1. Not knowing the purpose of the resume
What is the purpose of a resume? It should not be a complete story of your skills and experience. The sole purpose of the resume is to get you an interview. It is marketing. As such, it should be as short as possible (while still conveying everything that needs to be communicated) and one resume (ad) cannot be used for everyone.
2. Not directed and omitting important information
That brings me to #2. The best resumes I look at, as a recruiter, are ones that are geared towards the job they are applying for. If you are a DBA who has done a lot of programming, if you are applying for a programming position, leave out a lot of the information related to your DBA. It will only make you look like a DBA… not a programmer. Also, carefully review job descriptions. Sometimes I find that an applicant omitted information from the job description. We didn’t consider it because he didn’t mention that experience. We are not psychics. If you don’t list it on your resume, we don’t know if you have the experience. Regardless of what’s in your background that matches the job description, make sure it’s on your resume. If the experience or skill does not relate to the position, you can safely leave it off your resume.
3. Lack of specific accomplishments and only list of generic duties and responsibilities
Don’t just list your duties and responsibilities. For one thing, everyone in your position can say the same thing. Second, what recruiters really want to see is your specific accomplishments. quantify them. Did it decrease the processing time by 50%? Did you double the capacity of the network? Did it save the company $100K? What specific achievements did you have… and give the numbers with them? The figures are more impressive and look more real. Also, this will set you apart from others. Your achievements are your achievements. Remember #2, write it down only if it is related to the position.
4. Applying for positions that don’t show you meet the requirements
Like I said, the first thing I do is kick out everyone who doesn’t fit in. They are adding to my work and mess. Companies tend to automate the hiring process by using applicant tracking systems (ATS). We know who’s wasting time… and we give even less time to the people we keep seeing showing up. If we see an applicant who has applied for everything and never got very far in the process, we are less likely to give them another chance. It’s bad policy to request everything and expect to get in. Later a position may come up where it matches well, but they dismiss it as “applies to everything”. I have seen candidates who have applied thirty or forty times for various positions. Everyone in the recruiting department knows who these people are by name and doesn’t think to bring them in for an interview. Don’t make yourself known this way.
5. Visually messy or hard to read
Don’t write everything in paragraphs. Bullet points are your friends. You should keep in mind that recruiters usually give resumes 10-15 seconds on the first scan. When I have to review a couple hundred applicants, the first thing I do is weed out the people who don’t meet the minimum requirements. So make sure this is easy to spot on your resume. If we (recruiters) can’t find you within 10 seconds, you’ll lose the chance to read your full resume and ultimately the chance for an interview.
6. Assuming that the reader will know what you are talking about
Something related to #4 and #2. The first person who reads your resume may not be a technical person; a lot of HR people aren’t very technical. So be sure to write down your skills exactly as they are listed in the job description. For example, if the job description says you need J2EE, don’t say you have Java EE experience… and vice versa. A non-technical HR person may not know that it is the same. Another example is AS/400 and iSeries. Terms change over time, but don’t expect Human Resources to know about it. Make it easy for HR H H. listing your skills in such a way that they easily fit the requirements and job description.
7. Typos and grammatical errors
Use the spell checker, proofread, and then give it to others to review. You don’t want such errors on your resume. On the one hand, it is considered to lack attention to detail (something that all companies want in employees). Also in this category, resumes with incorrect contact information. This happens, but don’t let it happen to you.
8. Do not use action verbs or be repetitive with the same verb
Action words emphasize performance and motivation, but use a thesaurus. Seeing the word ‘Developed’ multiple times in a row doesn’t look good and will get you overlooked more. It’s just psychology, more time is given to the unknown. So vary the action verbs and get creative. If you are a programmer, you are not limited to developing, programming and designing. You could use saved, resolved, got, and other action verbs in a differently constructed sentence.
9. Have an ‘Objective’ on your resume
Often entirely redundant, the target often simply says that you are looking for a position that has been your title before at previous companies. The biggest danger is that a recruiter may be looking at her resume for positions that fit her background but are different from what he’s doing. So the recruiter may not call because it doesn’t match her objective. Basically, they pigeonhole you. Unless you are changing careers or a field of work other than your work history, there is no need to include anything on a resume.
10. Skip employment dates
Recruiters want to know when you were working somewhere. If you leave them out, that will be one of the first questions they ask you (assuming they call you). Indicate the month and year. Omitting this information just makes it look like you’re trying to hide something. It puts up a big red flag.
11. Graphics, fancy fonts and colors
I haven’t seen many good uses of graphics, fonts, and colors. Resumes should not have more than three fonts and two colors. This is my opinion because more than that can go very wrong. Including graphics is a bad idea for IT professionals; the graphics are something you might see for graphic designers. Considering that most resumes go into an Applicant Tracking System, the images are likely to get lost anyway, leaving awkward gaps.
12. Cheesy or bad email addresses
Don’t put your email address like “BigBoy69@whatever” on your resume. In my career, I’ve had a bit of a laugh at the email addresses people use. However, an incorrect email address on your resume shows a possible lack of judgment and knowledge of the (professional) audience.
13. References on request
Don’t waste space. We know that references are available upon request. Don’t put this at the bottom of your resume.
14. Lies, exaggerates, underreports, or gets ahead of himself
If you don’t currently have the skill or experience, don’t say you do. For entry level people, don’t say you have a degree, if you haven’t actually graduated yet. You may have a hard time being considered for a job with that company. Instead, list your expected graduation date and the degree you must earn at that time. The same goes for experienced IT people and their certifications. If your certification has expired, you cannot say that you have that certification, you must mention when it expired. Versions can also be important. I called the candidates only to find out that they had been using that software for 5 versions. All of this is seen as an applicant trying to be deceitful. Pulling one fast. I know times are tough sometimes and it’s competitive, but things like this could cost you every time you’re considered for a job again with a company.