[credit provider=”Business Insider”]
When you’re up against hundreds of applicants for a job, it’s crucial to have a resume that, at the very least, doesn’t jeopardize your chances of making it into the first round.We’ve compiled the worst resume blunders as advised by career experts, formatted these mistakes, and created a fictitious “worst resume ever.”
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permalink=”dont-include-an-objective-if-you-applied-its-already-obvious-you-want-the-job-1″
title=”Don’t include an objective. If you applied, it’s already obvious you want the job”
content=”Peri Hansen, a principal with a recruiting firm, tells Penelope Patsuris at Forbes:
‘It’s the fastest way to pigeon-hole yourself,’ she says. Specify ‘Asset Manager’ and you may not even be considered for ‘Financial Planner.’
Note: We’ve heard people go both ways on this one.”
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title=”Don’t let your resume exceed one page, and don’t use tiny font to make it fit”
content=”
‘Keep your work history short and to the point,’ CareerBuilder.com’s Sara Player tells us. ‘When you describe what you have achieved while in the position, try putting it in bullet form and put what is most important first.’
Lauren E. Berger at InternQueen.com says:
‘Make sure you are using a font that is easy to read. Secondly, make sure you are not making the font too tiny. In a recent interview for a school study-away program, I was told my font was too tiny, and I can’t say I don’t agree with them. What is legible and easy to read for you is not the same for the employer, so to make sure your resume font is appropriate, have a few people read over it and make sure they can easily read it.'”
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permalink=”dont-use-weird-formatting-its-distracting-3″
title=”Don’t use weird formatting; it’s distracting”
content=”The blog KovoHute gives this resume tip:
‘The last thing that you want is a resume that uses some weird format. You want the content on your resume to be what stands out — not the way it is formatted.'”
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permalink=”dont-use-full-sentences-employers-wont-read-them-4″
title=”Don’t use full sentences; employers won’t read them”
content=”Liz Wolgemuth at U.S.News & World Report writes:
‘Résumés often get little more than a 10-second scan by a recruiter, and that dictates a lot about how they should be crafted.’
‘[Compare] the process to flipping through a jumbo-size magazine. Readers don’t spend a lot of time on each page. Full sentences are, quite simply, too time consuming in today’s hiring world.'”
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permalink=”dont-include-an-unprofessional-email-address-5″
title=”Don’t include an unprofessional email address”
content=”‘For a professional email address, just use your name,’ Holly Paul, PricewaterHouseCoopers’ National Recruiting Leader, tells us.”
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permalink=”dont-write-in-third-person-and-always-use-the-correct-verb-tense-6″
title=”Don’t write in third person, and always use the correct verb tense”
content=”
Lauren E. Berger at InternQueen.com writes:
‘Not sure what tense to use? If you are still actively holding a position, all descriptions need to be in present tense. Likewise, if you are no longer holding that position, the verb tense should be in past.’
‘When employers read resumes and see misleading verb tenses, it’s going to make it confusing as to whether you are still holding that position or not. In relation to the verb tense, it’s important that you keep the tense consistent once you have identified which tense you should be using.'”
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permalink=”dont-overload-your-resume-with-jargon-7″
title=”Don’t overload your resume with jargon”
content=”Instead of simply using terms that’s on everyone else’s resume –like ‘innovative’ and ‘organised’ — discuss your specific accomplishments. How many people did you manage? How much money did you raise for a specific project? What challenges did you face in your last job?”
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permalink=”dont-include-irrelevant-work-experience-8″
title=”Don’t include irrelevant work experience”
content=”Eve Tahmincioglu at MSNBC writes:
‘In this economy, there’s a good chance a long-term job seeker has a part-time job (or jobs) under his or her belt just to make ends meet. But that doesn’t mean you should include every burger flipping, or retail-selling job you’ve had. Putting too many of those jobs on your resume, especially if they have nothing to do with the job you want, can hurt your chances of landing a new position.’
“Resumes are a summary of the most important data,” Debra Feldman, a job search expert, tells Tahmincioglu. “In my opinion, a part-time job just to pay the bills would not fall into that category.'”
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permalink=”dont-use-elaborate-designs-9″
title=”Don’t use elaborate designs”
content=”Patsuris at Forbes writes:
‘As for eye-catching design and graphics: do without them. Such ornamentation only makes your résumé more difficult to read for a hiring manager who has hundreds of others applicants to sift through. The harder you make it for someone to discern your qualifications, the less likely it is that you’ll be deemed qualified. And in this electronic age, curlicues put you at a further disadvantage.'”
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[slide
permalink=”dont-list-your-hobbies-hiring-managers-only-care-about-what-you-can-do-for-the-company-10″
title=”Don’t list your hobbies. Hiring managers only care about what you can do for the company”
content=”‘Nobody cares — it’s not your Facebook profile,’ Player tells us.
In other words, don’t put anything on your resume that’s irrelevant to your job. If it’s not relevant, then it’s a waste of space and a waste of the company’s time.”
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permalink=”dont-include-your-photo–unless-its-requested-11″
title=”Don’t include your photo — unless it’s requested”
content=”‘When I see a photo on a resume I usually remove it,’ Paul says. ‘Race, ethnicity, and age should not be taken into account and including a photo can make that harder for someone reviewing your application.’
However, including a photo on an online resume — such as your profile on LinkedIn — will likely help you in your job search. Just make sure the photo is professional.”
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permalink=”dont-include-any-unnecessary-personal-information-like-marital-status-religion-or-social-security-number-12″
title=”Don’t include any unnecessary personal information like marital status, religion, or social security number”
content=”
This kind of information will actually hurt your chances of getting the position more than it would help you, says Catherine Jewell, author of the book “New Résumé, New Career.””
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[slide
permalink=”dont-include-references-otherwise-you-wont-be-able-to-warn-them-ahead-of-time-13″
title=”Don’t include references. Otherwise, you won’t be able to warn them ahead of time”
content=”If you say ‘references upon request’ at the bottom of your resume, you’re merely wasting a valuable line, Eli Amdur, senior coach and adviser from the Amdur Coaching and Advisory Group, tells us.”
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permalink=”dont-include-your-current-employers-contact-information-14″
title=”Don’t include your current employer’s contact information”
content=”Amdur writes at Northjersey.com:
‘This is not only dangerous, it’s stupid. Do you really want employers calling you at work? How are you going to handle that? Oh, and by the way, your current employer can monitor your e-mails and phone calls. So if you’re not in the mood to get fired, or potentially charged with theft of services (really), then leave the business info off.'”
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permalink=”dont-send-your-resume-off-unless-its-in-a-pdf-format-15″
title=”Don’t send your resume off unless it’s in a PDF format”
content=”
Lauren E. Berger at InternQueen.com writes:
‘I’ve seen resumes sent as TXT files and Word files, and when they are opened up on a different computer, they appear as a jumble of text and have no formatting whatsoever.’
‘Nobody wants to try and decipher a block of text that would’ve been a thousand times more legible if it had the proper formatting and spacing. Therefore, ALWAYS save your resume as a PDF. The only time you shouldn’t is if your employer requests a particular file format for your resume and cover letter.'”
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permalink=”dont-send-in-a-paper-resume-16″
title=”Don’t send in a paper resume”
content=”Doreen Collins, a manager for global staffing quality initiatives at GE, tells Penelope Patsuris at Forbes:
‘We don’t like to get paper of any kind, and if we do get hard copies we just scan them into the system.’
Like most companies, GE uses an electronic résumé management system to sort through prospective candidates.”
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[slide
permalink=”heres-the-entire-resume-for-your-review-17″
title=”Here’s the entire resume for your review”
content=””
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[slide
permalink=”now-that-you-know-how-to-craft-a-resume-learn-how-to-prepare-for-the-interview-18″
title=”Now that you know how to craft a resume, learn how to prepare for the interview”
content=”Click here to read 9 common interview questions that are actually illegal > ”
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[/slideshow]
