Usually, the first impression lasts the longest. It’s obvious that your resume is the first thing a recruiter sees when considering you. Your resume serves as a selection tool to shortlist candidates, as well as a base document for your prospective employer.
If you have been unsuccessful in your job search, consider looking at your resume and figuring out which of these 10 steps killed your chances:
1. Failing to take advice from industry experts – Keeping your resume completely confidential & not letting anyone else view it before you send it to a recruiter is a rookie mistake.
2. Information overload – Don’t lay out your entire career history over six pages with a size six font. Making it difficult for the recruiter to read will not yield results. It is wise & safe to stick to 1-2 pages max.
3. A one-size-fits-all approach – Using the same weapon to kill will not work, and applying for every job with the same resume will not lead to success. You should prefer spending an hour defining your target by reading the job posting, learning about the company and the role, and then tailoring your resume to highlight what is most important to the employer rather than spending an hour clicking on send with the same general CV to a 100 jobs.
4. Using personal pronouns – Surely the resume is about you and discusses your professional highlights. The use of personal pronouns like “I”, “me”, or “we” is generally considered informal and is frowned upon.
5. False pretense, exaggeration – If you exaggerate a fact, use partial information or use someone else’s accomplishments, you are making a grave error more than once, and possibly forever.
Stay tuned for the next 5 mistakes (Part 2) in my next post and follow me for more such insights for job seekers.
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✍️Resume Writing or Proofread & Critique
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✍️Tailor your existing resume to a target application
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Which of these mistakes do you have on your resume?
Not seeking advice
Lengthy resume > 2 Pages
Applying with general CV
Inflating & using personal pronouns