Writing a Resume
Have you been applying for jobs continuously? If so, all your applications appear to have disappeared into the internet’s “black hole.” Do you wonder why no one has called to schedule an interview with you?
Sincerely, we bet that it has more to do with the errors on your CV than the fact that you are unqualified for the positions or not good enough.
Beware, job seekers! Your job search might be stopped in its tracks with just one. Entry-level workers should be on the watch for this while writing their first resume. Do you believe your resume is flawless and unbreakable?
Your resume serves as your initial point of contact with a potential employer, so you want to make a great first impression by demonstrating how wonderful you are at what you do. That is how you land an interview and a job once you nail it.
Make sure your resume doesn’t contain any below-listed typical resume errors as you write it or update it every six months.
Table of Contents
What should be in a Resume?
Resumes typically have a general structure that summarises your professional biography, employment history, education, and any volunteer or internship experience you may have.
You may want to follow this format while writing your resume and make sure to highlight your qualifications for the position you’re looking for. Both your professional and educational background sections frequently include lists of accomplishments. Your resume and a professional email address should also provide your most recent contact information.
The following is a list of typical resume mistakes that may be easily avoided if you use a template, proofread your work for typos, and only include information required for the position you’re applying for.
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Grammatical Errors & Typos:
Check each word for spelling before proofreading. It’s difficult to spot your own mistakes. Your resume might look better printed in a different font or copied into a new email. These techniques enable you to read your writing with fresh eyes, which can aid in spotting faults. Another method for finding errors is to read it aloud. Alternately, ask a friend, family member, or professional coach to proofread it for mistakes.
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Lack of Details:
Your resume shouldn’t just restate the obvious to a hiring manager. Employers need to be aware of their accomplishments.
For instance:
- Had experience working with employees in a digital marketing agency
- Managed a company with yearly revenues of $2 million while recruiting, hiring, training, and supervising more than 20 staff members. Although both statements might describe the same person, example B’s precise details are more likely to catch an employer’s eye.
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Using Passive Language:
In a passive sentence, the action’s target becomes the sentence’s topic. It’s understandable if you find that puzzling. However, writing a resume in passive voice can be tedious, use too many words, be ambiguous, and result in a mess of prepositional phrases. Harvard career specialists advise using an energetic voice and decisive “action” words for a more substantial impact.
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Unprofessional Email Address:
With so many free email service providers available and the time it takes to create a new email address under two minutes, there is no excuse for not having a professional email address when searching for jobs. It ought to be a straightforward mashup of your first and last names.
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Too Much Information:
Don’t give your readers a detailed description of every job. Keep your document to one or two pages and concentrate on the highlights unless you seek a career in an academic or research environment. Improve readability by using formatting tools like bullets and short paragraphs. For example, your most recent years of employment should be listed on your resume. Not every job you’ve ever taken needs to be listed.
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Writing The Wrong Contact Information:
Making a mistake with your contact information is a frequent error that might hurt your job hunt. You may have a candidate who, on paper, seems like a perfect match for the post, but you can’t get in touch with them to discuss it.
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Not Including Interests & Hobbies:
While it’s essential to avoid listing too many hobbies and interests, these can be a fantastic way to display your personality and exhibit relevant transferrable talents.
Hobbies and interests are a terrific approach to revealing who you are as a person and how you might fit within the team. Consider your passions and how they can help your application. These pastimes can demonstrate your dedication and commitment, as well as your teamwork, leadership, time management, and communication abilities.
Many of these errors may be easily prevented by double-checking your CV before you start sending it out, so it’s worth spending an extra hour or two to make sure you don’t get put in the “No” pile! Then, when you have your resume in good form after avoiding all the potential hazards, you should get it evaluated to make sure it is ready to submit.