Unfurnished and unwanted things in a resume can cost you a potential job. Hiring managers have a list of things that they would never want to come across while scanning a resume.
The simplest way to do this is to avoid those mistakes in your resume at all costs. Here’s an exclusive list of the top 7 resume-writing tips from recruiters. Follow them and scan your resume before a recruiter does to analyze mistakes.
1. Using creative fonts
This is so far the most common mistake of all time. Even though the fashion of using stylish and fancy fonts in resumes does not exist anymore still we come across them. A recruiter will scan your resume before he/she begins reading it. Bold, italics and underlined text will attract attention.
Needless to say, too much formatting will lessen your chances of getting an interview call. Hence, use fonts like Ariel, Sans Serifs, Times New Roman, Georgia, Garamond, Tahoma, Century Gothic, or Lucida Sans.
Additionally, use a single font style throughout your resume. Keep the font size 12 points because they are easily readable.
2. You didn’t mention your degree
Furnishing incomplete educational details reflects a lack of focus and immaturity. Mentioning relevant education is the basic characteristic of a professional resume and you missed the point.
For instance, if you have both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree but you care to only write the highest one. List both of them with GPA. If you have vocational education or a short-term course certificate related to your work field then enlist that too.
3. Brag too much about your skills
Having skills puts you in the hiring line but on the other hand, boasting too much about them will annoy the reader. Be straightforward when you are talking about the core expertise or competence that you have gathered throughout your career.
Bragging about it won’t take you anywhere. For instance, designing banners in Coreldraw is the best way to tell that you know a design software and what you can do with it.
4. Word, Excel, and Powerpoint
Microsoft Office suite is an excellent pool of tools that have made our lives more than easy. But drafting a letter in Microsoft Word or sorting numerical data in Excel is pretty basic stuff. That’s not expertise. It is not something out of the box.
When you calculate taxes and maintain complex accounting records using an office suite then that’s a skill. Hence, avoid writing experts in Microsoft Word, Excel, & Powerpoint.
5. Awful email address
Email address is an integral part of contact details in your resume and this remains constant for every industry personnel. Whether you are an electrician or a civil engineer or an accountant.
They are written under the header section along with the name, job title, and phone number. This is what we mean – 007bond_david@gmail.com. Don’t do this. Create an email address with your name. That’s more than enough to easily recall the recruiter.
6. Grammatical errors
Nowadays there are free tools available online to correct spelling, grammar, sentences, and phrases. Grammarly is one of them and it’s free. Even Microsoft Windows has this feature. The point is to write an error-free resume.
Writing an error-free resume is the basic step and you stand a chance if you heavily miss on this.
7. When you write life stories instead of achievements
You need to understand that putting down career achievements in words is an art. However, it is not rocket science that needs exclusive qualification. Make a rough draft of what you know and how you solved a problem at your workplace using that knowledge. Refer to the example below.
Introduced integrated event filing reports to later investigate misleading spending
The example above clearly defines that a system of the report was introduced so that extra spending can be isolated and investigated later. This is how you must write your professional achievements. Long paragraphs will make the recruiter turn down your resume in no time.
If you are still wondering how you will do it then here’s the solution.
Browse our website Resume-Example. Here you will find a collection of examples of resumes from different sectors. Find the one that matches your profile and use it. Additionally, we also have ready-to-use templates to write job-winning resumes.
Next time before sending a resume just do a final check on whether or not everything’s in the right place. Use this checklist.
