Try to Avoid These Resume Mistakes

Have you ever felt that your resume just wasn't a winner? For some reason, it just seems that you can't catch a break when it comes to getting a call for an interview. This may be because errors are being found on your resume that you don't know about.

When you seek professional resume writing assistance, they will make sure to avoid certain amateur mistakes, but when you go at it alone, sometimes it's difficult to know what not to do. To help you out, here are a few common mistakes made on resumes. Check to see if these are some you've made.

Writing a Vague Objective

The objective is probably the most unpleasant part of the resume because it requires you to sum up your desires and why you're the right fit for the job in one to two sentences. This actually requires a lot of thought and therefore something people try to finish quickly. But with this being one of the most important aspects of your resume, if yours is vague, it will be obvious you didn't care.

A good way to fix it is to give employers something specific that not only looks at what they need, but also what you want. For instance, if you want to work for a non-profit, put in your objective the type of position you want and what you want to do in it (a marketing position where you fund-raise) so it will be clear how both of your needs will be met.

Focusing on Your Duties

It's not uncommon to write out the responsibilities you were given when you were hired for your previous positions to complete your professional background. However, doing so doesn't tell the whole story. You may have been "responsible for answering phones," but you probably "organized the company's phone directory, routed calls to all employees and managed phone system repairs."

In other words, you did much more than the description ask of you. So why shortchange yourself when writing your resume? The more you focus on your duties and not on your actual accomplishments, the less likely you are to impress the hiring manager reading your resume.

Overlooking Obvious Errors

Writing a resume can take a long time, which means that the amount focus required to add the details results in overlooking obvious errors, like mismatched bullet points, or inconsistencies with font styles and sizes. The mistakes you overlook will look like glaring errors to the person reading the resume, so have a person you trust to read it to ensure you don't eliminate yourself from the running.

Errors like those seen above can make a huge difference in whether you're hired for a position. So before you apply for your next job, take time to make sure your resume is error free.