The 10 Resume Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
By mbretous@hubspot.com (Martina Bretous)
Are you in the process of updating your resume? Whether you’re applying for a new job, switching industries, or re-entering the workforce after time away, having an up-to-date and polished resume is essential.
But even the most experienced professionals make mistakes on resumes that can cost them the job.
Here are 10 critical, yet often overlooked, resume mistakes job seekers should watch out for.
- Grammar Mistakes
- Unrelated Job Experience
- Resume Length
- Distracting Design
- Lack of Personalization
- Lies or Exaggerated Claims
- Personal Information Disclosure
- Jargon
- Unprofessional Email
- Missing Contact Information
1. Grammar Mistakes
Your resume is likely the first impression you’ll make on a hiring manager. One surefire way to get yours in the “Reject” pile is by having grammar mistakes throughout.
The reason why this is so important is that it speaks to your attention to detail and can hurt your credibility as a candidate. Mistakes can also be distracting to readers – you risk them focusing on your mistakes rather than the value of the content itself.
Proofreading will be key in preventing mistakes on your resume. You should also:
- Run it through a writing app like Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, or Microsoft Word, which will underline typos, awkward sentences, and more.
- Have a friend review your resume.
- Walk away from your resume for at least an hour and come back to it with fresh eyes.
2. Unrelated Job Experience
You know the worst kind of storyteller? The one who keeps stopping along the way to add meaningless details that only distract from the core story.
Your resume is telling a very important story. If a piece of information isn’t supporting this story, remove it. This can be job experience, skills, and hobbies.
“But what if I’m making a career switch or have limited experience?” In either of those cases, focus on highlighting transferable tasks and skills – i.e. areas where your desired and past jobs intersect.
3. Resume Length
Some studies suggest that hiring managers spend less than 10 seconds reviewing a resume.
With a very little window to grab their attention, you want to consolidate your resume and ensure it only includes the most pertinent information.
The rule of thumb is to limit your resume to one page. With clever formatting, there’s a lot you can fit on there without it looking busy.
On the flip side, say you have limited job experience, you should still aim to fill up that page. Include details on your educational background and inclusion in relevant clubs and organizations. You can also include projects that you have created or contributed to.
4. Distracting Design
With resumes, less is often more. Although creative design can grab a hiring manager’s attention, if it’s too busy, they will struggle to focus on the content.
Distraction design includes:
Source:: HubSpot Blog
