20 deadly sins:
1. A resume that has no relation to the employer's interests or needs - not customized for job scope
2. A resume is too long, short, or condensed
3. Unattractive format and designs in the resume
4. Misspellings, bad grammer and wordiness
5. Poor punctuation
6. Sentences, phrases and paragraphs are too lengthy
7. Too slick or amateurish
8. Too boastful and dishonest
9. Critical categories, experience and skills are missing
10. Poorly organized, hard to understand and requires too much interpretation
11. Unexplained time gaps
12. Constantly refers to "I" and appears self-centered
13. Lacks sufficient contact information
14. Includes a photo and irrelevant personal information (height, weight, age)
15. Includes "red flag" information such as being fired or incarcerated
16. Does not convey accomplishments or a pattern of performance from which the reader can predict future performance
17. Resume does not support objective
18. Lacks credibility and content
19. Appears over-qualified or under-qualified for the position
20. Vague and unclear objective
If you could avoid these 20 common sins made by numerous people when writing a resume, you will be one step ahead of the competition and will find yourself on top of the pile of resumes! In the next part, we will focus on some tips on how to write an effective resume. A video on effective resume writing is also at the end of the section which succinctly summarizes the points for making one's resume stand out from the multitude!
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- Type your name at the top in caps with large and bold type. Include the address, phone number and email address. A school address with your permanent address is needed if you plan to move after graduation.
- Focus the job objective before writing the rest of the resume and customize the resume to the job and field
- State the position you are seeking (full-time or part-time or an internship)
- Everything that follows the resume should support the objective
- Identify degree, major, graduation date and school
- Include education abroad and any relevant vocational schools, certificates, and job training
- Include the G.P.A if is above 3.0
- Include a short list of courses to show experience, training, or knowledge in the field
- Make the skills the selling point of your resume. Include specific skills that pertain to the objective such as computer language skills, lab techniques and language skills. Include also interpersonal and adaptive skills such as communication and leadership attributes
- Be sure to back up each skillon your resume with specific and convincing evidence
- Use the most important relevant experience to convince the employer that you have the skills necessary to do the job. Use an active voice to present evidence of the experience
- Keep reference on a separate sheet of paper and give it to the emplyer only when asked
- Omit age, religious or political affiliations, marital status or other personal data which could be used to screen you out
1. University of California, San Diego Career Services Center: Your connection to jobs and graduate education. Writing Your Resume http://career.ucsd.edu/sa/reswrite.shtml 2. Networking with Jane Lommel: Writing effective resumes - how to avoid the 20 deadly sins http://www.newwork.com/Pages/Networking/2001/Writing%20Effective%20Resumes.html |
