“You only get one shot — do not miss your chance to blow.” Eminem may have been referring to rap battles when he dropped this lyric back in 2002, but he just as easily could have been talking about resumes and the job search. Resumes, after all, are your first chance to show a company what a perfect fit you are for a position — but if done incorrectly, they could also be your last. That’s why it’s absolutely critical to get them right the first time. Otherwise, all the time you spend filling out applications is essentially for naught.
But for every resume mistake, there’s a remedy. We’ve rounded up a few of the most common resume errors that prevent you from moving onto the next round, as well as solutions for how to fix them. It may take some time to tweak, but the payoff is worth it.
1. Typos & Grammatical Errors:
How many times has someone told you – ‘Don’t make any grammatical mistakes in your resume’? A lot of times, I’m sure.
As obvious as it sounds, many people still end up making silly grammar mistakes such as wrong word choices, spelling errors, and punctuation errors which could be easily avoided.
Solution: To avoid making such mistakes, make sure you proofread your resume at least twice. Once done, ask your friends and family to do the same. You’d be surprised how many mistakes you overlook while proofreading your own resume.
You can also use Grammarly to correct any grammatical mistakes made in the resume.
2.Forgetting Action Words:
What are Action Words?
Action Words are keywords that the recruiter is looking for in your resume, which is specific to the job opening. Additionally, a lot of companies use automated scanning software known as Applicant tracking systems (ATS) which specifically looks for Action words.
Many don’t realize the importance of action words. Using action words, you can describe the same job in a way that it focuses on your achievements thereby creating a completely different impression for the reviewer.
Solution: Implement keywords which are specific to your job role.
For example, if you are applying for a position in the marketing department, starting your bullet points with words like ‘Developed, Formulated, Reduced, Maximized, regulated’ instead of the boring ‘Responsible for…’ is a good option.
3.Not Highlighting Achievements:
A resume is not the place to be modest.
Many people shy away from adding achievements (Workplace or otherwise) in their resume thinking it’ll make them come across as narcissistic. On the contrary, not having any achievements listed on your resume will put you at a disadvantage as there’ll be nothing to differentiate you from the crowd.
Solution: Share any awards or recognition you have received in a matter-of-fact manner.
If you got a scholarship, be sure to mention that as well
4. Adding Irrelevant Skills to your Resume:
In the skills section, a lot of people tend to list all possible skills they possess.
The company you’re interviewing with is looking out for a specific set of skills in their prospective employee to get the job done. So any skills other than those select few will be considered irrelevant. Make sure you only add the relevant ones in your resume.
Solution: Go through the job description carefully and list down the skills required by the company. Mention them in your resume if you have any. Also, if you have worked on any tool at your previous workplace that they have included in their job description, include it in your resume.
5. Lying on your Resume:
Sometimes when you are looking for a new job, it’s tough to find one right away. You then end up with a couple of months of gap period that you wouldn’t like to bring to the notice of the recruiter. Many people, in similar situations, blatantly lie about the gap period in their resume by omitting it completely.
Besides that, many tend to lie about their grades, the number of people they worked with, their sales results hoping it’ll never be cross verified. It almost always is.
Solution: Never lie on your resume.
If you have a few months of gap period between two consecutive jobs, you can make it less of an issue by eliminating the exact start and end dates of the previous jobs in the work-ex section. Just mention the year and month for each of the jobs. If asked during the interview, be honest about it.
Also, don’t forget to mention any volunteer work skills that you have picked up during the gap period.
As for your grades and other work-related details, it can be easily verified so it’s best if you remain honest about everything and focus on writing a resume that shows the best version of you.
6. One – Size – Fits – All – Approach:
You might be wondering why waste time to create a different resume for each employer since you’re applying for the same job everywhere?
That’s where many people go wrong. If you have a generic resume, it’s most likely to be tossed in a bin if the recruiter doesn’t believe you are a good fit for their organization. Employers expect you to clearly show how and why you fit the position in a specific organization.
Solution: Create a resume that’s tailored specifically for the company you’re applying to.
With the ever-growing list of job aspirants, the competition is getting fierce in terms of getting a job anywhere.
Your resume is your first introduction to the recruiter, and you need to create a good first impression.
Follow the above-mentioned tips and you’re already ahead of most people.
Now go get that job you were eyeing!!
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**The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company or any entity associated with it.
