Typical Resume Writing Mistakes

Mistake # 1
People summarize, water-down,and oversimplify their responsibilities and accomplishments. The result is the potential employer thinks "this person is lazy and doesn't do very much".

Mistake # 2
People write about themselves creating an autobiographical document. The resume should be an advertisement addressing the needs of the potential employer reading the resume.The employer should be thinking "wow, this person has exactly what I am looking for" as they read the resume.

Mistake # 3
People use hard to read and confusing formats. A potential employer will spend approximately 20 seconds scanning each of the 50-100 resumes in front of them. An an easy-to-read format enables them to read your whole resume in that 20 seconds.

Mistake # 4
People provide more detail and depth in the job descriptions of older jobs than their present job. The employer that feels your career peaked and is declining will interview other candidates.

Mistake # 5
People submit resumes with spelling errors, grammatical errors, and formatting inconsistencies. The potential employer will say a person representing themselves this poorly on paper will not hesitate to represent the company equally poor.

Mistake # 6
Important information that the potential employer is looking for is buried in the text or layout. Prioritize the information that the employer seeks and simplify or omit information of minimal interest to the employer.