5 Resume Errors You Should Avoid (According to a Pro)
As a certified professional resume writer (yes, there is such a thing), I’ve had the benefit of coming across some beautifully crafted, impressive CVs, as well as a few documents that made Hannibal Lector look like a suitable job candidate. Most, however, fall somewhere in between: capable resumes marred by bad, unfounded, or outdated advice. While there is no perfect resume fit for all career opportunities, there are a few missteps you can avoid to give your document a leading edge.
White Space Fever
Imagine you're a hiring manager, spending pockets of your busy day rifling through an endless stock of resumes all with the same deep, default one-inch margins. That's a lot of eye-straining white space to look at. Not to mention the reflection of conformity it presents to the reader. You can make the look of your resume more palatable — and unique — by setting your page margins to narrow, or creating a border around the entire document. Don't underestimate the visual component of the resume. Make it part of your job hunting goal to not only get the interview, but have the hiring manager say, "Wow, I wish my resume looked this good!"
Margins Matter
Narrow your page margins or add a subtle border, wide default margins create eye-straining white space and scream conformity.
The Dys-Functional Format
The "functional resume format" is classic CV format that's setup by grouping all organizations and job titles followed by a list of responsibilities unattached to any specific position. It's also a big no-no for any professional with more than five years consistent work experience. Recruiters can assume its vague nature is an attempt to hide something. Unless you're changing careers, it's better to use a chronological format, describing duties and accomplishments from your most recent position then working back through your career history. Leave the functional format in the hands of young professionals and recent college grads.
Skip the Functional Format
For professionals with 5+ years experience, functional resumes raise red flags, recruiters suspect you're hiding gaps.
The “I’s” Do Not Have It
Your resume is about one thing: you! There's no need to begin sentences with the word, "I" as recruiters will infer this on their own. Professional resume writers use "tight" writing not only to conserve space, but create a lean, business tone that is easily readable. So drop all the pronouns and articles ("a," "an," "the"), save for those instances where omission would distort the meaning. And if you're using automatic grammar check, you might want to disable it while writing; the majority of your sentences will be fragmented.
Death by Bullets
The temptation to write with bullets is alluring. Mostly because it's easier for a writer to organize his or her thoughts through segmentation. But you know whom it is hard on? The reader. Bullets blend in with each other when they are overused. Most job seekers do not understand the function of resume bullets. They serve to list quantifiable accomplishment — not every responsibility of every position ever held. Use tight paragraph writing to describe your routine responsibilities, and follow with three or four bulleted achievements that showcase revenue generation, business expansion, or process improvement.
Bullet Point Overload?
Use paragraphs for routine duties; reserve 3-4 bullets per role for standout quantifiable achievements only.
Phrase Overkill
The thesaurus is often the job seeker's best friend. Few things will irk a hiring manager more than having to see the same word or phrase repeated 50 times throughout a resume. "Manage" is a popular term for mid-to-executive level professionals. It's a fine word, but don't let it anchor you down. Experiment with "administered," "oversaw," "supervised," "led," "coordinated," or "directed." "Support," "facilitate," and "orchestrate" are also great terms for accomplishments or responsibilities you shared with colleagues.
[Pic via Flickr - Natalie McNeill]
