Resume Writing Mistakes to Avoid

I’ve read lots of articles about how to make a resume and I’ve got to tell you – most of them just go and repeat the same concepts over and over again. Some of the things they say seem to have gained folk wisdom status. Have you ever wondered if the advice you’re being given is actually any good?

Apparently not.

Even if some concepts commonly seen of as a mandatory part of a good resume (e.g. objectives) have a right to exist, they often get misinterpreted. Bad things may happen if someone discovers a nice resume outline that advocates a certain “perfect” structure. If one doesn’t really understand some of the items listed and decides to use them anyway, fluff and “fancy” gobbledygook ensues.

Today I stumbled upon an unusual post on craigslist.org. It speaks of some common (and sometimes funny) mistakes many job seekers make in their resumes.

For example –

• Objectively irrelevant objectives. If you must have an objective in your resume, make it meaningful and relevant to the reader. General philosophical statements are worthless (well, I'd imagine they'd work if you're applying for a philosophy teacher position or similar).
• Careful with those details! Small mistakes still get noticed and will have an effect on the reader’s judgment (even if only unconscious). A single mistaek may not be a "big deal" but it can spoil the flow of the text and the overall impression.
  
• Even more irrelevance. „If you've gone to college, I don't want to know about your high school”.
  

You can find more examples in the post itself.

Personally I’d say that when summarizing these mistakes there are two main lessons to be learned about how to make a resume –

• Relevance. Know why you’re writing the resume, who’s going to read it and what they want to hear. That doesn't mean you can make it up though.
  
• Attention to detail. Proofreading is tedious but make sure you do it. Twice. No, make that ten times. Also check for internal inconsistencies. Remember - some things that seem obvious to you might not be self-evident to the employer.