First impressions matter, particularly when writing a resume. Don’t let your resume become a rejected resume. You normally have between 10 and 30 seconds to make a good impression on a recruiter when your resume is in front of them.
Your resume might only be read for six seconds. You really need to learn the craft of crafting an outstanding resume that is tailored for the position you are going for and be aware of the traps that might ruin your prospects if you want to stand a chance of landing an interview for that job.
What Makes Interviews Crucial?
A job interview is crucial since it gives the interviewer a chance to learn more about your professional abilities. Additionally, they help employers determine whether your personality and culture are a good fit. Hiring managers evaluate your abilities and past employment history when they study your CV to see whether you could be a suitable fit for the position.
Employers can learn more about your professional goals and long-term career plans during interviews. If the firm doesn’t make you an offer, you may utilize this experience to change how you prepare for your subsequent interviews.
1. Instead of simply the highlights, it covers everything you’ve ever accomplished.
The more space on your resume, the less likely it is that an employer will read the sections you want them to. Do you want your resume to be spread out over three pages or should it be focused on the most crucial information you want to get across in the initial 20-second scan? Employers are more likely to read the sections you care about when a document is brief and concise.
2. Grammar & Spelling Mistakes
“Just one grammatical error and your resume are thrown out” There are no good justifications for this, yet it’s remarkable how many resumes are sent that are rife with grammatical and typographical errors. Even the word “curriculum vitae” has been misspelled. Try to keep in mind that errors will reflect very poorly on you because this document reflects you.
Check and double-check your resume. After that, give it to a friend so they may review it and provide you with some helpful critiques. Sit down and read your resume aloud as a terrific approach to review it. Any parts that could be too long or that might require extra punctuation will be indicated by this.
3. Unimportant details
Some job seekers dedicate two to three lines of each position to defining the employer—its size and field of work—in detail. When you go on to the interview stage, hiring managers might desire such information, but your resume isn’t the appropriate location for it. Your resume should be all about you.
4. Too many personal details
Including too much personal information that is irrelevant to the job is a waste of space and may be hurting your chances of landing a job, just as the meaningless practice of attaching a photo to your CV.
Does a recruiter need to know your age, height, weight, political or religious affiliations, marital status, or sexual orientation because you’re not trying to get a date?
5. Use subjective language
Only experience and accomplishments are listed on your resume. Subjective qualities like “excellent leadership abilities,” “strong writers,” or “creative innovators” have no place here. Because so many people’s self-evaluations are spectacularly wrong, hiring managers typically disregard anything subjective that a candidate says about herself and instead seek verifiable facts. If you possess certain qualities, instead describe your accomplishments that show them.
6. Inaccurate Information
Before hiring someone, more and more companies are doing thorough background investigations. On their resume, almost everyone exaggerates their accomplishments from previous employment, but telling lies might get you into trouble. Many candidates have fallen victim to their own mistakes, with the following resume mistakes being the most frequent:
- The misrepresentation of dates in an effort to hide job-hopping or unexpected pauses in employment
- Inflated educational accomplishments, such as obtaining useless online degrees
- Increasing wages
- Excessive job titles
- Exaggerated claims of professional success
- Blatant falsehoods about positions and responsibilities
7. Unaccounted-for Employment Gaps
Employment gaps are going to be something that a lot more individuals will have on their resumes than ever before in this age of layoffs, employee reductions, and redundancies.
Stretching the work dates to cover a gap in employment is the easiest way for you to trip yourself up if this is the case, but beware—more and more companies are doing background checks to make sure that the information a candidate provides on his resume is accurate.
It’s usually preferable to explain the gap on your resume, whether it’s due to a sabbatical, redundancy, or medical reasons. If you allow the recruiter any room for uncertainty, they will conclude that you are not the best applicant for the job. Being honest about the reasons you took a break from work is the best approach to handling gaps in your career history. Avoid leaving potential employers in the dark. Be sincere and demonstrate that you are still a wonderful employee even though you haven’t worked for a time.
8. Weird Hobbies
Another common error made by job seekers is mentioning bizarre interests in an attempt to appear more fascinating than they actually are. It will be difficult to believe that someone is balanced if they mention their “passion for weapons” or “collection of plush owls” as interests.
It’s crucial to strike the correct balance, just like with the majority of the CV’s components. Listing reading and calligraphy as your major hobbies can prevent you from coming off as boring, but saying that you love a little Japanese Cosplay in your own time could also backfire.
Conclusion
Finding a new job is challenging. It is difficult to send out applications without any interviews. You may increase your chances of getting to the interview stage by using this advice. It’s crucial to maintain optimism and to resist giving in to irritation and worry. Check out our How To Get a Better Job Guide, keep honing and strengthening your applications, and remain on the lookout for enticing openings. Long-term success will result from your efforts.