5 Common Resume Mistakes

A resume that just lists tasks and responsibilities is a real turn-off. You need to provide specific details about your achievements. Hiring mangers love to see numbers:

• “I supervised a team of five full-time and two part-time employees while overseeing a yearly budget of $275,000” is more impressive than “I managed the marketing department.”
• “I increased the company’s Facebook likes by 75% in six months” is sure to attract more attention than “I worked to increase customer engagement via social media.”

Many companies today use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to quickly sort through resumes. These software programs are designed to pick out keywords that are relevant to the position.

• If you don't use the right keywords, your resume will never make it to the hiring manager's desk.
• Search position listings and the LinkedIn profiles of professionals in your industry to see what words and phrases are used the most, then incorporate these into your resume.

It's not uncommon for an employer to receive 100 or more resumes for one position. Make sure your resume looks appealing:

• Choose a readable 10 to 12 point font such as Garamond, Calibri, Cambria, Helvetica, or Georgia.
• Use bullets to draw attention to your accomplishments.
• Leave white space between positions to avoid a cluttered look.
• Highlight headers with a larger or bolder font.
• For a more modern look try different colors, bar charts, or icons: but don’t overdo it.

Presenting your background is a positive light is a great idea, but you still need to be truthful.

• Embellishing your qualifications is a fireable offense, even if the deception is discovered long after you were formally offered the position.
• Feel free to highlight transferable soft skills such as communication, leadership, and organization, but don't invent proficiency in a foreign language or make up a position to camouflage a year-long gap in your work history.