10 Unprofessional Resume Mistakes You Need to Fix

Have you been applying for jobs like a fanatic, with no response coming from the other end? It will not be surprising if you are wondering by now, what could have been wrong with your resume? Well, it’s not because you are not qualified. It’s probably because your resume mistakes are costing you your job. According to the stats, over 70% of employers consider a resume to be the deal-breaker and even reject an application before going through it thoroughly. In addition, your resume is one of the most prominent ways for hiring managers to scrutinize you as a candidate. Hence, making mistakes in your resume could create a terrible impression of you being unprofessional. Here are common Unprofessional Resume Mistakes  you should avoid at all costs:

1. SPELLING MISTAKES AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS:

The most common and cringe-worthy resume mistakes are its spelling and grammatical errors. So first, scan through your writing thoroughly to make sure there are no such mistakes. Then, if possible, make another pair of eyes go through the content and point out the errors that you might have overseen. In addition, you can use several online tools that are available to scan your resume for potential spelling and grammar mistakes. Such professional tools will find the errors in your text in minutes.

2. LENGTH OF THE RESUME:

Your resume should have just the right length. It should neither be too long nor too short. Too short of a summary will leave out many vital specifics, while too long of a resume will quickly bore out the hiring manager. Just note that all the necessary details should be mentioned within the first half of the resume. Everything else is just the cherry on the cake.

3. LACK OF SPECIFICATIONS:

You should pay proper attention to your resume distribution. It should be a nice cocktail of essential specifics and properly framed achievements. It should not just bluntly state the obvious to the recruiter. Along with this, you will need numbers. You are risking a high chance of getting rejected if you fail to use numbers to quantify your achievements. Quantifying your abilities will enhance your chances of getting selected.

4. INCORRECT CONTACT INFORMATION:

Giving incorrect or missing contact information means not getting the job even after getting selected. If you do not provide the correct contact information, your recruiters will not get in touch with you. But that doesn’t mean you should add your contacts at the header of the word document or send an image of your contacts. The Applicant Tracking System will not read the information, and your contact details will remain missing. Along with this, remember not to provide an unprofessional Email ID, which creates a wrong impression.

5. DISRUPTED STRUCTURE:

As an applicant, you should keep in mind that your resume writing should have a proper structure. Your working experience should be mentioned before your skills. While reading your resume, your hiring manager will look for more critical content at the beginning. Hence, put the information they are looking for at first. Also, remember offering the same resume to a couple of different jobs will not work at all. Every job is other, and I would want additional specifics and skills. Including unwanted information like age, hobbies, marital status will also disrupt the structure of your resume. You need to be an absolute professional and not write irrelevant information that doesn’t go well in the industry.

6. KEYWORD STUFFING:

The use of keywords in your resume plays a vital role. Keywords are the criteria your recruiters search through the Applicant Tracking Software to rule the unqualified resumes. However, that does not mean you keep shoving them forcefully now and then. The use of keywords in your resume should be seen as natural and not staged. Therefore, you should be very careful when and where to use them.

7. ACCOMPLISHMENTS OVER RESPONSIBILITIES:

While writing a good resume, you can easily slide into the “responsibility” mode, where you start listing your duties as the candidate. To tell you, that is an ancient practice. It’s like you are voicing your job description. Every candidate is supposed to do those duties. That makes you fall under the same category as everyone. So, you should start emphasizing more on your accomplishments and show how you made a difference in each company you have worked with.

8. SKIPPING GPA:

Mentioning your GPA is a must. Suppose you have a GPA of more than 3.0, then never forget to mention it in resume writing. The majority of Applicant Tracking Systems look for the word GPA in the written documents. Hence, saying the GPA could give you an added advantage in front of the hiring desk.

9. GENERALISATION:

One of the worst things you can do is writing a resume that is too generalized or simply not specific. If your recruiters ask for a particular skill, writing a generalized resume means you are not professional enough and do not master one thing. Your resume should go with the flow of the job you are applying for. Any resume without proper tailoring or scrutiny will not get the job at all. Always try to take a second opinion if possible

10. LEAVING SPACES BLANK:

This often happens with young candidates with less work experience. The tendency is to not find many things to write and then leaving spaces blank. Well, if you have no experience whatsoever, use your activities, skills, and charitable work. Leaving empty spaces makes it look unprofessional. Try to jot up as much as you can with your achievements and knowledge.

CONCLUSION:

You need to avoid numerous mistakes while writing a resume, but when you are finally in good shape and your resume looks promising, nobody can stop you. Having known these 10 mistakes that probably most people make, you can make yourself stand out and grab your dream job in no amount of time.