Your resume is sometimes the first impression you make with a recruiter or hiring manager. Make sure you're not guilty of making these resume mistakes.

1. Three Critical
Resume
Mistakes
By Marietta Gentles Crawford

2. Three Critical Resume Mistakes
Is this actually the resume you’re submitting or you really just don’t
want this job
That’s just one of the things you don’t want a recruiter to think
when looking at your resume. Yes, the job search process can be
very discouraging at times. You find jobs that seem like a perfect
match for your skills, but get no callbacks for any of them.
The reality is that it’s a recruiters market right now. That means you
have to work even harder and smarter to stand out amongst the
thousands of candidates who think they’re great too (as well as
those who randomly apply for every posting knowing they’re
nowhere qualified.)
If your resume has been circulating the job boards, but your phone
is as quiet as a church mouse, it may be time for a makeover. Find
out if you’re guilty of any of these mistakes that will sabotage your
brand.

3. Resume Mistake #1
There are errors on your resume
Having blatant typos on your resume can be worse than saying congratulations
on your baby to someone who's not pregnant. Errors on your resume may not
always be an automatic disqualification for a job, but are you willing to take that
chance?
Make sure you give yourself enough time to look over your resume with fresh eyes
if you make any changes. When you've been working on a document long
enough, you just can't see the errors anymore. Your resume could have “redrum”
hidden in there and it still seems perfectly fine (after looking at it for the 15th time.)
 Be careful with spell check. Common mistakes like form versus from or manger
versus manager can easily be overlooked and show carelessness and lack of
attention to detail.
 If you add a new role, make sure the dates and tenses of previous roles are
updated as well. Ideally,
 it’s a good idea to get a reliable second pair of eyes to look over your resume.
It's better for a friend to find your mistakes than a recruiter.

4. Resume Mistake #2
You've had the same resume since your first real job
If you've been out of college for at least 10 years, but your resume has never
changed except to add a new job, "Houston, we have a problem." Your
resume may have been fantastic when it was first written, (or not), but it should
be an evolving document—even if your job hasn't changed much.
 Things and times change. At one point it was standard to start your resume
with an "Objective." Now it's seen as unnecessary (recruiters care more
about your skills and qualifications than the fact that you’re “looking for a HR
position in a fast-paced environment…”)
 Also, terms and techniques that you've used before may now be outdated.
These days, it’s just as important to showcase your personal brand in your
resume as it is to list your accomplishments. You’d be surprised to know what
has changed since you last circulated your resume. Moral of the story? Stay
on top of industry trends and check your resume yearly to make sure it's
current with the times.

5. Resume Mistake #3
Your resume looks like everyone else’s
Recruiters scan thousands of resumes every day and decide within seconds
whether or not they will continue reading. If looking at your resume reminds
them of a glitch in the Matrix (picture a black cat appearing twice), chances
are they won't look much further.
 Stop using general templates on the internet thinking if it's okay for a random
person online, it must be good for you too. Your brand is unique so your
resume should be as well. It’s fine to search the Internet to get ideas for your
resume, but be careful.
 There are a lot of generic and bad examples mixed in from resources that
may not be reliable. Do you know the difference?
 A good professional resume writer will uncover your marketable skills and
tailor your resume based on your personal brand, industry, and career
goals.
 If you're not able to take the time to do the proper digging and research
yourself, it’s worth the investment to have a professional do it for you.