Resume Mistakes to Avoid - Do Not Scare Off a Potential Employer

Making a resume depends on what kind of job a candidate is applying for, recruiters, and many other factors. Still, there are some common rules your application documents should meet if you want to catch the eye of the recruiter and make them want to read the whole piece. It's necessary to keep some resume mistakes in mind.

On average, a job opening attracts about 200-250 resumes. We know that only one person out of all will receive a job offer after the resume review, multiple interviews, and test assignments. 80% of all applications are rejected in the first ten seconds. Can you imagine some red flags scare off the potential employers that fast?

One of the biggest mistakes of job seekers is they tend to take into account their own needs and interests, forgetting to dedicate enough attention to the company they wish to apply for. A prospective employer will never read your application if it contains certain things.

After analyzing multiple job applications, experts have defined the most common resume mistakes. One should know them as well as the common resume writing tips. We will try to figure out what might scare your hiring managers most of all.

Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid When Getting a Job

Our experienced team in resume writing has analyzed the applications that were declined within minutes. The things discussed below may leave off your resume without being read to the end. You may use numerous templates and examples; however, if you ignore these recommendations, you risk failing the mission.

Any sort of language mistakes

The most common resume mistakes in the United States are those associated with grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It is not the most literate nation. Some people may think grammar does not matter if you are applying for positions in such industries as sports, engineering, computer, etc. Why would a potential athlete need grammar?

When making language errors, one shows disrespect to the hiring agency. Composing a resume for a job means an applicant should demonstrate a genuine interest in the position and dedicate enough time and effort for its capture. Having serious mistakes will not look like you have invested your best effort in a document, while some typos can still be ignored.

Even the most experienced writers can make mistakes, and that is okay, but you should check the prepared paper for errors and fix them. Also, try to use professional terminology. You can use several ways to do so. An applicant can use some of the advanced grammar-checking software available online at no charge or hire a certified resume writer from our company that boasts an impressive experience in this field of writing. That is how you'll avoid the biggest resume mistakes.

Employment gaps

If your work experience doesn't match the positions included on the list, an employer might hesitate. An applicant should check whether the dates of employment are correct and come up with a good, persuasive story if they used to change workplaces frequently. Some candidates try to hide this info by choosing the functional format. It won't help; instead, it makes things worse.

An applicant may get lucky: an employer might decide to leave the questions associated with the employment gaps to the interview phase. Do not try to come up with information during the discussion. Everything that you lie about will be revealed as soon as you get to work.

Information you can not prove

The tasks and duties in a document should correspond to the positions. An employer can easily tell whether you lie about your qualifications or not by having a look at the working experience section alone. Keep in mind evidence of lowering responsibility or career that has reached a plateau may catch the eye of the recruiter. What we mean is it's weird when a candidate declines on the career path - skip workplaces with such a suspicious experience.

Ambiguous duties and accomplishments

Slipping into a mode when an applicant starts listing responsibilities instead of the accomplishments is simple. It is difficult to get out of this. Do not focus much on the duties as they can be copied from a job description posted on the web; let them know about the most innovative solutions you've offered or KPIs your team has achieved faster thanks to your efforts and skills.

Making things too long or too short

Try to find the "golden middle" when it comes to the size of some statements! The entire document should not exceed two pages unless you are writing a CV with an impressive portfolio or have a rich working experience to share.

A poorly stated goal

One of the top resume mistakes is not including an objective at all. How should an employer know why you apply and what you plan to achieve and can contribute, without a clearly stated purpose? A goal should match the job somehow.

A good goal would sound this way, "Seeking a challenging Junior Marketing position that allows for contributing my skills and knowledge to fund-raising for non-profits." Avoid vague praises! For more examples of good goals, applicants can search for free samples of resumes online or ask professional writers to come up with a statement like that.

Incorrect contact details

Other resume mistakes to avoid include missing or wrong contact information. A candidate might be waiting for the feedback weeks long, having no idea the hiring manager has already tried to invite him or her to the position interview or testing. Try to include all possible communication channels in your resume. Thanks to the properly provided contacts, an applicant increases their own chances of being invited to the next stages of the recruiting process.

Some Extra Tips: Things to Avoid on a Resume

Another big resume mistake is to include some words that may scare off the recruiter. Here is the list of some words to avoid (they mostly relate to self-promotion):

  • Go-getter
  • Go-to-person
  • Detail-oriented
  • Out-of-the-box thinking
  • Best of breed
  • Strategic thinker
  • Friendly
  • Results-driven
  • Proactive

One should avoid general and personal phrases, which are usually adjectives and adverbs.

Things that appear on your resume predetermine your professional life and growth. You should master the art of composing this document. Otherwise, the potential employers will prefer CVs from other applicants who follow the standards of application writing.

To exclude any resume mistakes, and include hooks that grab the employer's attention, turn to the professional resume writing service online. Click on the following link, and you'll be automatically redirected to the main page of our helping service (provide a link). We will help you to join the best team in the world!

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