There are some classic mistakes most of us would do while writing a resume. Follow these tips to identify these mistakes and take preventive action.

1. Classic Resume Writing Mistakes that even the ‘Best in the
Business’ Do
www.prepcrow.com/blog/classic-resume-writing-mistakes/
Resume writing mistakes
Resume writing is more of an art at heart. Classic resume writing mistakes are easy to make but easy to avoid as
well. According to Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter of Glassdoor, resumes are the heart and soul of a career makeup. If
enough time spent to avoid resume writing mistakes and prepared well, they will sell you. if not, they will burn your
career.
The good old use of paper is vanishing rapidly as the digital age has established its supremacy. However, the case
is different with resumes. Professional social networking sites like LinkedIn have never been able to replace the old-
fashioned paper resumes.Professional social networking sites like LinkedIn have never been able to replace the…
Click To Tweet
In the competitive labor market of today, anything inferior to a stellar resume may go against you. True, there are
several resume writing websites teaching you several things about what makes a great resume. Learning the good
things is one part of the story and knowing the common and classy mistakes people make is another.
On that note, here are the most egregious resume preparation mistakes job seekers make over and over again.
Extravagant design is often a mistake
1/5

2. While preparing a resume you must avoid using extravagant designs. For instance, it would be smart to stick to one
font type that is easy on the eye. The idea of using multiple fonts may sound creative – but it will create visual
problems and may distract your hiring manager. The last thing you want after spending hours’ designing your
resume is – your profile being passed over and you losing the chances of making it to the interview.
Contrary to what you think, using design tools like color fonts, highlighting and shading are considered
unprofessional and must be avoided.
This rule may not be applicable to someone in a creative industry like graphic designing, where creative designs
and fonts are encouraged.
Not using the right order format
This is one of the basic resume writing mistakes that many online resume help sites teach you to avoid. When
jotting down the details of employment history, there are two formats used in general: functional and chronological.
With the second option – “chronological order”, you will mention your most recent employment history followed by
the previous job experiences. In the case of “functional order”, your best professional abilities or skillsets are
highlighted first, even though they may not be in the chronological employment history.
It is important to determine which format is more effective depending on many factors. One such factor you must
take into consideration is – whether you are looking for a career shift or getting back to work after a break. In
general, when you are seeking a job in the same field and have many years of experience behind you, you may want
to choose the “chronological order”.
On the other hand, individuals trying to make a career transition or trying to jump into a more professional
environment should use the “functional order” to their advantage.
Honestly, there is no hard and fast rule on this. It all depends on the ‘need of the hour’.
Overexpressing your personal interests
2/5

3. It is no-secret that a resume is prepared keeping the job role and the hiring manager in mind. While doing this, it is
important not to get carried away and start overexpressing your personal interest.
Agreed, sometimes your personal interests matter, but at most times over-listing your personal interests (unless
there is a viable purpose for including them) may be unprofessional. Here are two examples to illustrate the point.
When you are preparing a resume for a job in the sports and fitness industry, it would make sense to add your
personal interests like surfing, cycling and rock climbing. Similarly, if you are an expert book publisher who is
applying for a job in the publishing industry, it would be smart to include your writing achievements or name the
many books you have written and published.
Remember, the primary objective here is to gift yourself the interview call. There is no need to list down too many
unwanted personal interests or hobbies that have nothing to do with the job opportunity. So make a strategy for
yourself before sharing your personal interests.
A lengthy Resume
Hiring managers, in general, have a pile of resumes to review and the initial review/evaluation process is usually
quick. That also means hiring managers may pursue with documents that best catch their eye. So what’s the catch?
You simply do not have enough time to attract the hiring manager by furnishing detailed contents about your
professional feat. It is a known fact that hiring managers when reviewing resumes for the first time, do not spend
more than ten to twenty seconds.
Even though you may be the most qualified candidates among the ones who have applied for the interview, sending
a lengthy resume (that is more than one-page long) may not get you noticed by the recruiter. So, if you have been
preparing detailed resumes that are more than one-page in length, it is time you start editing and trimming them to fit
to the desired length.
Using the phrase “References available upon request”
3/5

4. Not sure why so many job seekers use this phrase on their resumes – “ References available upon request”, but it is
totally unnecessary. It is something the employers will definitely ask you for if and when required.
“No harm in mentioning it” you may think! But that little phrase might demonstrate your ignorance. It has almost
become a rule – don’t mention that phrase again. A quick research on the different online resume help blogs will
teach you that no professional resume will feature that phrase. Moreover, it does nothing to maximize your chances
of being invited for the interview.
Not effectively detailing your career experience
You have worked hard to make it to the position you are in right now. Hence, it is important to make your resume talk
by detailing your job experiences effectively.
Analyze “your job profile versus your accomplishment”; determine which of those are crucial and can catch the eye
of your recruiter. Often, career achievements can trump your job profile. Consider listing your job profile carefully
such that it coincides with your workplace achievements.
However, do not simply mention things like your experience in form filling or data entry, ignoring your career
achievements. It would be a good idea to mention how your professional skills and experiences have helped you
witness workplace achievements in the past. You can also mention how these skills and experiences can play a vital
role for the organization you have applied.
These two combined can do the trick for you – arise interest in your hiring manager’s mind.
A sloppy presentation
One of the most neglected aspects of preparing a resume is – proofreading it. It is important to proofread your
resume to ensure it presents a professional appearance to the recruiter. A resume full of spelling mistakes, errors or
even lying about your past employment dates will make a bad impression.
You might think these things are obvious and are the basic rules of building a resume. Believe it or not, these
mistakes are repeated more often than you can imagine. If you have the habit of relying too much on your spell
check alone, it is time you wake up. This is because spell checks simply cannot catch all the errors inadvertently
4/5

5. made on the resume.
Think of all that you would expect if you were the hiring manager of a company, filtering from a pile of resumes. What
would you like to see and more importantly, what are those things that you hate to see?
Avoid using language that makes you look as if you are too desperate for the job. You do not have to include ‘big
words’ or ‘high-sounding-jargon’ or ‘acronyms’ with every sentence you make. They are not going to impress your
hiring manager more than you can do with simple words. Finding the right balance is the key here.
Keep in mind that your resume could be read by anyone including individuals in the HR department or even the
CEO of the organization. So, if you are applying for a position in the research and development department (for
instance) and preparing a resume with that department in mind, you could go wrong.
In short, prepare a resume that anyone would love to read without missing on the key points, achievements,
experiences and other details.
Well begun is half done, they say. Today’s job market has become so competitive that there is just no room for
complacency. Often, there is no time to correct things and there is no second chance, unless you are extremely
lucky.
With more and more robots taking over human jobs and the trend growing thick and fast, job seeking is not getting
any easy. If you are a young or inexperienced job seeker, you must look to do the smart thing – capitalizing on the
limited opportunities. Are you ready? All the best!!
5/5

6. Click here to go to the source:
Classic Resume
Mistakes
www.PrepCrow.com