But if your resume is so solid, why aren’t you getting return phone calls about those job openings? Is your MBA not good enough?
Before you give up and run away to the circus, take time to carefully review your resume. Ask yourself: What can I add? What am I doing wrong? Chances are you may be committing one of the cardinal resume sins.
Here are five resume DON’Ts:
1. Don’t get too cute with the formatting.
There are many reasons to be wary of complicated formatting. For instance, if you send the document as a Word attachment and the recipient doesn’t have the fonts you used, the whole thing could be thrown off-kilter. Making the file a PDF is a good safeguard. It’s also incredibly important to choose a format that is aesthetically pleasing and easy to read. Employers go through hundreds of resumes. Think they’re going to spend time on one that is poorly organized? Nope.
2. Don’t spell anything wrong. Not one word.
Most human resource professionals will tell you a misspelled word on a resume is one of the quickest ways to get your resume dragged into that e-trash bin. If you can’t manage correct spelling on a one or two-page document, how can a prospective employer trust you with detail-heavy work projects?
3. Don’t neglect your objective.
It’s easy to put too much emphasis on the work experience part of the resume. But details such as the objective, near the top of the document, often prove pivotal. Constructing a unique objective that immediately grabs the reviewer’s attention can be crucial as you strive to reach the second round of candidates.
4. Don’t give it a generic title.
If the title of your resume is something general, such as “CFO Resume,” your potential boss might assume you are desperate for work. Thus, the need to send the same, barely revised resume to multiple companies.
5. Don’t wait to explain yourself.
If something on your resume needs explaining, address it from the beginning. If it looks troublesome to you, there’s a good chance companies will question it, too. Depending on the issue, there likely is a subtle way to address it within the resume, with beefed up details or a highly specific objective.
Now you’re ready. Enjoy those fancy bathrooms.