For both first time job seekers and those with many years of employment, it is very common to commit serious mistakes on their resumes, which end up costing them the job they wish to apply for. Employers and recruiters have varying standards to which candidates are qualified for the job.

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For both first time
job seekers and
those with many
years of
employment, it is
very common to
commit serious
mistakes on their resumes, which end up costing
them the job they wish to apply for. Employers and
recruiters have varying standards to which
candidates are qualified for the job. But in terms of
viewing applicants’ resumes, they both have almost
the same expectations and things that could make
them overlook or even toss a resume. If you want to
produce an effective resume, here are the 5 five
mistakes you should avoid.
Common Resume Mistakes
1. Inability to customize the resume to the job
being applied for.
With the availability of the internet and the huge
amounts of information accessible there, it is not
surprising that so many people opt to use generic
resumes that seem to belong to a mass-produced
batch of resumes. Using a generic resume is like
telling the employer that you have no idea about
what job you are applying for. Plus, it shows that you
didn’t want to even bother making your resume suit
the available job.
2. Using a “Resume Objective” rather than a
“Professional Summary”.
There is nothing wrong with using objectives if you
are a fresh graduate without any previous work
experience. Otherwise, there is no point in using this
type of resume as it just makes you look outdated and
inexperienced.
3. Enumerating your responsibilities in your
previous job rather that your accomplishments.
Listing all your responsibilities in your previous
workplaces can make your resume look like a job
description. It is okay to include in your resume all
your duties in the past, but it is more important that
you note all the results, outcomes and
accomplishments you achieved. This will show the
potential employer that you are capable of handling
the job and that you have what it takes to yield
positive results for the company.
4. Including dates.
It is surprising that many job seekers are still putting
dates on their resumes, such as their age and the
years of their education. There should not be any age
discrimination in hiring job applicants, of course, but
still you should try to avoid giving certain
information to the employer which may potentially
cause biases against you. As you know, there are
employers who favor more senior professionals
because the younger one are inexperienced.
5. Lacking important keywords.
An effective resume contains important keywords
for the profession and the industry being applied to.
You have to make sure also that the keywords you
are using are according to what the job posting
indicates.

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With the vast amount of
information now available to
every job seeker, it doesn’t
seem right to see a poorly
written resume. There is a
lot of information on the
internet about the dos and
don’ts in writing a resume.
But still, so many people are
making the very common
mistakes, which normally cause them the chance to
land a job interview.
Below are some of the most common resume
mistakes that people are continuously making to
sabotage their chances of getting hired. After reading
this article, make sure that you take a look at your
own resume to check if there is something in it that
needs to be changed.
Mistake #1: The use of an Objective Statement
Using an objective in your resume is problematic in
two ways. Firstly, there is no reason for you to
indicate in your resume that you want to get the job
because the employer already knows it, of course!
The other thing is that such statements are usually
written in a way that is too broad, vague and generic.
Thus, they are typically not enough to tell the
employer exact things about you being the job
applicant. As a result, you don’t get that edge over
any other job applicants there.
Mistake #2: Over usage of Bullets
One important trait of an effective resume is its
ability to keep the reader engaged and interested. By
including too many bullet points in your resume, you
will do nothing but lose the interest of your reader.
The reason for this is that hiring managers go and
scan numerous resumes and search for valuable and
relevant content. It is important that the information
written on the resume be friendly to the eyes and
valuable. The worst thing you can do is use bullets to
enumerate all your experience and achievements in
your career.
Mistake #3: Tasks instead of Accomplishments
There is nothing wrong with you trying to enumerate
in your resume all the responsibilities you had in
your previous employment. What could only cause
the problem is when you are not able to support
these job descriptions with your past
accomplishments. Employers couldn’t care less about
the assignments you were given in the past. What
they are more concerned about is how you can
handle the job they are going to give you. If you end
up hiring a resume developer instead, you will
notice that this is one of the areas he or she would
address initially.
You seem to have
it all. The guts, the
talents and the
skills, the wit and
of course the
personality but-
your resume! Yes,
your resume just
puts you down every time you apply for a job.
Writing a resume can be very challenging and
intimidating. Well, that’s what you think! It’s in fact,
an easy task only had you known the basics.

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Remember that your resume serves one purpose and
that is to attract the best possible employer.
So, is it necessary to have such an effective resume?
Obviously, it is. Because an effective resume is one
that produces the result that you wanted- to get that
job you applied for!
Tips on writing the best resume are all over the
internet. In this article, you’re provided with the
cream of the crop tips!
1. Begin with looking for the company that attracts
you most. Make sure that the requirements they ask
for appear in most parts of your resume.
2. Give details about your experiences
comprehensively. Always give details to experiences
that is related to the job requirement you are
applying for. Irrelevant details will actually turn off
your potential employer. Highlight your skills and
accomplishments.
3. Don’t forget to include your degrees, trainings and
certifications. With it, write your internships or other
relevant unpaid work.
4. Listing irrelevant hobbies is a big no. Okay. So you
love to go fishing every weekend but that doesn’t
have to be included unless it is somewhat related to
the job you’re applying for. It would be better to list
hobbies that promote your values.
5. Don’t overuse words. This time, you might need to
grab your thesaurus. But it’s not easy as that- you
have to be certain that the words you are using are
correct and applicable. If you avoid using the same
words often, you will be spicing up your resume and
it will appear more interesting and more
comprehensive.
6. Before you decide to pass that resume- have your
spelling and grammar checked. It’s a big turn off to be
misspelling some words in your resume. Although
one misspelled word can’t be career fatal but some
employers are quite particular about the spelling and
the grammar thing.
7. Find good layout ideas and structure over the
internet. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to
get a job. If you can just get fresh ideas on layout and
structure of a resume for free, why not?
8. When you have finished writing your resume, review
it and be certain that it meets what your potential
employer needs. It is important that you intricately
review your written resume first. When you are then
sure that your resume will be as effective as it can be,
all you have to do is relax and wait for that ring on
the phone! –Not to forget, be courteous in answering
that phone call. You don’t want hanging up your ideal
career, do you?
In worst scenarios where you can’t simply attract
potential employers through your self-made resume,
it is advised that you seek the help of a resume
writer. There are many professional resume writers
out there all you have to do is to search the internet.