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Resume Screw-Ups
Resume screw-ups are easy to make, luckily they are also easy to fix. It is common for people to have the simplest of errors on their resume, although there is no reason for anyone to have them. With a little bit of education and some care, you can also remove the screw-ups on your resume and in so doing, make a better impression than you would have if you didn't clean up these problems.
Proofreading your work and checking your spelling are the most basic methods you can use to improve your writing skills. You may not be applying for a job in writing or publishing; you still want to appear as though you have some command of the language. Meaning if you look as though you can't read or write properly they may wonder what else you can't do well. Maybe your job?
Resume Screw-Ups People Make
Well, you can learn a bit here about resume screw-ups of which you might have and not be aware. When we are aware of potential problems, we can keep an eye out for them and have a better chance of catching them before the Human Resources administrators do. Examine what you have written then compare it against the examples listed here. You may find you have inadvertently included one or more of these screw-ups.
- Bad Spelling
Bad spelling is easy, it's a no-brainer. Everyone should know this one. It was drilled into us when we were in school, to always make sure we spell our words correctly. Our creator program has a built-in spell checker to help you create a properly constructed document.
- Bad Grammar
Bad grammar is a little more difficult to master. It isn't as simple as making sure a word is spelled correctly. We have to know how to structure our words and sentences properly. Our creator has some grammar checking capability built-into it to assist you in your writing. It seems that there is always someone we know who is good at writing, ask friends and family members to proofread it for you to help you with this task.
- Carbon Copy
Another common resume screw-up is to create a resume, then send it out to all of the jobs for which we apply. Each one should be custom written specifically for each job for which you have applied. We want to use keywords that were used in the job posting and weave them into the descriptions of our education and experience. This is called keyword optimization and you can use this approach to target your story to the employers needs. And put in some action verbs too people tend to forget to do that. Use every advantage that you can get.
- It's Not a Novel
Less is more, write in a way that enables your facts to jump out at the reader before they lose interest and stop reading. Adding words for the sake of explaining every detail is not the goal. The goal is to get your important skills and abilities in front of the reader. Then they can decide whether they are interested in you, and not reading a useless sheet of paper.
- Don't Get Cute
Use common fonts, paper and colors, we don't want to come off like an oddball but a professional. This page is a business document, not personal correspondence, so treat it as such.
- Inappropriate Social Media
It is normal nowadays to link to our Facebook or LinkedIn profiles, but it is an easily overlooked resume screw up to have silly personal info on there that will only serve to make us appear to be immature and unprofessional.
We must take our time and carefully go through each step as we build our resume. This opportunity is our only chance to capture the attention of the employer and win them over.
The employer is most likely being bombarded by applicants from all over the area, even from far away. Our competition is much higher than it has been in the past. Let us not screw up our chances of succeeding at getting a job.
