Crafting a Resume That Gets You Hired

Your resume is arguably the most critical document when it comes to landing a new job. For many positions, the resume is the first item a hiring manager looks at to determine if you should move forward in the recruitment process. A poorly constructed resume full of errors and omissions can easily result in you being passed over for an interview.

With so much riding on getting your resume right, it is essential you avoid common mistakes that could sabotage your job search. This comprehensive guide will examine the eight most frequent errors seen on resumes along with tips for fixing them. By learning how to optimize your resume to be mistake-free, you can grab the attention of recruiters and increase your chances of securing the job you want.

Typos and Grammatical Errors

The first major resume mistake to be mindful of is including typos, spelling errors, and grammatical mistakes. With how much competition exists for open roles, recruiters will not think twice about rejecting resumes that look unprofessional due to sloppy writing. Even a single glaring typo is enough for your resume to end up in the discard pile rather than being seriously considered.

Hiring managers need to see candidates can present polished written materials free of obvious mistakes. Typos and grammar errors suggest carelessness and undermine your communication abilities. Some tips to keep your resume error-free include carefully proofreading it multiple times, reading it backwards line by line, asking others to review it, using online tools like Grammarly, and printing it out for easier visual review. Invest time meticulously perfecting your resume writing to avoid this fastest route to rejection.

Too Much Irrelevant Information

Another common resume mistake is including excessive details that are not directly relevant to the target role. Some job seekers make the mistake of thinking more content is always better. In reality, you want to include only the most high-impact information tailored specifically to show you are qualified for that particular job. Limiting your resume to the most relevant data, rather than going overboard with wordiness or unrelated facts, helps you stand out.

Carefully review each position and detail you list and ask yourself if it is directly supporting your candidacy for the specific role. If not, be ruthless in cutting it. For example, trim away old positions from over a decade ago or remove sections on irrelevant skills or passions. The goal is quality over quantity information. Adapt your resume content around keywords and requirements pulled directly from the job description. Follow the rule of keeping your resume short and concise, ideally 1-2 pages maximum unless you are a senior executive. Streamline your resume to spotlight only achievements and experience truly relevant for each job application.

Messy, Hard to Read Formatting

Presentation and readability matter greatly on resumes. You want to avoid formatting that looks cluttered, confusing or messy. Your resume should use consistent, easy to skim formatting with adequate white space between logical sections. Strategically use techniques like bolding, italics, underlining, and bullet points to direct the reviewer’s eye to the most essential parts.

Stick with standard simple fonts like Arial, Calibri or Cambria in sizes between 10-12pt for maximum legibility. Avoid cramping content together into dense blocks of text. Break it up into digestible sections with plenty of breathing room. Overall, the visual formatting and structure of your resume should be clean, organized and reader-friendly. Templates can provide good starting points for ideal resume formatting you can then customize and polish. Invest time perfecting the format for a professional look and skimmable reading experience.

Vague, Imprecise Language

Using excessive niche jargon, clichés, buzzwords, and flowery language is another common resume pitfall. Your wording needs to be direct, easy to understand, and highlight tangible examples. Avoid overly broad statements that sound fluffy but lack concrete meaning. Back up general claims with specific data, metrics, and facts wherever possible.

For instance, rather than saying you “increased sales substantially” or “excelled at customer service”, quantify it with real numbers like “Increased quarterly sales by 25% by implementing a new lead generation strategy” or “Improved customer satisfaction scores from 76% to 98% as call center supervisor”. The recruiter wants to immediately grasp how your experience matches the role through clear, compelling writing. Points should summarize accomplishments rather than just listing generic duties. Every word must add value. If terms are industry-specific, define or explain them briefly for clarity. Edit sentences to be tight, focused and impactful.

Lack of Targeted Keywords

Many job seekers spend minimal time tailoring their resume to each job posting. But customizing your resume with keywords and technical terminology from the job description is vital. If your resume does not reflect the required competencies, technologies, certifications, education levels or other specifics sought for the job, applicant tracking systems will automatically filter you out.

Always meticulously review new job postings for required and desired skills as well as repeated mentions of certain software, traits, and qualifications. Then work those exact terms into your resume strategically. You might list these keywords early in a resume summary or skills section to grab attention. But also incorporate them throughout resume bullets wherever logical. This optimization and personalization for matching targeted keywords will help your resume make it past initial screening stages.

Burying Your Strongest Selling Points

Skimming is the norm for recruiters, so you want to ensure your most compelling selling points are viewable on initial scan. Burying your key achievements and skills too far down the resume means they risk getting overlooked. Use strategic content organization and visual emphasis to draw eyes to your strongest qualifications right away.

One effective technique is starting with a resume profile or summary section that highlights your biggest accomplishments, differentiators and skills tailored to that particular role. Then for each subsequent job listed, consider structuring your bullets with your most impressive accomplishments first rather than burying them. Use formatting like bolding or underlining selectively to direct attention to essential parts you want noticed right off the bat. Write compelling headings that capture the reviewer’s interest to read more. By front-loading key details, you increase relevance and impact.

Excessive Length

Recruiters tend to only spend an average of 7 seconds initially reviewing a resume. That means lengthy, dense resumes at 3+ pages will simply not get thoroughly read. Anything overly wordy or repetitive risks losing the reader’s interest quickly. Comb through your resume and cut any content that is lower priority and not absolutely necessary to prove your value as a candidate.

Be as concise as possible to spotlight only your most relevant skills, achievements and qualifications. Limit yourself to maximum two pages unless well into your career. Remove outdated positions to tighten it up. Summarize details briefly rather than providing lengthy paragraphs. Liberal use of formatting techniques like narrow margins, columns, and compact bullets enables you to condense your resume without cramming. The goal is to showcase your biggest selling points prominently within a scannable, skimmable page length.

Inaccuracies or Exaggerations

As tempting as it may be, never embellish, falsify, or stretch the truth on your resume. The potential consequences, including rescinded job offers or termination, are simply not worth the risk. Misrepresenting your background or abilities in any way will only damage your credibility in a best case scenario if caught during background checks or interviews.

Be extremely diligent about vetting every item on your resume for complete accuracy and honesty. Stick to the verifiable facts. Avoid overstating job titles, inflating accomplishments, stretching dates, or claiming skills you don’t possess. Take time to accurately represent roles, responsibilities and achievements. The truth will ultimately come out anyway. Read consent forms very carefully, noting sections on previous employers being contacted. Invest your energy into highlighting relevant skills and successes confidently without fabricating anything.

Correcting Resume Mistakes = Interviews

Making an effort to correct these common resume mistakes will maximize your chances of landing job interviews. Even fixing one or two resume issues can mean the difference between getting call backs or ignored. Your resume is your first impression - don’t undermine your candidacy with easily avoidable errors. Be meticulously attentive toperfecting your resume by:

. Proofreading thoroughly to eliminate every typo and grammar problem
. Cutting away irrelevant facts to feature only role-specific keywords and selling points
. Using consistent, neat, skimmable formatting to showcase content
. Replacing vague buzzwords with concise, quantified achievements
. Carefully incorporating keywords from each unique job description
. Strategically organizing content to draw eyes to strongest assets first
. Tightening up overall length without sacrificing critical details
. Confirming every claim and accomplishment is completely truthful

With a mistake-free resume tailored specifically to each application, you gain a considerable edge over other applicants. Avoiding common resume pitfalls helps your qualifications shine. Spend time polishing this critical document to maximize your chances of landing those coveted interviews.