Top Five Resume Blunders

Standing out from hundreds and thousands of job seekers may prove to be quite a challenge, particularly when you don't have an idea yet of how exactly you should attract the attention of hiring managers and recruiters. Going over the top and exaggerating the content of your resume to gain the attention of the one screening you for an interview won't help either. To help you gain more advantage in battling for that job you're eyeing for ages, figure out if you are guilty of the following resume-writing blunders and vow not to commit them again.

1. Attaching a photo of yourself.

A photograph in your resume would be helpful if you're after jobs which require the employer to gauge in your appearance. Customer service and hospitality industries are two fields that usually require a photograph attached to your resume. However, if the job doesn't call for you to groom yourself every day at work (e.g. flight attendant posts, receptionists), by all means, forego the photo.

2. Being too focused on your previous job roles and responsibilities.

A functional resume does not list down the duties and responsibilities of your previous work experiences. Go beyond the boring rundown of your previous job roles and put special attention instead on your achievements. After all, if you put yourself in the position of your prospective employer, would you like to hire candidates who can perform the basic job functions or would you prefer those individuals with an excellent track record of accomplishments? When emphasizing your accomplishments, ask yourself the following questions:

-- what were the challenges and problems you encountered while on the job? how did you overcome such challenges? was an action plan involved? how did you formulate it?

-- what made you perform better than the others? can you cite specific instances which displayed such superior performance?

-- were there any awards, promotions or recognitions you received during the duration of the post?

3. Using personal pronouns and/or unprofessional email addresses.

Consider your resume as a professional document and as a form of business communication. Avoid using personal pronouns like I, me and my. Furthermore, never use naughty or unprofessional email addresses. To be on the safe side, simply use your full name.

4. Incorporating too much or irrelevant information.

How much is "too much" in drafting resumes? You may not include all of your previous work experience. Tailor-fit your resume by incorporating the roles and accomplishments you had which is only related to the post you're after.

Include only information that is relevant to the job vacancy; don't include your hobbies if they have nothing to do with the target job.

5. Writing very long paragraphs.

Your hiring manager doesn't expect to read a novel out of your resume. Break your long paragraphs to short ones by using bullet points.
Now that you're armed with the knowledge on what to avoid when drafting resumes, you are one step ahead of the game.

-Richard Jenkins

Check out CareerFact’s guide to landing a job in your target industry. It discusses tips on how to make use of your research and networking skills to finalize a resume that attracts a recruiter’s attention.