Resumes can be challenging. Most people are uncomfortable tooting their own horn, and the prospect of staring at a blank screen upon which one’s whole work experience will be displayed can be daunting. Below, common pitfalls of resumes are discussed, as well as tips to give resumes that extra oomph to make a prospective employer think twice about hiring you.
Pitfall #1: Spelling or grammatical errors
Mistakes on resumes scream, “I’m sloppy and I don’t care!” While this may not be the case in your everyday life, the human resources manager looking over resumes will see spelling errors as a reflection of the person, meaning that the person who makes mistakes on a resume would be more likely to make mistakes on the job. Using spell check on resumes does not catch grammatical errors – for example, spell check would not correct the following phrase. “I want to go two” when the sentence should read, “I want to go too.” Ask for help from a spouse, relative or friend.
Pitfall #2: Providing too much information — or not enough
Resumes should not include a description of daily activities. Sample job duties might read along the lines of, “Assisted in planning special events; Assisted the owner in coordinating daily duties, etc.” However, resumes should not include only the company name, dates you worked there, and your job title. Employers are aware that people engage in psychology on resumes by giving themselves important-sounding job titles when you might have been a gas station clerk. By providing a description of job duties on resumes, employers are able to evaluate how well your skills would fit with the position you are applying for.
Pitfall #3: Using cheap paper
It sounds like a cliché, but it really is true for resumes. How badly do you want this job? Bad enough to spend 10 cents on a piece of high-quality paper, or bad enough to use the paper out of the bulk package from Wal-Mart? If employers can see that you went the extra mile and bought quality paper, to them, it could also mean you will be more likely to provide quality work for the company.
Pitfall #4: Not including a cover letter
Resumes do not feel personal to the reviewer without a cover letter. Again, this comes down to the “how much do you want this?” line. In cover letters, do not regurgitate what resumes will state. This is your chance to get some facts in the interviewer’s head that space didn’t permit you to state on your resume. Provide a reason why you feel you stand out from all of the other candidates. Will your college political science major give you an edge in dealing with the company’s public or non-profit clients? Say so. Put the idea in the reviewer’s head.
Pointers:
Can you speak Spanish? Say so. As the Hispanic influence and spending power increases, employers will be looking at resumes to find people who can bring many functions to their office. Also, do not go “out there” in resumes unless you are applying for a position in the creative department. Resumes that scream “out there” might also scream out a person who will not be in line with the company’s objectives.
By Virginia Zignego