Avoid these mistakes on your resume

Written by: Tatiyana Cure, Executive Recruiter, CFS New York

Your resume is essentially your first impression with a Hiring Manager. To ensure it's a good one, here are 10 mistakes you need to avoid!

Avoid Spelling and Grammar Errors

I can’t tell you how many resumes have gotten rejected by Hiring Managers based on spelling and grammar errors. The roles have ranged anywhere from Junior Associate to Chief Officer. HR associates these errors with attention to detail and Hiring Managers draw a correlation to communication abilities.

Avoid Abbreviations

You should be using keywords as much as you can on your resume. The more times you are able to use industry and role specific jargon, the closer to the top of search results your resume will appear. However, if you use abbreviations, it means the person conducting the search would also have to use abbreviations in order for your resume to populate, which is unlikely. Talent Acquisition and Human Resources personnel may not be familiar with them.

Avoid Inaccurate or Insufficient Contact Information

I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to receive a great resume from someone who fits the role, but it provides no way of contacting that person. I’m a recruiting professional so I am able to hunt down that person, but a Hiring Manager does not have the time to try to investigate, and most likely will move on to another candidate. So make sure, at the very least, you include both a cell phone number and an email address.

Avoid Inclusion of Irrelevant Roles

If you were once a Kindergarten Teacher but now a Doctor, I’m sure you can justify your move. However, you should be telling that story once you meet a Hiring Manager face to face. Remember, a resume is only supposed to be used as a tool to secure an interview. If the resume tells your whole life story, why would you need an in-person meeting?

Avoid Visually Distracting Resumes

I have received some resumes that were very creative that included specific company logos, graphics, and fonts. I would understand the thinking if it was for a creative role, however, as a Hiring Manager within a creative industry, I would expect a portfolio to accompany a resume. These graphics may not only mark your resume as spam, but also cause the reader to focus on the images and just briefly skim over the meat of your accomplishments.

Avoid Having One-Size-Fits-All Resume

You should be tailoring your resume to a specific role. If you are blindly submitting your resume to roles that you have barely glanced over, that’s how your resume will be looked at as well.

Avoid Listing Duties

If you generally list what your job responsibilities are/were, then you are not using your resume for its real purpose – get the reader excited about your background and to schedule an interview. Instead, focus on listing major accomplishments and what you would bring to the table.

Avoid the Obvious

If your major skills include words like “hard-working, punctual, team-player, out-of-the box thinker”, it’s not focusing on what you would bring to the table that’s different from all the other candidates. Think of it this way: if I said I was funny, would you believe me? Probably not, if I didn’t follow with a joke. So instead of listing down the obvious, display your punctuality by showing up to your interview on time.

Avoid a Lengthy Resume

That does not mean you have to stick to one page, but you don’t need to list off all the duties for the last 10 irrelevant roles. If you held 10 roles in the last 2 years, it may be wise to consolidate into one “Consulting” area.

Avoid Having a Resume that’s Too Short

If having a one-page resume means slashing the meat of your accomplishments by half, it will not benefit you.

Have questions about perfecting your resume? We want to hear it so comment below! You can also reach out to one of our expert recruiters. Find the closest location to you here.