Have you overlooked common mistakes on your resume?
I review resumes daily, and I find the same three blunders repeated by countless job seekers. Review these top 3 mistakes below. Then take a good look at your own resume and make some adjustments.
Using An Objective Statement
The problem with an objective statement is twofold. First, the employer already knows your objective is to get the job—and second, these statements are typically written in such a broad-based, generic, and vague manner that they don’t tell the employer anything about you as a candidate—and they fail to set you apart in a sea of other candidates.
Long List of Bullets
If your resume is one long list of bullet points, you’ve already lost your reader and ensured that anything past about the third bullet point won’t be read. As the human eye scans the resume it looks for content that stands out. Information needs to jump out at the employer, be easy-to-read, and keep his or her attention.
Creating one long list of bullet points makes it hard to keep the reader’s attention. Especially if your resume is very text dense.
Duties Without Accomplishments
If your resume contains the phrases “duties included” or “responsible for”, or if your resume only contains a listing of your job duties … I’m talking to YOU. These phrases are passive, boring, and only tell the manager what your job description says—not what you actually did. And what you did is more important. It’s what the employer will actually want to know.
While it’s always good to provide a concise description of what your position entailed, it’s more important to share the successes and accomplishments you achieved within each role. These are unique to you and will help you stand out when compared to other candidates vying for the same position. Additionally, even duties and responsibilities can be written in a way that conveys challenge, action, and result.
Take a good long look at your resume to make sure it doesn’t contain one of the above issues. If it does, then consider revamping your resume to help set yourself apart from your job search competition.
Written by: Jessica Hernandez, resume expert and she is the President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast and a former human resources manager and recruiter.
