Top 5 résumé mistakes
CAREERS AND WEALTH. As the old adage goes, you never have a second chance to make a first impression. And your first impression during most job searches begins with your résumé. So don’t make the five common CV mistakes that Brad Karsh, founder of JobBound.com and author of “How to Say It on Your Résumé” (Penguin, $16), has found.
1. Missing the mark
Often, job seekers apply to multiple jobs at one time. Although creating a general résumé is easiest, Karsh recommends sending a unique résumé to each. “Make yourself look as hirable as possible. Use the job description as a cheat sheet for your résumé.” Tailoring your résumé to the field and job you are applying for shows you have a clear objective.
2. Every word counts
“Recruiters spend 10, maybe 15 seconds on each résumé. They are looking at stacks of hundreds, even thousands of candidates,” Karsh says. This means your résumé should act as the speed date of the application process. The more information you put on the page and the more pages you have, the less likely it will all be read.
3. Getting too creative
When you cover your résumé with excessive gimmicks and additions it detracts from your message. Make your résumé clear and readable; utilize bullets and avoid full sentences to save space. Karsh recommends the “15-second test.” Send your résumé to your friends and have them look at it for fifteen seconds to give you feedback on what they recalled.
4. Forgetting the final edit
4There is nothing more obvious than a spelling error. “A typo on your résumé guarantees that you will not get a job,” says Karsh, “and one out of five people are not getting employment because of this.” Since many applications are done through e-mail, make sure to format your résumé as a PDF file.
5. Painting the wrong picture
5The single biggest mistake people make on their résumé is writing a “job description résumé,” he says. “Only put items on your résumé that you can prove,” says Karsh. “Self-ascribed attributes like ‘strong communicator’ don’t mean anything.
