies.
And logically, this approach may seem like it makes sense as you want to increase your opportunities pool quickly.
Ultimately though, this approach hurts your chances as employers notice right away when you use a generic resume.
And this is the last thing that you want employers to notice as this may diminish your interview opportunities.
So take time to tailor your resume by doing the following:
- Use keywords and skills that are listed in the job posting
- Focus on 1 to 1 targeted communication as you want to maximize every interaction with employers
Resume Mistake #6: Too Long of a Resume
A more common mistake that most job seekers commit is that they make their resumes too long.
Usually, job seekers make this mistake as they want to tell you everything about their careers.
But in the case of making a resume, less is usually more. The reason for this is you want to have relevant experiences and skills that match what the job description is looking for.
Let’s say, for example, you’re trying to land a Sales Development Representative job at a SAAS company. It wouldn’t be relevant if you put your pizza delivery experience down, as experiences like these are not highly transferable.
Instead, you want to focus on experiences and skills that match up with that SDR job, like selling candy bars door to door for a fundraiser.
Or how you had worked for your college’s alumni relations department making cold calls to past alums to get donations.
Relevant experiences and skills like those, would be far more valuable to list and focus on rather than listing everything you’ve done.
So when we say short and to the point, make sure your resume at most is 1-2 pages. Anything longer will make it harder for recruiters and employers to find an interest in your resume.
Resume Mistake #7: No Specific or Quantifiable Results Listed
The most tricky part of writing a resume is listing what you did at past jobs.
From personal experience, when reviewing resumes, people tend to list out responsibilities rather than specific or quantifiable results they achieved.
And most people make a laundry list of responsibilities because they’re not prepared or thinking about how they’ve truly made an impact at their previous jobs.
Which leads to the laundry list approach of writing a resume.
To avoid falling into that trap, make sure you always record all your career achievements on a Google/Word doc.
Then when the time comes, take a moment to reflect on these achievements before you start writing your resume.
Writing out the list of important achievements makes writing specific and quantifiable results much more effortless. So instead of saying:
- Responsible for making cold calls to executive leaders at Financial Services companies
You could take one of your important achievements that you recorded and say:
- Responsible for making 80 cold calls daily to C-Suite executives at Financial Services companies, leading to a 5% increase in meetings held Month over Month.
So when you keep track of that list of achievements you can easily write out your results which will catch the eye of most employers.
Resume Mistake #8: Using Too Many Buzzwords
The next mistake that you need to avoid is using too many buzzwords. Some buzzwords can help give your resume that extra flair it needs to capture the attention of employers.
But for the most part, try to avoid using too many buzzwords on it as you’ll bore the employer looking at it
Which may cause your resume to be skipped over or worse not seen at all.
If you want to see a list of the top buzzwords used globally, look at LinkedIn’s 2017 Buzzwords Study.
Resume Mistake #9: Having an Unprofessional Email
Another obvious but common mistake job seekers make when creating a resume is listing an unprofessional email.
When applying for a job, you should take your search seriously and double-check that email that you’re using.
Your email is your first impression, as most employers communicate via email to setup your job interview.
So make sure you avoid foolish email addresses such as:
- Redneck@xxxx.com
- BeastlyJohnson@xxxx.com
- Doobie911@xxxx.com
And instead, use email addresses with more formal tones, such as:
- firstlastname@xxx.com
- lastnamefirstname@xxx.com
Even the autosuggested email addresses that email providers provide will do as they are professional and formal.
So make sure you check your current email address if you haven’t done so already.
Resume Mistake #10: Using Hard To Read Fonts
This mistake should be a given but sometimes job seekers use hard to read fonts to be more creative.
If you’re using a font that is unique or hard to read, you’ll need to change it so that your resume can be scanned easily by employers.
And if you need ideas of what types of fonts to use, I would recommend the following such as:
- Times New Roman
- Ariel
- Georgia
Those fonts will never fail as they have stood the test of time for job hunting and are easy to read.
Resume Mistake #11: Using Too Small or Large of Fonts
Following up font types, you also don’t want to use font sizes that are too big or small.
As said before, make your resume easily scannable so that it can be read in 5-7 seconds.
Another recommendation you should follow is to use font sizes from 10.5 to 14 pts.
Using these font sizes will allow you to fit the most relevant information on your resume without going on too long.
Resume Mistake #12: Listing Irrelevant Personal Info
Another common mistake job seekers make is listing irrelevant information on their resumes.
Your resume is a selling tool, not a personal notepad to tell your future employer about your hobbies and likes.
Unless that is, your hobbies can show how you may add value to a company and to the position you’re applying for.
For example, if you like to help non-profits get more donors with your free time, you could state this activity as it shows sales skills and communication.
On the other hand, if you’re listing that you like to competitively play Call of Duty every weekend, you’re better off excluding that detail as it won’t add anything of value.
When creating a resume, you want to add the most relevant information to make great use of the space you have, not take away from it.
Resume Mistake #13: Including Photos and Irrelevant Social Media Profiles
Now this may seem like a good idea, but adding a photo and social media profiles will likely end up hurting your resume.
First, the photo on the resume will mess up your formatting which will cause ATS systems to reject.
Secondly, if you try to save a resume in PDF forma with a photo on it, it’ll come out weird making it harder for you to share it with employers.
Additionally, a photo could also make you look like you have a big ego, which is not a great start to building a memorable impression with your future employer.
So leave off the photo, as it’ll serve you much better.
As for social profiles, unless you have a professional presence, it’s probably best that you don’t link your Instagram or Twitter to your resume as you may have content that makes you seem less professional.
Resume Mistake #14: Not Including an Opportunity To Get References
Lastly, the other mistake that can be deadly for your resume is not including a references section. Recruiters and employers want to see that you’ve worked successfully with others.
And suppose you don’t have a section that offers the opportunity for your future employer to see your references. Well, in that case, that’ll cause your prospective employer to raise red flags about you.
If you don’t want to offer a whole section of references on your resume, create another separate page with the information about your references.
Then put at the bottom of your resume “References Available Upon Request”. This will allow your potential employer to ask for them if they want.
Examples of Great Resumes
Now that you have the 14 resume mistakes to avoid let’s take a look at some live examples that do a great job of following the rules.
If you want to create a resume using these examples, go to Resume Genius, as they have plenty of other templates that are also great!
Call Center/Customer Service Resume
Business Development Representative Resume
Account Executive Resume
Sales Manager Resume
Conclusion
By now, you should understand that these 14 resume mistakes are easily avoidable.
And if you put in the time and effort required, your resume should come out stellar.
But if you don’t take the time or effort required to make a great resume, you may lose out on opportunities that you otherwise should have had.
So let’s avoid these mistakes and write an actual resume. And if you want to learn how to do that, move onto our next guide How to Write a Resume.
If you want to take your resume game to the next level, schedule time with us here for resume revision and preparation at: https://calendly.com/greaterprofession/resume-services