4 Resume Mistakes to Avoid

I have seen a lot of articles online about content writing services and what not to do when writing your resume. While I agree with some of this advice, there are 4 mistakes I repeatedly see. Here are some tips that I follow, and share with my clients when writing a resume.

Illegible Fonts

Start by choosing a legible, professional-looking font. Though there are several different font families, most job-seekers choose serif — a stylized font with tails and other decorative markings, such as Times New Roman. Sans-serif fonts appear simpler, such as Arial. Two of my favorite serif fonts are, Georgia and Garamond. I often use Verdana and Tahoma when I am looking for a “clean” font choice for a document. As far as fonts I stay away from, I do not use Brush Script because it’s hard to read, Impact looks very heavy and Comic Sans is not a wise choice for a professional document.

Inappropriate Length

It has been proven that recruiters and employers only take 11 seconds (or less) to review your resume. If your resume is perceived as being too long, that’s a reason for them to stop reading. With very few exceptions, students and graduates should keep their resumes to one page in length. Other job-seekers with more experience should stay within two pages.

Non-Standard Document Software

A few months ago, I had a client come to me after working with another resume writer with a challenging issue; the resume was in .jpeg format, so it could not be updated or modified to apply to additional opportunities. My client now has a document that they can update and modify. The majority of employers and hiring managers prefer to receive documents in one of two formats – Microsoft Word or PDF.

Spelling and Grammar Errors

While avoiding spelling and grammar mistakes seems obvious, I cannot overstate how much of a “deal-breaker” this is to an employer. I triple-check my drafts to ensure that they are free of spelling and grammar errors; one error can result in a missed opportunity. There are many other tips and tricks I have learned over the past decade as a professional writer, hope everyone consider all these tips and write the resume in the proper format.