Feeling overwhelmed when creating your resume? To help you avoid common mistakes, we have outlined the most frequent mistakes people make when first crafting their resumes.
- Overloading your resume?
Finding yourself listing every single job you’ve ever had? Sometimes we feel the need to add more and more information into our resume.
How to avoid: Your resume should only include experiences and skills that are relevant to the position you are applying to. Many employers receive multiple resumes a day, so keeping your resume concise clearly shows your strengths!
- Formatting
Resumes should be nice and easy to read, and with that should be visually appealing. Inconsistent fonts, styles, sizing, etc. are ways your resume can look cluttered and make recruiters and professionals have a hard time focusing on your qualifications.
How to avoid: Break your text up with bullet points, using a blank fresh document rather than using a template, and being consistent with fonts and its styles is important! Keep it professional and clean always!
- Generic Statements
Using statements like “Helped day to day duties” don’t tell your employers what you accomplished in your role. Employers want to know specific examples of the impact you made in your job.
How to avoid: Use action verbs and statements to add more to your achievements. Qualify by giving details and quantify by giving measurable information like percentages or even time frames. For example, instead of saying, “Helped with fundraising”, say “ Organized a fundraising event that raised $5,000 for local charities”.
- Forgetting key skills
Oftentimes, forgetting to add your skills can make your resume feel empty. Employers often are looking for what you’re capable of and are looking for specific examples of your abilities.
How to avoid: Add a “Skills” section to enhance your resume by adding your software knowledge, languages you speak, team work skills, and even social media skills.
- Grammar typos
Mistakes happen, so do typos when you’re typing out your resume. Grammar mistakes can make your resume look unprofessional and it shows the lack of attention to detail.
How to avoid: Proofread your resume or ask a friend or even a career advisor to proofread your resume for you. A second eye on your resume can help get constructive feedback on what to add or what to remove.
By avoiding these mistakes, you’ll create a resume that showcases your skills and experiences effectively, setting you apart from others and setting you up for success! Remember to take your time to create your resume and if you are finding yourself needing more guidance and help in your resume writing process, make an appointment with the Career Services and Internships office through Handshake! We have career and internship advisors that help give you the support you need to help you get that stand out resume you need!
