Biggest Mistakes and How to Correct Them

Mistakes on your resume can torpedo your job search before you even get in the door for an interview. Sometimes extremely strong job candidates harm their chances by failing to correct simple resume mistakes. Take a look at your own resume to make sure you've gotten rid of any of these resume mistakes.

Typos, Misspellings and Grammatical Errors

When a job recruiter sees typos on a resume, she assumes the job candidate is sloppy and doesn't pay attention to detail. A typo indicates a lack of concern for quality, and a misspelling or grammatical error makes people think the writer lacks an adequate education. Proofread your resume for mistakes, and have someone else look it over too to catch anything you missed.

Excessive Length

A resume should be one-page long, two at the most. Remember that the point of a resume is to get you an interview, not to tell your entire life story or even to provide comprehensive information about your work experience. Cut your resume down to the bare minimum, and be prepared to tweak it for every job you apply for. Hiring managers tend to skim resumes, and if yours is too long, it may not get fully reviewed.

Lack of Keywords

As you tweak your resume for each job listing, make sure you include keywords from the job description. A common resume mistake is using a generic resume rather than one customized for the job. In addition, avoid writing an objective statement — if you choose to use one — that doesn't relate to the job for which you're applying.

Overly Busy Format

Keep your resume visually simple to catch the attention of a hiring manager. It's a major resume mistake to make your document look too busy with many fonts, multiple colors and wild formatting. Again, focus on making it easy to read. Keep lots of white space on the page, and use bullet points to direct the eye down through your key points.

Lies and Exaggerations

One of the worst resume mistakes you can possibly make is to lie on your resume. Don't exaggerate about your education, and don't give yourself a promotion on paper. In the Internet age, almost everything you claim on your resume can be verified or disproved quite easily, so be scrupulous about telling the truth. Expect that any job interviewer might call to ask about any point on your resume, and don't pad your accomplishments.

Some resume mistakes happen because you're sloppy, and some happen because you inject them deliberately to try to look impressive. Remember that a job interviewer wants to find the right candidate, and don't sabotage your chances through simple resume mistakes that are easy to correct. Let your own strengths shine through by keeping your resume simple, short, focused and truthful.

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