Published on 12:00 AM, September 07, 2018

10 resume mistakes to avoid

According to studies, recruiters spend 6 seconds on average scanning your resume. In these 6 seconds, your resume needs to compel your recruiters into wanting to follow up with you. While misspellings and grammatical errors are the obvious faux pas to avoid, the more common mistakes are deviously easy to make. Check out this list to dodge the common blunders that can wreck your shot at employment

Outrageous enlargement of the font size of your name: Believe it or not, your name is the least important element of your resume. So while it's acceptable to use it on top, it's not a smart choice to have the font sized at 36.

Unnecessary personal info: Do not put your marital status, religious preference or your age in your resume. This won't just cram your resume; it may severely backfire if your employer is biased against said orientations.

Redundant observable words: Don't write 'phone number' before you write your phone number, or 'email address' before you write your email address. Rule of thumb is to only write things that aren't morbidly obvious.

Email address of an 11-year-old: If you're still using the email ID you created as a kid, you might want to change the princess_xoxo@xyz.com to something more professional with preferably just your real name.

Irrelevant and outdated work info: You might've tutored a student into getting a golden A+ in her HSCs, but employers don't really care about that work experience of yours. Avoid mentioning any work that isn't going to be of interest to your potential recruiters. If you're in your mid-career, you might also want to avoid jotting down impermanent, short-lived jobs you held at the start of your career.

Arbitrary demarcations of skills: You might be super savvy with PowerPoint and your Photoshop skills may be a clear 9/10 in your head, but unless you are a certified PowerPoint guru from a credible institution, you cannot randomly quantify your skill levels depending on how you feel about them. This is a major error most recruiters cringe at the sight of.

Leisurely hobbies: Recruiters don't want to know if you like travelling during the summer or enjoy singing in the shower. They have absolutely no use for that information.

Inappropriate fonts: Outdated fonts such as Times New Roman are discouraged. Fancy cursive fonts borrowed straight from a wedding card is unacceptable. Use standard sans-serif fonts like Arial to dodge any damage.

Maddening buzzwords: "Think outside the box," "Synergy," "Disruptive growth" etc. might be trending buzzwords, but they don't deserve a place in your resume.

Cluttered layout: Unless you're applying for a graphics designing job, your recruiters won't expect your resume to be a wondrous depiction of art. Keep the layout plain, simple and aesthetically pleasing. Don't cram it with irrelevant text or obsolete bars and charts.

 

Adiba is a junior at IBA, DU. Reach her at adibaarif.3@gmail.com.