3 Rookie Resume Mistakes You Must Avoid

Your resume, or curriculum vitae, is the key to scoring an interview. It's a relatively straight-forward document, yet many people get it wrong.

We've collectively reviewed thousands of resumes over the years, and it is truly painful to see applicants make the same mistakes over and over again.

Here are 3 simple things you can do to make your resume or cv stand out from the crowd:

Mistake 1: Not Applying for This Job

The absolute worst things to read in a resume objective are generic statements like “seeking a challenging position at a fast growing company.” It basically says “I don't really care for your company, but I'm sending you my resume anyway.”

Take the 2 minutes to customize your resume for the specific company and job you are applying for.

If you want the restaurant manager position at the Stonewater Grill, then say you are “Seeking a Restaurant Manager position at the Stonewater Grill” in your objective section.

This simple change alone can dramatically increase your odds of getting an interview.

Mistake 2: “Fancy" Formatting

Look, all of us are at least slightly insecure when applying for a job.

Many people channel this insecurity into things like tweaking the fonts and styles of their resumes.

“Maybe a fancy multi-colored heading will compensate for my slightly light experience?”

No, I'm afraid to say, it won't.

And fancy formatting can backfire on you.

Here's why: Nowadays, the vast majority of online resumes are processed by a computer system before anyone even reads them. Some systems attempt to pull out relevant information, and may even filter candidates based on them.

If the computer has trouble extracting the information it expects, your resume may get rejected or “lost”.

Yes, the “standard" resume format looks boring and outdated, but there's a reason people use it: Because it's proven to work.

Mistake 3: Not Stating Accomplishments

We all know what companies want right? Experienced candidates.

But remember: Time at a job does not equal experience.

When reading the work history section, hiring managers are looking for two main things:

1. Was the candidate reliable and engaged at their prior jobs?
2. Do they demonstrate a clear pattern of growth over the years?

Stating your accomplishments addresses both of these questions.

For each item in your work experience section, answer the question “What was the difference you made at this job?”

There's no need to overstate your accomplishments either. For some jobs, just noting that you “had a perfect attendance record” is sufficient. However, even briefly relating one way you went “above and beyond” can turn an otherwise bland resume into one that hooks you the interview.

Stand Out and Get Hired!

Use Resume Star to build a precision-targeted resume using all the latest best practices, and dramatically improve your chances of scoring that next interview.