6 of the Biggest Resume Mistakes

Even though they are the most basic aspect of a job application, so many job seekers still make the most common mistakes on their resumes. If you want to stand out in your next application, make sure you avoid making these critical mistakes on your resume.

Here are six of the most common and biggest resume mistakes you could be making without even knowing it.

1. Putting too many soft skills on your resume.
Most job seekers have had it drilled into their brains that mentioning that you’re a team player, great with time management, and other personable skills to hiring managers is a key component in how well you do in the job process. But this doesn’t need to be in numbers on your resume. Your resume should be the introduction to your skills in the field, not a play by play of your personality and communication skills. All of those soft skills will come across in your interactions with hiring managers, especially during the interview. Let them see your experience in the industry first, then wow them with your soft skills.

2. Mentioning low-level responsibilities instead of accomplishments.
If you’re going from one marketing job to another in a similar position, the hiring manager knows the gist of what you do already. You don’t need to list all basics of your job - you need to let prospective employers know why you succeeded at the job. For example, instead of telling people that you interacted with clients to help promote their initiatives, give a brief explanation of a campaign you helped to run and why you were a key part of making it successful. This will give your resume a leg-up among the rest of the basic lists most resumes offer.

3. Grammar and spelling mistakes.
It’s the most common thing that still gets overlooked. You need to check for typos and grammar mistakes, then check again and again. A typo is a horrible reason to miss out on an opportunity you would be completely qualified for otherwise.

4. Giving everyone the same resume.
Every job is unique, so the resume you submit to for a content writing position at a marketing firm may not be great for the one you submit for the same job-type for a Children’s Museum’s blogger. You should tailor your resume to who you are applying for—make them creative, change up the positions that may be more relevant to one company and not the other. Having multiple types of resumes can help you stand out to a wider variety of employers.

5. Leaving out dates.
It might seem like a good idea in some cases, but in almost every case it’s not. Dates matter to an employer, they want to know how long you’ve been in specific positions.

6. Using an objective statement.
While this used to be an essential part of most resumes, having an objective statement is a thing of the past. Most hiring managers only spend 10 seconds looking at a resume for potential candidates skimming through the job titles, not investing time in reading a short paragraph. Keep your focus on the basic information, not the fluff. Instead, try adding a short title under your name at the top of the sheet and go into your experience under each piece of work history.

Your resume is the first impression of you that employers will see. You want to make sure it positively reflects who you are…and flawlessly.