Top 5 Resume Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

There is no such thing as "slapping a resume together". A good resume is an artistic accomplishment in patience, fortitude, and creativity. There is an endless supply of articles on the market today offering useful dos-and-don'ts concerning every aspect of a prospective career change. Which one do I suggest you read? All of them! If just one hidden suggestion helps you land that new job, the article was well worth your time.

After searching endlessly for a good article on what not to do on my resume, I was feeling a bit out of sort. Sure, I found a couple good tips here and another few tips there, but nothing stuck out and smacked me in the forehead. Therefore, I decided to write what I consider the top 10 blunders on a resume; then I discuss how to avoid those blunders. By no means am I claiming that this is the last list every needed in creation. Nevertheless, this list is a good starting point. The list is also in no particular order.

Resume Blunder 1: Giving irrelevant information.

A prospective employer does not need your life-story. Usually, they only need to know pertinent facts concerning your qualification, education, and work history. A resume is the first obstacle between you and that prospective employer. If the employer approves of your resume, then you get that coveted interview. Therefore, always provide information that is relevant and important to the particular job you are trying to get.

Scenario: Sally recently saw an online ad concerning a career at Micron. She knows her education proves that she is capable, but for the last two years, she has been working at a local convenience store. Sally decides to submit her resume.

Do not say:"I know that I have not been working as a computer technician for the past two years. However, please notice that my education clearly states that I am highly qualified for this position."

Instead consider:"I graduated from Boise State University with a 3.65 GPA and spent 4 semesters on the Deans List."

Personal Thought:"Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it's holy ground. There's no greater investment." - Stephen Covey

Resume Blunder 2: Providing personal details such as race, age, religion, and ethnic heritage.

A prospective employer does not need to know what you look like or what you believe. Adding these directly to your resume may actually cause your resume to find the trash can quickly. A resume should never have such personal details unless specifically necessary for successfully completing the job applied for.

Scenario: Sally knows that because she is a and a woman, that she can use Affirmative Action to better place her in the job. Maybe this will give her a boost into her new career.

Do not say:"I found that being a and a woman greatly added to the success of my last job."

Instead consider: Just do not add this information. You should rely on your strengths to get that job. Most employers will toss the resume out if this information is added.

Personal Thought: "What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?" - Robert Schuller

Resume Blunder 3: Adding personal experience incorrectly.

Perhaps one of the best things I learned to making a powerhouse resume was that I had to add my experience correctly. Let me explain: I had a job where I handled not-compliant customers. I can add that to my resume, but it does not express what I learned from that experience. I can prove that I did this job for 3-years, but what did I learn?

Most employers want to know what you took away from past job experiences that will benefit your new job. If as in the scenario above, I may choose to add what I learned, not what only I did. I may impress my employer enough to get that interview.

Scenario: Sally writes on her resume that she volunteered for 2-years at a Domestic Violence shelter.

Do not say: "I volunteered for 2-years at a Domestic Violence shelter."

Instead consider:"Spending 2-years volunteering at the local Domestic Violence shelter taught me many things: how to offer comfort, compassion and condolences to woman in emotional, mental, and physical crisis; how to take affirmative action, create positive relationships, and provide lifesaving information to families in dire situations; and how to work under emotionally and mentally stressful situations on a continuing basis with someone else's welfare coming before my own. "

Personal Thought:"Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential." - John Maxwell

Resume Blunder 4: Not checking the resume for punctuation, grammar, and spelling mistakes.

Anyone can make a mistake or overlook a common error. However, the need to impress your skills on a potential employer is extremely important. Always, always, always, check your resume for errors. Do not depend solely on a spell-checker: spell-checkers only catch at most, 75% of potential errors.

A good resume reflects on who you are, and whether you care enough about your prospective employer -and yourself- to double-check your resume. A bad resume shows laziness and aloofness. If you are not sure, hire a professional or get a friend to help you make a resume that gets you results. Don't let your first impression end up with you taking a long walk off of a short pier.

Scenario: Sally has taken two years of English courses in college. She knows all of the rules associated with the English language. Overall, she believes she has a good grasp of the English language. Sally decides to create her own resume using the spell checker on Microsoft docs.

Do not say:"Because I use a spellchecker I no that my potential employer will be impressed with my grasp of the English language."

Instead consider:"Because I chose to proofread my resume, I know my potential employer will be impressed with my grasp of the English language."

Personal Thought:"It's never too late to be who you might have been." - George Elliot

Resume Blunder 5: Making a generic resume.

I agree, it is definitely easier to make one resume and then hand them out. Admittedly, this may be okay for some people… however, I feel that a resume should be created with enough compatibility to allow easy customization of the resume. This is not difficult to do.

First, consider what types of jobs you will be applying for with a resume. Perhaps you will be able to categorize the jobs into 2 or 3 groups. Then it is easy to make a resume suitable for each group individually. Make a different objective or profile -whichever you use-for each industry. This is one easy way to insure every resume is suited for the job you are applying for.

Scenario: Sally copied off 30 resumes today. She is stopping at every store in town and dropping off her resume. Her resume is generic; not suited to any particular industry.

Do not: Do not assume that a healthcare provider cares about how well you have flipped burgers. Do not assume that one size fits all.

Instead consider: Sally may want to consider narrowing down her possible choices. Decide which 2 or 3 industries are best suited to her. Then, make a resume for each industry.

Personal Thought: "There are times when a man should be content with what he has but never with what he is." - William George Jordan

Deciding to create a resume is a daunting task. Numerous companies and individuals will create a resume for you for a cost. However, consider contacting your local employment agency. The ones in the United States may be willing to help you create your own resume free of charge. Another option is online research. There are enormous amounts of websites, professionals and forums that deal exclusively with helping you create your resume. Consider searching for a template. Microsoft offers a large selection of free resume templates.

Whatever your career goal, a good resume gets you seen. Always have a positive, proactive attitude when searching for a new career opportunity and you may just find that opportunity is banging your door down!