Here are the most common resume mistakes. Some of them are quite simple while others are subtle and hard to spot. In any case consider all so that you are fully prepared to write a powerful and successful resume.

#1: Lack of focus.

Many people fail to focus on what is really important in a resume why you will be beneficial for your future employer. Instead they go into details about their previous work, their previous duties, reasons for leaving, and so on. Your resume is not a CV, it is not a cover letter either. Its aim is to explain, shortly and to the point, why you are the best candidate for the vacancy.

#2: Not a word about your accomplishments.

Do not be shy to say what you have accomplished. Sometimes it is hard to see an accomplishment as it has been buried deeply under tones of duties and responsibilities. Your future employer will be interested what your responsibilities or duties were however this interest will come at a later stage. Say what you have accomplished instead of listing all of your duties.

#3: The skills list problem.

Any prospective employer will be interested to see how your skills and knowledge will help his company. For that reason it is not enough to list all of the skills you have. Instead match your skills with the vacancy requirements. Order them in a way that the most relevant are in the beginning of the resume.

#4: The reference list mistake

Although you might be tempted to list your references under your resume, this would be a mistake. First of all check if references are required. If they are, put them on a separate sheet.

#5: Poor formatting.

Be careful about your resume look. Remember that your prospective employer is receiving hundreds and probably the HR department doesn’t have time to read every single line. For that reason use easy to read formatting – pay attention to the font, use bullets and short paragraphs which are “to the point”

A plain white sheet of paper is fine for any resume. Do not use colorful resume templates and cartoon or other image templates are absolutely forbidden. Your resume tells a lot about you so make sure it makes the correct impression.

Formatting issue is even more complicated as most of the resumes nowadays are in an electronic format. Sometimes even if your resume looks perfect on your computer it might not look that good on someone else’s computer. Use standard fonts and check how it looks on several computers if possible before emailing your resume.

Image taken on 2009-09-29 10:49:45. Image Source. (Used with permission)