Critical Resume Writing Mistakes – Part One

The last thing you want to do is spend hours crafting what you thought was the perfect resume only to have it end up in the trash bin because your made one of these critical resume writing mistakes.

1. Writing a Selfish Objective

We always think it is about us. I mean, who really gets a job just because they think it is good for the company? You go to work for yourself right? Well, don’t say this in your objective because to your employer, you are an investment. You need to tell them what you want to do for them, not what you want from them.

2. Being a Jack of All Trades and a Master of None

If your resume sounds like you are trying to apply for any position under the sun then you wont really seem like the right fit for anything. You know what happens to these types of applicants? They get no position at all because someone else comes along and gives a more specific resume that fills each of the open positions. Don’t put yourself in this situation. Be specific, know what you want and go for it.

3. Being Too Generic – Blending In

You need to make yourself stand out and put some personality into your resume. All too often, everyone says the same thing. Put some creativity and though into both your profile and your summary. If you are at a loss for words, gain some unique skills that will be able to set you apart from the competition.

4. Discussing Your Responsibilities

No one wants to know what your past job titles offered you the opportunity or the responsibility to do. They want to know what you actually did do. Use action orientated words. Stay away from passive responsibilities. In fact, if any of your sentences start with “I was responsible for…” delete them now and start over.

5. More Awards Than Results

Sure awards are nice, but if they were not applicable to your job and didn’t help your past employers then who cares. They want to know how those skills you were awarded for helped you get things done. Remember, results are the most important key to your future success.

Avoid these critical resume writing mistakes at all costs and stay tuned because this will be continued in part two…