What are the common mistakes in resume writing?

A resume is an important piece of a document whose role comes into play while hunting for a job. This document summarizes the education, skills, work experience of the candidate looking for a job. Writing a resume is not an easy job and it is quite common to commit mistakes while working on a resume.

So, what are the common mistakes in resume writing?

Here in this blog, we have listed some of the common mistakes of a resume that should be avoided at any cost. These resume mistakes will keep you away from getting a job.

Common Mistakes in Resume Writing

1. Grammatical Errors and Typos: This is the most common mistake found in a resume. Your resume should not only be grammatically correct but should also be free from typos and spelling mistakes. Any type of grammatical error or typo in a resume will create a negative impression in front of the hiring manager. This will lower your job selection chances to a certain extent.
2. Listing Education on the Top of the Page: Mentioning education on the top of the page is one of the biggest resume mistakes often made by job aspirants. Unless and until you are a fresher or applying for an entry-level position, you should list work experience on the top of the page.
3. No Action Verbs or Weak Action Verbs: Not using action verbs or using weak action verbs like ‘helped’, ‘assisted’ is another resume mistake that applicants often commit. A great resume is one that has past experiences and accomplishments listed with the help of strong action verbs.
4. Vague Resume Objective: Employers or hiring managers often look at the resume objective. Candidates often make the mistake of writing a vague resume objective. The objective should be clear and specific to the job role you apply to. Employers look for precise resume objective that focuse on their needs and requirements. You can use a resume maker online if you are confused about the resume objective.
5. Using Different Fonts: In order to make a resume more attractive, candidates try to use multiple fonts in a resume. But do you think employers find the use of multiple or different fonts attractive? Not at all. The use of multiple fonts in a resume is visually unappealing and will give employers a headache. So, try to use a single font in a resume either Times New Roman or Arial.
6. Unprofessional Email Address: If you are mentioning an unprofessional email address in a resume then it is the biggest mistake you are making. Unprofessional email addresses like loverdavid@gmail.com, magicalmandy@gmail.com are a big No. Hiring managers will instantly reject your resume on seeing an unprofessional resume. So, always use a professional email address when it comes to the job hunting process.
7. Incorrect Information: Listing incorrect information in a resume in the form of wrong employment dates, wrong personal information can leave you in a state of confusion while facing the interview. So, it is better to mention the correct information in the resume rather than regretting later on.
8. Poor Format – While scanning a resume, the first thing that catches the attention of employers is the format of the resume. Poorly formatted and disorganized resumes are thrown away without giving a second thought. So, while making a resume, take proper care of the format and structure of the resume. Remember that a resume is a professional document and not a piece of art.
9. Too Much Personal Information: Filling your resume with too much personal information is not at all a good practice. Personal information should only include name, address, DOB. Employers do not want to know about your marital status, religion. In earlier days, candidates used to list this information but now not anymore. So, avoid listing too much personal information in your resume.
10. Not using Keywords: The use of keywords in a resume has become so much important these days. By keywords, we mean the skills and job requirements that employers are looking for. If you have the exact words that employers want to see in your resume, then there are more chances of getting a response. Also, there are special resume software these days that selects or rejects resume on the basis of keywords mentioned in a resume.
11. Obsolete Resume: Don’t ever submit an obsolete or outdated resume. If you are still using an outdated resume for a job search, then it is a serious mistake you are committing. The resume format which was in trend a few years back will not be relevant today. So, always keep your resume up to date with all the relevant information.
12. Not Listing Accomplishments: If you want to stand out among the list of applicants, then you should list down your accomplishments. Earlier this was not a common practice but with changing times, it has become important to list down the achievements. Mentioning accomplishments will definitely have a great impact.
13. Including Personal Hobbies: Listing personal hobbies in the resume is now the thing of the past. Mention your personal hobbies only when they are related to the job role you are applying to. Most of the times employers and hiring managers have an interest in knowing your skills and work experience only. So, unless related to your job, do not list down your personal hobbies in your resume.
14. Including a Photo: Unless you are applying in the acting or modelling field, do not include your photo in the resume. You can use that space to add more details to your resume. You should include photo in some specific cases and not every time.
15. Not Proofreading: If after writing your resume you are not proofreading it, then you are doing a big mistake. There may be many possible mistakes you might have made while crafting your resume. Proofreading will help you to point out and correct those mistakes. A resume full of errors will not only create a negative impression but will also leave out your chances of getting selected for the job in the first place.

These were the common resume mistakes that one should avoid.

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