Top 10 Mistakes You Can Make on Your Resume

These words don’t describe your performance. Try replacing such words with phrases such as “accomplished” “resolved problems related to” or “successfully conducted or organized’. These are more impactful and are the keywords managers would be looking for.

8) Not using keywords related to the job: Most resumes today are scanned for keywords to make the process of shortlisting candidates quicker. Not making use of such keywords would put your resume lower in the stack. Make sure you use relevant keywords and phrases. A list of these is easily available on the Internet.

9) Including inappropriate information in your resume: Information about your spouse, your children or your marital status has no place in this document. The company is more concerned with your skills and your usefulness to organization and its growth. Avoid including any unnecessary information that may make the resume uninteresting. Most people tend to place such information in the first quarter of the resume. The first part of your resume is most important and must contain relevant information only.

10) Sending your resume without a cover letter: A cover letter is an introductory letter that describes your specific skills and work experience, which is further qualified in your resume. It creates the first impression on the reader’s mind and it is therefore important to send a cover letter along with your resume to grab the attention of the reader by presenting your case as a compelling choice for the organization.

Other mistakes you could make would be in not mentioning contact numbers or names visibly, not updating the same, using the same resume for all job applications, not sending your resume in compatible documents so that they can be retrieved on the computer, or using too many pictures or graphics so that they become a distraction.

Employers are looking for genuine people who can apply their skills and help the organization grow. From the hundreds of applicants, you want your resume to stand out and qualify as the best contender for the said post. Make sure you create the most attractive, clear, and strong resume with authentic information about your qualification and potential to make that job yours.

Shelly Verma is an avid small business writer touching on topics from insurance, health, higher education, career improvement, self-help to home improvement.

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