Finding a job is not easy and has become more difficult because of the changing times. You have to be able to adapt with the changes and must make an extra effort to market yourself. Right off the bat, your only marketing tool and representation is your resume. Now, of course, you might be very good at the field of your expertise but if you were not able to land a job because your resume is not at par with the new trends and you just can’t figure out the whole personal branding thing to give you a boost, well… you know what I am getting at!

So be wary of these red flags that scream “your resume sucks!”

1. You follow the one-page rule
While it is necessary to be concise with your resume, it doesn’t mean that you have to limit your page to one and eliminate the necessary information that could have helped you get the job. Reducing the font size to eight and eliminating the margins are not ways to make a good impression to your would-be employer. Besides, what is the point of a one-page resume if all of your information is crammed using small font size that is impossible to read? Be direct and to the point, and by all means… if your list of relevant experiences require another page then don’t limit your resume to one.

2. Your objective focus is on how to gain experience
When you are interested in the job it is understood that you want to gain experience in that field so you don’t need to state that in your resume. Besides, employers would want to know what you can do for them rather than what they can do for you. Instead of including an objective and wasting valuable space in your resume, make a cover letter that explains the reason for your application.

3. You include references
This is a classical style of most resumes and a classical way to waste precious space. It’s not like you won’t provide them the reference when they request and it’s not like they have to be informed of that. Recruiters already know that is the process. Just prepare a list of your reliable references with contact information and be ready to give it when you are asked. Keep in mind that most employers would not bother checking your references until they are ready to make you an offer.

4. You don’t convert your resume to PDF
It is not wrong to send resume in a Word document format but it is better if you convert it to PDF first. A PDF format looks neater and more professional. And unlike in Word document, it doesn’t show those red wavy underlines on proper nouns. While it is easier to edit your resume in a Word document format, the display is better looking in PDF. It will keep your formatting intact and will be shown exactly the way you did it on your screen when viewed by the employer.

5. You list your complete job history in chronological order
It is believed that the person with the most experience gets the job. That is true except if the experience is irrelevant to the job required. Employers are looking for people who have talents, skills and firsthand knowledge to the job position they require. Leave off jobs that are irrelevant and expand on the ones that are relevant to the one you are applying for. Focus on your role, achievements and skills you gained from the relevant jobs you had. If you only had a couple of jobs that might not be relevant, go ahead and state it in your resume. Focus on how valuable you had been to your previous employer. Then list the skills or discipline that you have developed in your previous employer that can be applied to the job you are applying for.

Tags: employers, how to write a resume, job history, Job Search, references on a resume, resume mistakes, Resume Sucks, writing a resume

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 5:11 am and is filed under Applying for a Job, Free Advice, Resume Do's and Don'ts, how to write a resume. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.