The Resume Writers at ResumePundits.com Offers Insight into Resume Writing
Your resume is your professional biography, the document where you detail your accomplishments and persuade employers to give you a shot at the interview. It’s important to show off your experience and accolades and equally important modify each resume to be sure it is relevant to each position you are applying for. Here are some resume samples of what we offer. While it is important to make sure you sell yourself, it can be detrimental to your outlook if you include these common mistakes:
- Objective Statements: The days of including an objective statement on your resume are long gone, and they should be. We have seen thousands of resumes with the same objective statement, “To Secure a Position with…” The truth is, employers know what your objective is, we all do. You sent in the resume to land an interview and ultimately land the position. Instead of using the boring objective statement, utilize this valuable area with a brief career summary illustrating what you bring to the table.
- Personal Interest: We get it, you are a well-rounded individual and you want to express that on your resume, however including personal interest could cost you the opportunity at an interview. The obvious issue here is employers simply don’t care. They read through hundreds of resumes and the less irrelevant fluff that you can remove, the better off you will be. Additionally, this opens the door for discrimination. Sure, it’s illegal, but it happens. If you express any religious, political, or any other social stance that disagrees with the person that is reviewing your resume they may give the edge to someone else.
- Creative Designs: The majority of the time, your resume is going to submitted into an Applicant Tracking System. These systems while complex do not mesh well with resumes that are filled with tables, colors, or designs. Although it may be attractive to the eyes, more than likely this will cause your resume content to be rearranged in the tracking systems and difficult for hiring professionals to read. Lastly, it is unprofessional unless you are applying for a position that requires creativity. Your resume should be in a clear and concise tidy text format.
- References: Simply put, if employers want them, they’ll ask. Even if you include them on your resume, they will inevitably ask for them again. Your resume is to sell your experience in order to land an interview. Thats it. Additionally, most companies have moved to a no reference policy so employers have given up asking for them. In most cases employers rely on their background screening company to verify your past employment. Don’t waste the space.
- A Photo of Yourself: This has become more and more popular and we aren’t sure why. No explanation necessary, just don’t do it.
- Irrelevant Work Experience: We also see this often. A candidate has been in sales for the past 10 years but wants to include their experience from the time they served tables because they believe it shows customer service skills. Again, this is adding fluff to your resume. An employer wants to know what you bring to the table as it relates to their hiring needs. If this position is your first job, leave it off. It doesn’t matter.
- Your “Relevant” College Coursework: Despite what you believe, it is not relevant at all. Employers are more concerned about your real-world working experience. The exception here is if you are a recent graduate and want to show that you are knowledgeable in the field you are pursuing.
As always, if you feel like this is an overwhelming process and would like one of our expert resume writers to create your professional document, Resume Pundits will be sure to impress!
