Your resume is the first impression prospective employers have of you, often because most people send out many resumes to many different people with mistakes that result in your resume never getting past the hiring manager.
The old saying is that a stitch in time saves nine. In this case, it’s very important that before you ever send out your resume that you pour over the smallest of details. It’s important that the resume is perfect. It’s the way you’re represented to potential employers and forms their first impression. There’s no substitute for a great first impression.
If you avoid the following mistakes, it’s guaranteed that the impression you’ll make is a positive one, and your potential employer will have immediate respect for you and your talents because you took the time to make sure your resume was impeccable.
- Spelling and Grammar. The single biggest killer of any resume is a lack of skill in the areas of spelling and grammar. Potential employers see someone who has issues with spelling and grammar as someone who has a lack of attention to detail. For potential employers, this is the kiss of death. Because someone didn’t take the time to check spelling and grammar, it means they may also not take the time on a big project and cost the company massively. If you’re not good with spelling and grammar, find someone who is. Review your resume 3-4 times before sending it out.
- Not Being Specific. Many resume writers put skills on the paper but those skills are vague at best. What does “supervision” really mean? Get specific with your skills. If your skill is accounting, then what about accounting? Do you excel at reconciling the books or are you a master at profit forecasting? Make sure that you delineate exactly what you’ve done to support your claiming of being skilled in a certain area.
- One Size Fits All. The worst thing you can do as a prospective employee is give an employer a resume that’s clearly meant for everyone and anyone. If you’re passionate about a potential job, take the time to make your resume specific for that job. It shows your employer that you’re excited about the job and you care enough to make time to create the right impression for a potential employer.
The resume is your introduction to potential employers. If you take the time to avoid these mistakes, it’s likely that your resume will be at the top of the pile.
