Not Landing Interviews? Your Resume Is The Problem

As you’ve prepared for your job search, you’ve probably read about everything you need to know about creating a stellar resume.

You’ve learned that the perfect resume needs to be proofread, one page in length, and describe your accomplishments. In addition, you also know that you need to let your personality shine through. Although these are all great tips to follow, sometimes it’s possible to take them too far.

Job seekers often fall victim to making simple resume mistakes. Even if you think you’re doing the right things to create a flawless resume, you could be making some serious mistakes that are hurting your odds of landing a job.

As you add the finishing touches to your resume, here are four resume mistakes to be aware of:

1. Exaggerating your previous experience.

Many job seekers often succumb to talking themselves up a little too much, especially when they don’t have much experience. Although it’s recommended you highlight your accomplishments and skills from previous jobs, you don’t want to exaggerate your experience.

There are some important factors to consider when writing about your experience and accomplishments. Think about your audience. Hiring managers have reviewed countless resumes and can often tell when a candidate added “fluff” to their previous job descriptions or even lied about an experience.

Employers aren’t afraid to do some fact-checking to make sure you’re a legitimate candidate. To avoid any transparency issues, the information provided on your resume should coincide with what your references would say and the information you have displayed on your LinkedIn profile.

2. Failing to triple check your resume.

Your resume must be flawless before you send it to employers. The only way you can achieve this is by proofreading it over and over again.

It’s proven that our brains can still accurately read misspelled words without stumbling. Because of this, it’s always a good idea to read your resume out loud and even stop after every word. The most common resume mistakes can be avoided by doing this, so take the time to edit your resume to ensure a flawless final product.

3. Standing out for the wrong reasons.

As a job seeker, you want to stand out to employers, but in only the best ways possible. Sometimes, job seekers fall subject to creating resumes that scream “hire me!” in a negative way. If you find yourself practically begging employers to believe you’re the best candidate for the position, this could hurt your chance at impressing employers.

It’s not uncommon for job seekers to go to great lengths to impress employers. Although you may have good intentions of impressing employers, your initiative could backfire. Unfortunately, employers don’t want to know you work best in the nude or your mom wrote you a glowing letter of recommendation. Including items like this could definitely send the wrong impression to employers and cost you an interview.

4. Being too unique.

Employers love finding out what makes a candidate unique, however, it’s possible to scare them away with your odd hobbies and interests. If you have an obsession with news raiding or your hobby is competitive dog grooming, but you’re applying for a job at a straight-laced finance firm, it’s unlikely promoting your hobbies on your resume will impress the hiring manager.

When illustrating your personality to employers, make sure your interests are relevant to the position. While it’s important to show employers your genuine self, you don’t want to position yourself in a way that hurts your credibility or professionalism. Your quirks and interests are an important part of your identity, however, these are stories you can share in the break room after you land the job.

Writing a resume may seem simple, but it’s even easier to make a simple resume mistake. If you want to prevent your resume from going into the “no” pile, then it’s a good idea to avoid making these costly mistakes.

What are some other resume mistakes to avoid?