Resume Errors

  1. Don’t show peacock feathers. We all want to stand out, but don’t use weird fonts or embed images in your resume. It makes your resume look strange (not in a good way) and might not even render the way you expect on someone else’s PC.
  2. Omit the references. Including references on the resume itself says that you needed it for page filler, or you just don’t understand how the system works. References should only be provided upon request.
  3. Don’t write in complete sentences. And don’t, for the love of God, include full paragraphs. Write in bullets and short, impactful sentence fragments that tell your story with a minimum of reading.
  4. Don’t omit the numbers. Quantify your accomplishments.
  5. Don’t list your responsibilities. No one cares what your last job’s requirements were. In fact, including them sends the message that you don’t understand that your job is to provide value through accomplishments.
  6. Don’t include an objective. These were recommended once, long ago, but now they’re totally passé. Objectives tend to sound insincere, are hard to map to specific roles at each company you apply to, and limit your options.
  7. Spell check. It goes without saying that your resume should be completely spell checked, and free of grammatical errors.
  8. Don’t list your Yahoo or sparklemotion e-mail address. As I discussed before, keep your e-mail address professional.
  9. Don’t include your picture. Not only can this come off totally unprofessional, but it poises the employer for legal exposure since the picture reveals details about your sex, age, and ethnicity. They don’t want any part of that kind of pain and will toss you in the trash.
  10. Don’t get too personal. Don’t include information about your personal interests or hobbies unless it’s relevant to the role.
  1. DON'T Be Artistic
    Use one standard typeface (no mixing) in traditional 10 to 12 point font size. You can go as large as 14 point for headings, but no larger. Avoid script or other showy typefaces as well as paper with busy backgrounds, wild colors or borders, unless your goal is to give the reader a headache. Use plain, soft colors such as cream, white or even pale gray. And by all means do not include your photo.
  2. DON'T Focus Only on Responsibilities
    Don't just put together a long, boring list of things you've done, especially if every job you've held has been similar in content. Kick it up a notch (thank you, Emeril) by creatively expressing how your responsibilities were important to the success of the department or company. Think about what your accomplishments have been, even if you don't think you've accomplished anything. Use action words to show that you took action. Instead of just saying, "Handled customer service," say, "Established effective business relationships with new and existing customers by quickly analyzing problems and developing solutions."
  3. DON'T Use Pronouns and Articles
    Many people write resumes using "I" to describe their responsibilities. Some even take it a step further and write the resume from a third person point of view. In this case they use "he" as if describing a close friend or business associate. Whatever you do, don't use "I", "me", or "he/she" in your resume. In addition, avoid articles like "a", "an" and "the". Instead of saying, "I was responsible for developing and implementing a new sales program that increased our revenue by $50,000 annually." Say, "Developed and implemented new sales program resulting in $50,000 annual revenue increase."
  4. DON'T List Irrelevant Non-Business Information
    The only information that should be on your resume should be information that relates to your ability to perform the job. Leave off hobbies, memberships in non-business organizations, personal data (e.g. marital status, date of birth) and anything else that doesn't apply to the position. In addition, limit education to relevant, college-level courses. Don't include high school or specialty training (i.e. cosmetology school) unless it relates to the job or explains a gap in employment.
  5. DON'T Forget to Proofread
    Typos are a dead giveaway that you either have no attention to detail or don't know how to spell. Either way, it's the wrong message to send. Make sure to proofread your resume (and cover letter) before sending it. And just to be sure, use spell check and have a friend or family member review it.
  6. DON'T Ramble On
    Less is more. Limiting your resume to one or two pages is still the standard. Resist the temptation to describe everything you've done, especially if it doesn't apply to the current opportunity. However, do not try to cram too much information onto only one piece of paper. That means: find balance. Communicate all pertinent information while still being mindful of the reader's time. On the other hand, do not leave off vital information that relates to the position for which you are applying. Instead, consider adapting your resume according to the requirements of the position. This may mean you have more then one resume, each with a different career slant or industry focus.- Deborah S. Hildebrand

Eliminating all of these errors from your résumé will go a long way in improving your chances of securing an interview.
1. "Responsible for..."
The Problem:
This is one of the most common, and most amateurish, résumé errors. There is no greater example of weak, passive writing than the overused "responsible for." There are two base reasons why this phrase is to be avoided. The first is that it is already understood that the information included in your résumé are activities that you were responsible for; this is the equivalent of writing "we cook..." before an item listed in a restaurant menu. The second reason is what I alluded to above: "responsible for" is passive, bland, and boring. It does nothing to draw in the reader, and demonstrates no specific or relevant skill. With the average résumé being read in approximately seven seconds, the first word or two in each sentence is absolutely critical because it is the information that will be read first and most. Whether anything else in a given sentence will be read at all entirely depends on if the first couple of words strike a chord with the reader. If the hiringmanager holding your résumé does not spot keywords of interest in those vital locations, then the entire résumé is probably going in the trash, no matter how great the rest of your information is.
The Solution:
A great way to test the quality of a résumé is to read just the first word in each sentence, and see what image those words build of you as an employee. If your first words consist of "responsible for", "helped", "handled", or other passive language, then you're not creating a powerful or compelling first impression. Open each and every sentence with a power verb that is relevant to the job you are applying for. Words such as "manage", "direct", "administer", and "process" can often be used to replace "responsible for", and are far more effective.
2. Using a paragraph format.
The Problem:
As mentioned above, the average résumé is read in approximately seven seconds. In those precious few seconds, the hiring manager will skim through your entire document and determine if you possess the qualifications needed for the job. If your information is organized in long, dense paragraphs that are difficult to read quickly, they are most likely not going to be read at all. Think of your résumé as a shopping spree... if you have only seven seconds within which to conduct your shopping spree, which would you rather be faced with: an enormous pile of products where it is impossible to discern what each individual product is without an in-depth perusal, or an organized, easy-to-navigate row of products that are displayed independently so that you can easily see what each is? Remember, you have only seven seconds. I think we'd all agree that it is much easier, when on limited time, to approach information that is already parsed out for us. Paragraphs are intimidating to the eye and for the hiring manager who has literally hundreds of other applicants to choose from, the loss of one whose document is difficult to read is not going to be a consideration.
The Solution:
Create brief, bulleted statements. Each statement should focus on one particular skill and be no more than two lines in length.
3. Repetition.
The Problem:
It is not uncommon for people, in an attempt to not overlook anything, to mention the same skills multiple times within the same résumé. This creates a boring, stale document in which the heavily repeated skills overshadow everything else. In addition to this, the repetition contributes to excess length; again, we come back to that same seven seconds. Let's say, for example, that in your resume you want to list skills A, B, C, and D. If you do just that, then it is easy to identify all of those skills in seven seconds. If, however, your résumé lists A, B, A, A, B, B, B, C, A, C, B, A, A, C, B, D, C, A... suddenly, your qualifications are not as obvious and one - D - could very easily be overlooked.
The Solution:
Identify which skill each and every statement is addressing and write that information directly on a copy of your résumé. Then review the skills listed next to all of your statements. Are you seeing one or more skills listed over and over? Consolidate this information. Also, don't fall into the trap of repeating information from one section to another; if you mention an accomplishment in your Professional Summary, do not mention it again in your Professional Experience.
4. Writing job descriptions.
The Problem:
Committing this error is what can make the difference between getting an interview and losing the opportunity to someone else. Employers are not interested in what activities you performed on a daily basis - they are interested in how well you performed those activities. Stating that you "processed paperwork" gives no indication of what type of employee you are... this same statement could apply accurately to the person who doodles on the desk and misses deadlines as well as the person who exceeds deadlines and quotas and has 100% accuracy.
The Solution:
Focus on accomplishments. Many job-seekers disregard this advice with the mistaken notion that they do not have any accomplishments. Most of the time these people do have quantifiable achievements; they just don't realize that they do. It can be difficult to look objectively at our own experiences. Review employee evaluations. What positives are noted? Think about special projects or busy times; were there any instances in which you were praised, or were very proud of the job you did? Any times in which you improved processes, made or saved money, or lifted some of the burden off your supervisor's shoulders?
If you truly have no accomplishments, then focus on results. What are the results of your work? For example, "processed paperwork." What paperwork and why? What does this paperwork do for your company? "Facilitate ongoing litigation by processing complex legal documents" is much more effective than simply "Processed paperwork," although both would technically be correct.
5. Using Objective statements.
The Problem:
This is often the result of a job-seeker who has either been out of the market for a long time, or someone who is using a dated résumé-writing manual. Objective statements have, thankfully, gone out of style on résumés. Why thankfully? Objective statements are counter-productive. By definition, an Objective states what you, the job-seeker, want. The problem with this is that the hiring manager does not care what you want; the hiring manager cares about what you can do for the company. Additionally, what you want should be clear from your cover letter and by the simple fact that you sent your résumé in the first place - it does not need to be repeated (see #3, above). Since this is often positioned at the very top of the résumé, it is a regretful waste of highly visible space that should be used to appeal to the interests of hiring managers, not to address information that the hiring manager isn't interested in.
The Solution:
Professional Summary, Profile, Summary Statement... whatever you want to call it, a summary section at the top of your résumé that reviews your strongest, most relevant skills and abilities is a surefire way to capture the attention of your reader and encourage him or her to read on. This is also a highly effective strategy to position notable achievements that occurred early in your career in a visible location.