Looking for a job after military service? AOL Jobs is republishing some career stories to help veterans in their job hunt. This story is one of our best career advice stories.
Most employers will tell you that job seekers routinely make obvious, painful errors on their resumes that cost them the job. And while there are online tools that will help you avoid making some of these mistakes, such as punctuation errors, most tools won't catch these four major blunders.
Subjective Text:
When you fill your resume with lavish self-praise,
like "dedicated self-starter," "exceptional communication skills," and
"hard-working professional," you're just stating your own opinion. This
kind of language is like nails on a chalkboard to recruiters. Why?
You're not stating facts. Don't tell them how you see yourself. Prove it
by listing quantifiable accomplishments. Let the recruiter decide if
you're actually a self-starter.
Too Much Info:
Many people assume they should list everything they have ever done at
every job. It makes them feel like they're proving they've got valuable
experience. Well, in reality, it detracts from your core message and
strengths. Information overload to a recruiter is not a way to stand
out. It's actually the fastest way to get in the 'no' pile. That's
because, when they see you've listed everything, they look for every
single skill they need. And, if even one skill is missing, they assume
you don't have it.
The better approach is to simplify the resume to list only the key
skills you want to leverage. Then you will be implying that you have a
lot more to offer -- but the recruiters need to contact you to find out.
Less is more.
If the hiring managers like what they see, they'll contact you for a
phone screen to get more details. And that's exactly what you want the
resume to do: Make the phone ring!
Weak Top-Fold:
The first third of our resume is known as the "top-fold" -- it's where
the eye goes when someone sees your resume for the first time. Most
studies say a hiring manager's mind is made up about the candidate
within six to 13 seconds of reading the resume. Which means the top-fold
is determining whether you even get considered for the job.
Text-intensive top-folds that aren't well-formatted and don't present
key skill sets lose the reader's attention. It's that simple.
Fancy Fonts:
Curly-tailed fonts (aka fancy fonts) are harder to read. That
translates into the reader absorbing less of what's been written. When
you use script fonts as a way to make your resume look "classier," you
are only making it harder for the hiring manager to retain what you are
all about. Skip the script font and go with something clean-lined, like
Arial or Calibri. While that may look more basic, the hiring manager
will at least take in more -- and that can lead to the phone call you
want.
Keep in mind: Your resume is your marketing document. Paying attention
to these minor details can help you get a better response to your
marketing message. Which is: "I'm worth talking to about this job!"