When Business Insider showed a HR Expert some raw and unedited CV/Resumes, the mistakes were very typical of what we see in the Australian market. Here you get to witness first hand the reaction an employer will have when screening..
Resume readers tend to have
very little patience, and will sooner reject your
application than consider calling you for answers. Here's a
list of the most common resume writing and CV mistakes found
on many applications.
1.
Resume is
too long or too short
–you won't win any prizes for writing “War and Peace”, nor
will you gain any extra points for trying to write your
entire career history on a postage stamp.
2.
Too
"fluffy" –
"conscientious”, “dedicated” or "good communicator” are
great words but most companies will expect you to
substantiate your claims with skills and corresponding
competencies to match.
3.
No value
add – if your
resume appears similar in skill set to that of 20 or 30
other applicants, there's a good chance you'll go on the
"maybe pile" and never actually get a call. Your resume
needs to scream out to the reader, offering something others
simply don’t have.
4.
No focus
– listing
everything will cloud a resume. Is the employer looking for
a “one glove fits all”, or do they want someone with focus?
We can tell you now...it's focus.
5.
Visually
unappealing –
how your resume looks is as important as the words it
contains. That's why you should be careful with the
appearance of your resume. As many as a quarter of
candidates with otherwise excellent resumes ruin their
chances with bad layout.
6.
Grammar
mistakes and typos
– a rushed document can be spotted a mile away, and it’s
even easier to spot poor grammar and multiple typo's.
7.
Irrelevant
data – we can
all be proud of our extra curriculum activities, but
sometimes these can work against you. Ensure that any
additional activities have some direct relevance to your
career, for example "trained in responsible serving of
alcohol" isn't so relevant if it was 20 years ago and you're
now looking for a CEO position!
8.
A picture
can say a thousand words
- these days it's not always necessary to have your picture
on your resume, however if one is required, ensure that it
has a "professional image".
9. Hobbies. Unless you feel it really necessary to tell the world what you do in your spare time, you may want to consider either removing this section altogether or at the very least including only relevant information.