Four Major Resume Faux Pas & How to Avoid 'Em

Please don't be that guy or gal. You know, the type who has a four page resume printed on lavender colored and scented paper. Puhleeze. When we read this post on Forbes about major blunders job seekers make with their CV, we couldn't agree more. If you've been accustomed to making these blunders please quietly nod in agreement and make a pact with yourself to heed our advice to never do it again. 1. There’s not enough “white space.” This could go on and on -- the fonts are too small (and while we're discussing fonts, please don't use Comic Sans. Actually, please don't use Comic Sans at any point. Ever. It lacks a professional, polished look.) Anyway, a resume that's crowded with too many words just isn't easy on the eye, plain and simple. And considering many recruiters take less than five seconds (yes, we said five), to scan your resume, you're not helping yourself with a crowded CV. 2. You didn’t include results-oriented language. The piece points out, "Hiring managers want to know what you can contribute to the company. Your resume should be clear about results you’ve achieved." Seriously. If you drove traffic to your Web site, indicate the before and after numbers. As in actual numbers or an increase in terms of percentage. Give recruiters quantifiable digits, okay? 3. Your resume is too long. It should be two pages, max. Here's why: No one has time to eyeball five pages of your impressive work history and considering most people, even the most stellar candidates, manage to whittle it down to two pages you should, too. This shows your ability to highlight the top skills and experience you bring to the table. 4. They want to see numbers. Similar to quantifiable results on your resume, recruiters and consequently the hiring managers they work for also want to see how you saved your employer money. Or maybe you were responsible for ad sales. Whatever the case, if your magazine grew in ad sales by a specific percentage thanks to a few special issues you worked on, by all means say it. According to Briana Meade in the piece, she writes, "Look for ways to quantify your experience. It shows you are committed to the bottom line and to continuous growth as an employee."

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Four Major Resume Faux Pas & How to Avoid 'Em

Vicki Salemi

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Vicki Salemi