You may have a long list of accomplishments and years of experience, but a formatting or spelling error can send your resume straight to the wastebasket or delete folder. Your résumé shows an employer the kind of work you’re capable of producing.
Don’t let a careless mistake make a bad impression. Watch out for these common, yet avoidable, résumé blunders:
- Spelling and grammatical errors. Spelling and grammatical errors tell employers one of two things: “This person can’t write.” or “This person just doesn’t care.” Spell Check isn’t foolproof, so ask someone to review your résumé before you send it off.
- Incorrect or missing contact information. You’ve got a strong résumé, but you’ll never get contacted for an interview if your email address is missing a letter or you’ve switched digits in your phone number. Triple-check your contact information for accuracy.
- Using “fancy” fonts. These fonts not only make your résumé harder to read, but studies show that the reader will absorb less information. Stick to one standard font like Arial.
- Crowding too much information on one page. A crowded page can also make your résumé hard to read. It’s okay to go beyond one page if you need to, but make sure the information is relevant to the job.
- An unprofessional email address. “Catluver63@hotmail.com” might seem clever and fun, but it doesn’t convey a professional image. Use a simple email address that includes your name.
Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
