A great resume can get you noticed by recruiters for all the right reasons. Avoidable oversights, however, can send your resume straight to the ‘no’ pile. According to one US study into eye-tracking activity, recruiters spend just a few measly seconds scanning your resume. That’s why it’s so important to avoid making these simple mistakes that could cost you your dream job.
5 Simple Resume Mistakes To Avoid:
- Addressing your resume to the wrong person
How embarrassing. This is a very common mistake that usually happens when candidates are sending out a large number of applications to different companies. It’s important to take some time to tailor your application to each business you are applying for, including checking the recruiter details and avoid sending bulk, generic application.
- Leaving out important information
You may have extensive experience in your current role, but if you don’t include the details about your job, the skills required or the achievements you’ve gained, your resume could be overlooked. A good idea is to outline your position details, responsibilities and your experience using dot points, with a new section for each job. If a recruiter does only have a few seconds to glance at your resume, they will be able to quickly identify and assess your relevant skills and abilities.
- Being too vague with dates
If you state you worked as a company from 2015 to 2016, this could mean January 2015 to the present, or it could mean December 2015 to January 2016. Vague employment dates may mean your resume is rejected simply because recruiters don’t have the time to check up on every detail. If you can’t remember the exact dates, try and include the month and year in which you started and finished so a resume reader can easily identify your employment timeframes.
- An abundance of obvious spelling mistakes
A resume littered with spelling mistakes can make a recruiter think that you don’t have the attention to detail you claim to have. It looks unprofessional when you can easily run a spell check, or ask a friend to read over it and pick out any mistakes.
- A messy or complicated layout
A resume that is too complicated to read or just downright messy with different fonts or illogical timelines is sure to be overlooked. A good rule of thumb for an effective resume is to use a simple layout, with your details at the top and your employment history clearly outlined in the chronological order. Recruiters can’t afford to spend all day searching through a complex resume looking for relevant information.
Spending a few minutes checking over your resume could mean the difference between landing your dream role, and missing out over the most simple of errors.
