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Avoiding resume blunders

© Annemarie Cross

With an over abundance of resume writing resources and "how to" articles in books, career magazines, and countless articles all over the internet, why is it then that so many candidates are still developing resumes that will not survive the initial screening process? Competition is fierce, quality positions are often scarce, and a recruiter's workload is so demanding that the resume screening process is often limited to around 30 seconds - so your resume cannot afford to contain any errors, superfluous information, or incorrect formatting.

If your resume is to stand the best chance of securing you an opportunity to attend an employment interview, avoid the following bloopers, or "what-not-to-do's," when creating your resume.

Too broad:
For candidates with diverse experience, now would not be the time to develop your career memoirs with each and every role listed, particularly employment which bears no significance to the position being applied for. Keep your resume focused on relevant skills and competencies in order to confirm your ability to perform tasks required for the role.

Too task oriented:
Don't be tempted to cut and paste directly from your job description or provide a generalized list of responsibilities. This will do little to separate you from your competitors as it will read more like a boring shopping list and do little to compel the reader to call you in for an interview. Rather, concentrate on your achievements and contributions made within the workplace to portray the overall value you are offering the potential employer.

Poor formatting:
Inconsistent headings, over use of various bullet styles, pretty graphics, and picturesque bold borders are no place for your resume. Some recruiters prefer to scan your resume into their database and pretty bullets can often cause confusion. Keep it simple yet professional, and leave your creative talents for your Christmas cards.

Personal information:
Date of birth, gender, marital status, number of dependents, and any other personal information should not be included on your resume and could be considered discriminatory in many countries. Leave this information out.

Inappropriate email:
Even though your email address may raise a few chuckles among your friends, providing a rude or suggestive email address on your resume is not appropriate. Get a new email address, even if it is only used during your job search campaign.

Inaccurate or missing contact information:
Double check your contact details - a recruiter will not spend time looking you up in the phone directory if you have omitted a number or have given an incorrect number. Ensure that your contact information is easy to find. In fact, place this section at the front of your document so that the recruiter does not have to waste time looking for it.

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