Ninety-five percent of resumes are bad, as stated by HR specialists. But that doesn't mean that 95% of candidates are bad professionals anyway, it only means that their resumes are poorly written. Read the most common errors that are made in resumes over and over again and find out how to translate your qualifications and experience into an excellent resume.
Mistake #1. Duties instead of accomplishments.
While writing about your work experience don't use job-description language, i.e. don't list responsibilities and duties of a certain position as it shows that you can only perform basic job functions.
Solution:
Include high-impact accomplishments that will show what you did to overcome problems, what the results of your efforts were, how you helped your employer to make money, save time and make work easier.
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Quantify whenever possible (10% growth in overall sales, acquired 15 new clients in existing territory, supervised staff of 30, served a customer base of 100).
Use action verbs: coordinated, achieved, managed, implemented.
Mistake #2. Generic and unfocused resume.
Employers scan resumes for 2.5 - 20 seconds and during this time they should clearly understand that you are a good fit for the position.
Solution:
Sharpen your focus by writing an resume objectives statement, summary qualifications or profile that would be powerful and concise and demonstrate your value as a candidate. According to Career Masters Institute your resume should be a clear match between you and a particular job's requirements. Though your experience doesn't change your resume should be changed and targeted at a certain vacancy.
Mistake #3. Lack of keywords.
Solution:
Nowadays lots of recruiter companies use electronic management system, i.e. they search resume databases for specific key-words that relate to job vacancies. Be sure your resume won't be skipped and include keywords that an employer may be looking for in your resume.
Mistake #4. Important skills at the bottom.
Don't list information on your resume in a chaotic way as it's difficult for a hiring manager to follow and see the point.
Solution:
Present information in order of importance to the reader. If you have 10+ years of work experience put your experience first and after that point out your education. While writing about your skills, be wise and don't put "Computer Skills" section at the end of your resume if you work in a technology field and computer skills are relevant to your skills. So list them in your Summary/Profile section instead or make "Technical experience and proficiency" a separate section.
Mistake #5. No extras.
Solution:
To show that you are a well-rounded employee mention extra education, training, professionally relevant courses, special projects, recognitions in your particular job area or industry.
Mistake #6. Use of superlatives.
Solution:
Superlatives like 'Best marketing executive' sound boastful so say 'promoted as a Relationship Manager within 3 months' instead.
Mistake #7. Repetition.
Solution:
Variety is crucial for your resume. Don't pick a couple of words and stick them through entire document.
Mistake #8. Lying.
Solution:
It's OK when an applicant wants to show his or her experience in the most attractive light. But be wise and don't go too far in inflating your past accomplishments. Remember that lying is always a bad idea and that you have a chance to lose all credibility.
Mistake #9. Too much industry slang.
Solution:
Your skills, knowledge and abilities should be presented in short and easy-to-read statements, don't go verbose and long-winded.
Mistake #10. Cluttered information.
Solution:
Leave off the personal information, i.e. age, gender, race, church affiliation or knitting skills as there can be easily found a reason to disqualify you.
Mistake #11. Unprofessional e-mail address.
Solution:
Be sure that your resume address doesn't look like any of these: alliecat@, bacardigirl@, bighotdaddy@, drunkensquirl@, foxylady@, gigglez217@
Mistake #12. Misdirected.
Solution:
Resume which is sent 'to whom it may concern' or an abstract hiring manager is usually skipped. That's why do yourself a favor and find a real person at the company who is responsible for hiring in the department you are targeting.
Mistake #13. Unique and creative lay-out
Solution:
Remember that employer is looking for content not fancy or eye-catching design. Besides, it makes your resume difficult to read. However, well prepared resume templates will always help.
Mistake #14. Too small fonts.
Solution:
Don't go smaller than 10 points, try not to use comic or fancy fonts - it doesn't look professional, don't mix font types and leave white space to allow eyes to rest.
Mistake #15. Resume format.
Solution:
Be sure that your resume is easily opened and formatted in a proper way. There are 4 most popular resume formats:
1) resume created in Microsoft Word (attractive visual presentation but its formatting may appear inconsistently from computer to computer when sent as an email attachment)
2) text resume (carries .txt file extension, is not visually appealing but can be pasted into the body of your email message)
3) resume created in PDF (appears consistently from computer to computer, completely invulnerable to viruses, free download software)
4) web-based resume (is accessible 24/7, enables passive job-seeking as employers can find your resume on the Web using various search mechanisms but you need to have a place and means to publish it)15 most common mistakes to avoid in your resume.
To sum it up, resume writing is a very serious and important part in your job hunting, because very often it is the first impression you make on your prospective employer. By following the tips listed above, you increase the chances of making the impression you hope for and thus getting the interview for your dream job.
This article is provided by ResumeBuilderTemplate - a free resume builder service which not only allows you to create a professional resume in minutes, but to host it online and distribute to potential employers.
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Article courtesy of Liz Handlin and Ultimate Resumes