Top 10 Mistakes Which You Should Avoid in Your Resume In 20205 min read

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A resume has the power to make or break your career. How you craft it, therefore, matters a lot. Often, many people make terrible mistakes when jotting down their resumes. Don’t join the bandwagon of incompetent resumes. Luckily, we will show you just how to avoid mistakes when writing this important piece of document.

As a student, you may have written a resume before just for practicing. But as a person seeking employment, you know that your career is dependent on it. Thus, you have no option than to create a worthy piece that will inspire the interviewing panel. In case you need help writing a resume, numerous companies can offer you a hand. Don’t let that job slip away because you couldn’t submit a reasonable document to the interviewing panel. Here are ten of the typical mistakes which you should avoid in your resume in 2020:

1.Making it unnecessarily long and failing to proofread

A resume should be brief and straight to the point. Be concise in how you frame your words. You aren’t writing a biography but instead, a document for job vetting. Many graduates assume that the more, the merrier when it comes to writing a resume. Unfortunately, a long resume tends to bore the reader – and you don’t want your interviewing panel bored before you even arrive. However, this doesn’t mean that you should have it too short, to cater for all the information.

Then comes the proofreading bit, which is usually overlooked. Never ignore the fact that human is to err. And when you make a mess, who else do you want to clean it for you, if not yourself. Go through your work several times, 3-4 times, and make sure that everything is intact.

2.Having a poor structure

How do you structure your resume? Does it have all of the necessary information needed in a well-crafted document? If you were the one in the interviewing panel, would you hire the person who wrote that resume? These are some of the fundamental questions that should cross your mind when coming up with a sensitive document like the one in question. The structure is all about formatting, grammar, and spelling. It also looks at how you have broken down every detail to enhance readability. Make it easy for readers who want to only look at the vital information, rather than the whole document.

Also, you need to update your contact information or include it if you don’t have at all. Many people assume this and wonder why they weren’t called for an interview.

3.Putting in lies

Yes, you are supposed to excite yourself and give an outline of your strengths or achievements. However, this is not a license to lie and provide half-truths in your resume. As much as it may make you look professional and highly-skilled or experienced, a lie has a short life – sooner or later, they’ll discover that you are not genuine. And this will ruin your career a great deal. The first point that you will probably get caught up in your mix pants down is when they use the reference checks. It doesn’t matter whether you go past the hiring process and even get the job. It will come back to haunt you later on and taint your reputation. Or do you want that?

4.Being irrelevant or too general

You should be focused and concise in your resume. The reader should easily connect your statements without hesitation. Emphasize everything that is directly related to the job you’re applying for. Beating around the bush only makes you look unprofessional and lack the ability to convince your interviewer about your qualifications. If you are eyeing more than one opportunity, then customize your resume distinctly, based on each job requirement.

5.Including sensitive information

Unless you want to ruin your chances of landing a slot at the interviewing table, then don’t include red flags in your resume. For instance, don’t mention stuff like you prefer the job because it is close to your home. Also, avoid stating why you left your former job et cetera. This will make the panel have second thoughts about you and even consider trashing your application.

6.Mentioning remuneration

Unless the job description requires you to post your salary quotes, don’t do it. Many applicants blow their chances by suggesting money in their resumes. Until you have secured the job interview, keep your thoughts low about perks and allowances. It can make you look too ambitious and scare away your employers from giving you a chance. Focus on selling your capabilities first, rather than advancing your needs.

7.Not being unique in your resume

If you do it like everyone else, what gives you an upper-hand at getting the job? Avoid mediocrity and simplicity by going out of your way to being creative in your resume. Use special verbs, adjectives, and other writing tools. If at all you feel less confident about writing the resume superbly, then consider seeking help from writing companies, or any other professional that offers the same. Nevertheless, you can equally craft a good piece if you use the right phrases and grammar.

8.Being so extra with gimmicks

There’s a standard way of writing resumes that is accepted all over. Don’t be immature by using your styles, thinking that it will make you unique and approved by the reader. Things like bright colors and larger fonts for individual sections of your CV, make it look unprofessional, to be honest. It removes the formal bit of the document and makes it appear to be a joke instead.

9.Highlighting too many extracurriculars

Yes, you might be excellent at playing football or basketball. You might even have won several awards in the past relating to sports. But ask yourself how relevant that is to the job you’re applying. It is okay to mention one or two achievements in the extracurricular niche, but don’t make it look like your main selling point. Unless the job description requires a coach, then don’t send details fit for one. Besides, your hobbies need not be many in your resume. Make them look like the icing on the cake, rather than the cake itself.

10.Using passive voice

In most cases, this arises when you list your job duties, making the entire resume boring. Instead, use action verbs that relay the things you have actively done. If you find it challenging sourcing words, you always have a dictionary and the internet to offer some assistance.

Guest blog post by Jen Broflowski