Resume writing isn’t for the faint of heart, as you have to make the document onethat relays who you are professionally. It’s about revealing integrity, skill, and showing that you are the right fit for the job. Unfortunately, there are many people in the world that write CVs that are filled with mistakes. There are some amazing technology resume templates and other template styles that a person can use to impress, but mistakes can be made that cause the resume to be thrown into the discard pile.
To ensure that you write a killer CV that impresses rather than buries you professionally, the following are the five deadly sins commonly committed by CV writers.
Grammatical Errors
Grammar skills are a reflection of intelligence. At least that’s what many employers think. The moment a recruiter sees a typo or grammatical error, the rest of the resume isn’t read. The last thing you want is for an employer to think, “This person doesn’t care enough to do this job” or “This candidate is poor at written communication.”
Creating a One-Size-Fits-All Resume
Chances are, you are applying for multiple jobs. You probably have skills that apply to one and not the others. This means you shouldn’t create just one CV. You need to educate yourself on each job you are applying to so that you can get an idea of the skills that are needed. Evaluate the skills you have and write about only those skills that apply to each job. If this means that you have to write a dozen resumes for a dozen different jobs, do it.
Talking Too Much About Responsibilities
It’s easy to talk about past job responsibilities. Something like, “organized the filing system” should sound more like, “Updated 7 years worth of client files to improve accessibility and department efficiency.” This highlights an accomplishment rather than a responsibility. Focus on accomplishments rather than your job duties and you will impress.
Long Doesn’t Mean More Worthy or Experienced
A resume that is long doesn’t mean that you are more worthy than anyone else. A resume shouldn’t be more than two pages. While it can be tempting to go on and on about a past job you need to keep it to the facts that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Keep the meat, but get rid of the babble.
Being Too Bland
These days, there are some things that are too cliche’ like saying, “I was responsible for this and that.” This is another thing that could cause a potential employer to think you didn’t care or that you aren’t enthusiastic enough about the prospect of working for the company. Use phrases like “I resolved,””I increased,””I developed,” and “I improved.” Action verbs like these can get a positive response.
All in all, keep it as short as you can while highlighting your value. Talk about accomplishments, use action verbs, create a different resume for each job you are applying for, and proofread multiple times. Doing these things are a pretty good recipe for a rather impressive resume.
