CV TIPS - Avoid These 5 Common Resume Pitfalls
Posted 9th October 2024 • Written by Andrew Fennell on forbes.com • • • • • •
If you’ve been on the job hunt for a while now and you’ve barely received a reply, let alone an interview, the likelihood is your resume is letting you down.
Sure, you could be the most experienced and accomplished professional in your field, but if you’re making basic resume mistakes, your application will still be ignored.
The good news is that if you’re aware of the common mistakes that too many professionals are making, you can tackle these issues head-on.
So, here are five of the most common resume pitfalls you need to avoid.
Not Writing An Engaging Summary
One of the biggest resume mistakes you can make is not writing an engaging and persuasive summary.
This is your chance to introduce yourself to hiring managers and this section appears right at the top of your resume. So if you get this wrong, you’re going to lose their attention instantly.
You should avoid long, wordy summaries that are full of vague pufferies like “talented marketing professional looking for next exciting career opportunity.”
Instead, you need to keep it short and sweet, using specific keywords and giving examples of your most impressive achievements.
Remember, the recruiter will skim through this section, so you need to make it as easy as possible for them to pick out those important details.
Creating (And Submitting) A Generic Resume
The sole purpose of your resume is to prove to the employer that you can do their specific role and that you are genuinely interested in working for their company.
If you submit a generic resume, no matter how impressive you think it may be, you’re not going to give them the information they need. So, in a matter of seconds, they’ll put your application aside.
Although it might feel like a lot of work when you're applying for multiple roles, you need to make sure that you do your research to determine exactly what the employer is looking for.
You can use the job description to highlight the relevant keywords and skills they require.
You can then make these keywords and requirements more prominent on your resume.
This will help hiring managers as they scan through your application, to easily determine if you’re a good fit for the role.
Not Showing How You’ve Made An Impact
One of the simplest but most damaging mistakes you can make is not showing your impact, particularly in your work experience section.
It’s not enough to just list your daily responsibilities. Employers want to know how your efforts contributed to the business and made a real impact on the team and bottom line.
The best way to do this is to use powerful action verbs, as well as facts and figures, to showcase your skills, biggest achievements, and how you made a real difference.
Essentially, you need to prove to the employer why having you on their team will benefit the business.
Lying Or Making Bold Claims
While it’s important to show that you've made an impact and use facts and figures to impress the recruiter, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to lie or exaggerate.
It can be tempting to embellish the truth in order to stand out from other candidates, but wild and unproven claims will actually backfire. For example, referring to yourself as “the best car salesperson in the U.S.”
This type of claim is usually impossible to prove and can come across as arrogant and even a little embarrassing.
Similarly, you don’t want to get caught out in a lie. This will make you look untrustworthy and although you might hope to get away with it, if the employer doesn't work it out whilst reading your application, they certainly will when they interview you.
Spelling And Grammatical Errors
Last but not least, spelling and grammatical errors can stop your application dead. They look unprofessional, and frankly, a bit lazy.
It’s so important to read and reread your application before you submit it and if you’re still worried about your spelling or grammar, have someone else look over it for you.
You can also make use of free online spell checkers just to make sure that your application is free from basic errors and spelling mistakes.
After all, attention to detail is an important skill, and spelling and grammatical errors don’t look good. So always make sure to double, even triple-check your resume before you submit your application.
This might seem like such a small, innocent mistake, but it can cause the employer to immediately reject your application; as can generic, boring, or exaggerated resumes.
So make sure to avoid these five common resume pitfalls and ensure that you always take your time to tailor and perfect every job application you submit.
That’s the key to job-hunting success.
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