Don't Hit Submit Yet! Check Your Resume for These 11 Common Issues!

Creating a resume is no small task, and can be exhausting. (Have you checked out our blog "Why Is Writing A Resume So Hard?")

But before you submit your resume, take a minute to check for the most common issues we see. By verifying you haven't made any of the following common resume mistakes, you can put your best foot forward with your job application.

• Is your email address professional? Don't let your email address give an unprofessional impression. Something like partygirl2020@... should be replaced by your first and last name instead. In addition, check what email host you're using. Hotmail and AOL are considered outdated, and may lead to age discrimination. Instead, create a Gmail address to use for your job search.

• Is the resume easy to read? Make sure your font size is 10-12 point and you utilize white space for easy skimming. Hiring managers are busy and don't have time to get out a magnifying glass to look at your resume. They want to quickly glance through your resume to decide if you are worth spending more time on a closer read.

  
  

  

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• Are all important resume sections included? Contact Information, Personal Headline, Executive Summary, Skills, Work Experience, and Education are common resume sections. These are what a hiring manager is expecting to see. If you are missing a section, consider adding it.

• Include bullets that are actions and results, not a list of responsibilities. No one wants to read what you were hired to do. They want to read what you achieved. Use numbers and action verbs to create compelling resume bullets.

• Is your resume error-free? We here at Revision Resume suggest you print out your resume and review a hard copy. Even better, ask a friend or family member to take a look. You don't want to miss an obvious error and submit a resume with a clear mistake in it. An error-free document shows vital soft skills, such as attention to detail. Take the time to ensure you have made all necessary corrections before you submit your resume to any job openings.

• Keep an eye out for these common mistakes and correct them!

  • Use of personal pronouns ("I" or "My")

  • Strange formatting issues (Are the bullets all aligned? Are the section headers all the same font size and style?)

  • Executive Summary is too long (Keep it to 3-4 lines maximum)

  • Skills section is too long (4 lines maximum)

  • Too many bullets for each job (7 maximum)

  • Dates that may lead to age discrimination (Don't list anything before the year 2000 on your resume!)

    

Correcting these common mistakes can give you greater confidence submitting your resume!

You have one chance to make a first impression, so taking the extra time to verify that your resume is top-notch is worthwhile.

Need help? Revision Resume is happy to provide you with a resume critique! We will catch any errors and help guide you to correct them. Email us at info@revisionresume.com to learn more!