A new resume could be all that’s standing between you and your next job interview. If it’s well-written and put together, it will showcase your best skills; if it’s not, it can make you look completely unqualified and unprofessional. How you present yourself is just as important as what you have to offer, even on paper. We’ll teach you how to do it the right way in this short guide.
Writing your own resume? If you’re lying, poorly formatting, leaving typos, ageing yourself, or missing a catchy cover letter, you might be sabotaging your own efforts. Check out the full article for tips on fixing these common resume-wrecking errors.
Stop These Five Resume-Wrecking Habits NOW and Get Competitive Fast.
Padding or Lying
An impressive resume is important if you want to land a good job, and you might feel inclined to push the truth a little to make yourself look more marketable. Nearly three quarters of hiring managers have spotted resume lies, according to one survey. While the number of people attempting to lie on their resumes is clearly high, so are those of the managers equipped to catch them. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot before you’ve gotten a toe through the door; keep your resume honest, and an honest job will follow.
Bad Formatting
A bad formatting job will destroy any resume. If you opt to write your own, follow a standard template. You can get them online, or you can choose one of several designs available through Microsoft Word. A well-formatted resume will have an even balance of text and white space, with a variety of font sizes and styles differentiating headers. Do your best to stick to one page – anything longer or shorter will likely come across as unprofessional – and break up large blocks of text using bullet points.
Lacking a Professional Edge
A lack of professionalism is just as damaging as bad formatting, so don’t let a simple mistake or two ruin your chances of getting hired. Proofread your resume for typos and misspellings, use a respectable email address, and edit out any photographs or irrelevant information.
Ageing Yourself
Whether you’re new to the workforce or older than your hiring manager, it’s important to highlight experience and skills over age. Unfortunate as it may be, ageism does sometimes cost qualified people the jobs they deserve. Leave out graduation dates if they’ll reveal too much, and limit your work history to the past 15 years. If you have little or no work history, focus on your skills, education, and relevant achievements.
Missing or Flat Cover Letter
A cover letter should complement your resume, giving employers a better idea of who you are and why you’re perfect for the job. Take your time writing it, and tailor it to the manager and position you’re applying to. You need to stand out amongst a potential sea of other applicants, so let your personality shine through. It could be the deciding factor.
You can write a career-landing resume if you don’t succumb to these common pitfalls. Ultimately, you’re selling yourself, so let it reflect you at your best. Remain honest and professional, and let your merits speak for themselves.
~Here’s to Your Success
