· Poor grammar, typos, misspellings,
etc. A sloppy resume says you're careless.
· Overkill. Anything over a page-and-a-half is too long.
· Vagueness. Quantify your results. Don't State: "Responsible
for supervising 300 employees." Instead, say: "Managed
the marketing department that increased revenues 82 percent in
a four-year period." Don't write a job description; list
what you have accomplished.
· Plagiarism. Avoid patterning your resume after the same
examples everyone else uses. Hiring authorities get bored with
look-alike resumes. Be creative and different-but only to a point.
· Colored paper. Any color other than white paper is unacceptable.
Colored paper does not copy well. Your resume will be distributed
to multiple people.
· Clichés and buzzwords. Don't use words that you
think sound "smart." Hiring authorities are not impressed
with "utilize," "flexible," "team player,"
and "seeking an opportunity for me to grow and develop."
· Tiresome details. If you're well into your career, skip
those college summer jobs. As you advance in age and up the corporate
ladder, pare down your resume. Nobody really cares that you worked
your way through college waiting tables, especially when you're
applying for an executive position with a securities firm.
· Indeterminate gender. If you're Pat, Lynn, or Lee, don't
keep them guessing. With certain names, use Mr. or Ms. as a prefix.
· Lying. First, you don't lie because it's wrong. Second,
you don't lie because if you caught, you won't get the job.
· Omitting your job objective. State clearly what you're
looking for. Ambiguity indicates you lack direction and focus.
(Do your homework in advance to tailor your objective with an
open position if possible.)
