Avoid These Common Resume Mistakes
| Crafting a standout resume isn’t always about what you put in—equally important is what you leave out. Here are four key pitfalls to steer clear of. Including irrelevant experience. Focus on what’s pertinent. If you’re applying for a marketing role, skip the unrelated jobs and highlight relevant experiences. Expand on your contributions and use metrics to show impact. Keep the other experiences in your back pocket—they may be useful to mention in an interview. Over-customizing. Instead of tweaking your resume for every job, create a solid version that fits a job category (for example, marketing associate). Collect a number of similar job descriptions, identify common responsibilities, and reflect those in your resume. This will save you time and allow you to apply to more jobs. Over-designing. Keep it simple. A straightforward, well-organized layout is crucial. Use standard templates and avoid creative designs that can confuse recruiters or disrupt application-tracking systems. Sending from an unprofessional email address. Please, please, please: Use a professional email address, and avoid odd or outdated domains. And while you’re at it: Name your resume file appropriately, like “YourName_Resume,” and always submit it as a PDF. You don’t want your email to be the reason your resume ends up in the trash. |
| This tip is adapted from “4 Resume Mistakes to Avoid When You Don’t Have Much Experience,” by Irina Cozma |
