Top 16 Outrageous Resume Mistakes That Will Destroy Your Candidacy

Is your resume catchy?

Do you advertise your skills and experience to meet the needs of an employer?

Have you constructed your resume in a way that it reflects your personal brand?

As employers receive thousands of resumes for one position, they often look for reasons to throw out a resume.

Here are 16 common resume mistakes you must avoid:

1)      Never make spelling and grammar mistakes in your resume. It conveys that you lack attention to detail.

Tip – Proofread your resume before you send it off.

2)      Never put too much of irrelevant job and task in chronological order. It will be difficult for your employer to understand your worth and usefulness to the company.

Tip –  Mention only relevant information about your work life.

3)      Never share anything which is NOT you. It won’t resonate with the employer and they won’t find you as a perfect fit for their company.

Tip – Think of your resume as an instruction manual of what you have to offer and why the employer should hire you.

4)      Never include many keywords and overload your resume with information. It will not impress the employers as they do not want to read that much anyway.

Tip – Keep your resume simple and focus on experience and achievements.

5)      Never include outdated and unprofessional contact information i.e. childish email address as it could create a problem for professional employment.

Tip – Update your resume with proper contact information i.e. phone number and professional email id whenever you change them.

6)      Never send poorly designed resumes i.e. out of alignment columns, different size fonts for headers and excessive white space which can turn off employers.

Tip – The resume should be pleasing to the eye and well-organized resume makes it easy to read.

7)      Never share anything that can work against you i.e. you being fired or have got unfavorable reviews from your past employers. The resume should not highlight why something went wrong in your past.

Tip – Highlight your best selling features and be prepared to talk about your unfavorable past if asked.

8)      Never mention references on your resume as this practice is dying out.

Tip – You can include ‘references available on request’ as it will be assumed that you will provide references if requested by the employer at appropriate time.

9)      Never blast your resumes to different job websites and job postings.

Tip – Look for opportunities and market yourself to the managers of the companies who are experiencing problems.

10)   Never apply for jobs where you lack qualifications as your resume will end up at someone’s desk that won’t be impressed and create a negative opinion about you.

Tip – You should apply for jobs where you are capable of performing and tailor your resume for each application.

11)   Never send recommendation letters alongwith your resume.

Tip – Save them for interview follow-ups.

12)   Never fictionalize your resume as you will get caught. Employers check facts online or pay for professional background checks and if the results don’t match then you are not getting hired.

Tip – Have an edge to get noticed by exaggerating a few areas on your resume – either academic achievements or job accomplishments.

13)   Never waste time of the employer by writing what’s not important and take large amounts of text from the job description.

Tip – Use bulleted lists for your skills and achievements and concisely tell your employer why he/she should hire you.

14)   Never assume that networking is not important as in today’s competitive job market, you cannot afford not to network and social media makes networking easier than ever.

Tip – Join Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and make industry connections that eventually lead to a job. Even attending local events can attract professionals in your industry.

15)   Never mention a date on your resume as it denotes when your resume was posted online.

16)   Never include your current or desired specific salary.