Your resume is your calling card, your ticket to an interview, dream career or life-changing opportunity. “Lots of employers look at your resume and make a snap decision about you,” says Donna Milch, partner at Kardon Search, a New York recruiting firm. With so much riding on your resume, be sure yours is flawless. Scan for any of these faux pas and correct them fast.
MISTAKE #1: TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
Depending on the type of software you have, your resume could go from perfectly formatted to an illegible mixture of coding when you hit “Send,” giving a potential employer an excuse to pass over your resume for the next.
The Fix: When sending a resume from Microsoft Works to Word or WordPerfect to Word, you will generally have formatting problems. Try saving your resume in a Rich Text Format to avoid mishaps.
MISTAKE #2: TYPOS AND FAULTY GRAMMAR
Typing mistakes and bad grammar make an otherwise excellent resume look shabby. “If you’re trying to get a $50,000 job, you should put $50,000 worth of effort into it,” says Beatryce Nivens, a nationally known career-management consultant.
The Fix: Spell-checker may not pick up a correctly spelled word that’s just the wrong word for the sentence. Have one or two people proofread your resume for you. Print out a hard copy and comb through it again.
MISTAKE #3: HAVING ONLY ONE RESUME
If you use the same format for every job prospect, you run the risk of not emphasizing your most appropriate qualifications for the position and getting lost in the crowd.
The Fix: Create one resume that is a draft, and alter it to fit your job prospects. Then include the experience and accomplishments that are the most relevant, omitting everything else. “A resume is a synopsis, not your autobiography,” says Nivens. A recent grad with little experience? Start with your education and then list your positions in reverse chronological order.
MISTAKE #4 IMPROPER E-MAIL ADDRESSES
This is an instant killer. “I get E-mails from addresses like ‘can’tgetajob’ or ‘blueeyedbeauty,’ ” says Jill Rosenfeld, president and owner of the Harper Group, Inc., in New York City. “Companies don’t respond well to that.”
The Fix: Set up a professional E-mail address with your last name and first initial. Many browsers, such as Yahoo!, offer free E-mail.
MISTAKE #5: LYING ABOUT WORK EXPERIENCE
Lying can be the most grievous mistake, giving an employer a clear basis to pass over or fire you.
The Fix: Is it okay to refer to yourself as an executive assistant when you were a secretary? It depends on whether there’s an intent to deceive the employer. Make sure the job functions are accurate, and never blatantly lie about a position or title.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Time, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group
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