5 Deal Breaker Resume Mistakes You’re Probably Making (And Just Don’t Know It)

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While being able to effectively manage ones career is essential to maximizing your income, a surprising number of people continue to “wing it” when it comes to writing their own resume. And while you may know the basics of resume writing, it's easy to make a mistake that can eliminate you from consideration for your dream job. To help you avoid such a resume faux pas , the ResumeSpice team put together a quick guide of the top five deal breaker resume mistakes you need to watch out for.

#1: Including too much information

it's natural to be proud of everything you've accomplished throughout your career, but it's important to remember that your resume is not an autobiography. Include too much information and you risk losing the interest of the hiring manager. A good rule of thumb is to emphasize – and provide more information for – more recent roles and those that are most similar to the position to which you’re applying. And remember, white space is your friend, so avoid the temptation to clutter your resume with too much content.

#2: Emphasizing the wrong information

Most hiring managers have a hierarchy of information they want to see. First, they want to know where you work – and where you worked previously. They'll also want to know what your title is, your tenure, and what you've accomplished — in that order. Make it easy for the hiring manager to find the information he or she is looking for. The more “hunting” they need to do, the more likely your resume is to land in the wrong pile.

#3: Pushing your experience too far down the first page

If your most recent job is listed further than a third of the way down the page, that's a problem. A hiring manager doesn't want to wade through information that's likely to be irrelevant to the role she or he is trying to fill. Make sure your most recent role is close to the top of the page so it's easy to find and scan.

#4: Using out of date resume relics

Using outdated resume elements can date yourself as a candidate. Including page numbers, references (or even “references available upon request”), and objective statements instantly scream “out of date”. We speak specifically about each of these errors on our blog, but the short answer is leave them off.

#5: Overformatting

Save the cutesy, curly, and colorful fonts for when you're writing a personal email. A resume is a professional document so it’s important to treat it as such. Stick to fonts like Garamond, Times New Roman or Cambria and be sure that they're black. Another tip regarding your font is keep it to a size 11 – or 10.5 at the absolute minimum. Doing so makes it easier for a hiring manager to read.

Need resume help? ResumeSpice is dedicated to staying abreast of the current trends and resume methods that get results for our clients. Contact us today to learn more at 832.930.7378.