5 Resume Mistakes That Will Haunt You - Walrath Recruiting, Inc.

5 Resume Mistakes That Will Haunt You - Walrath Recruiting, Inc. Since tomorrow is Halloween, weve decided to write a blog about a job seekers biggest fear- resume mistakes! Your resume is the main tool to find employment, so making a mistake on that document can be costly. There is a lot that can go wrong on a resume. However, this time weve focused on a few mistakes that will certainly haunt you later on in your job search. 1. Typos Grammatical Errors These are one of the easiest mistakes to avoid, but also one of the most common. While having a typo or two may not seem like a big transgression, they can cause hiring managers to hesitate when considering contacting you. Many will have the mindset that if you allow errors in your resume, that you would also allow those errors into your work. Nobody is perfect, and its possible that you left a few small typos and mistakes throughout your resume when composing it. The problem is, if you proofread it, youre likely to miss them. However, there is a good solution to this problem. Find someone else who can look over your resume! A second pair of eyes will have a better chance of catching the mistakes you missed, and they should also be able to offer some constructive feedback. If a second person isnt an option, one thing you can do is read through your resume backwards. This makes it harder to skip over mistakes, since you dont breeze past them in sentences. Just keep in mind the best option will always be a second pair of eyes! 2. Including a Photo Considering including a photo on your resume? You may want to think twice! Having a photo on your resume can easily distract from your qualifications. The last thing you want is for a hiring manager to be focused on your photo instead of how qualified you are for the position. It also makes it easier for them to be biased when deciding to hang on to your resume or not. If youd like a more thorough guide to why its not in your best interest to have a photo, check out our blog on the topic. 3. Employer Contact Information Its surprising that this still occurs, but many candidates will put contact information about their current place of employment. Its okay to put the city and state, but putting your managers name is unnecessary. It may also make a hiring manager think it is acceptable to contact them, which would be bad if you are keeping your job search secret. While including a managers name is a mistake, including your work phone number is far worse. This will almost always come back to haunt you. Trying to field calls from recruiters at work wont end well. It makes it very challenging to keep your job search under wraps. You dont want to have to awkwardly ask a recruiter to call you back with all of your coworkers within earshot. Make sure the only number you include on your resume is your cell phone! 4. An Unprofessional Email Address This is an incredibly strange phenomenon. Some of best resumes we see from qualified candidates are great except for one thing: their email. Its incredibly jarring to be overlooking an immaculately laid out and presented resume, and then see an email such as ILovePonies@gmail.com at the top. Most candidates dont even consider how an unprofessional email looks, since theyve used it for so long. However, having one can certainly discourage a hiring manager from reaching out. Consider adopting an email containing your first and last name that is for your professional endeavors. 5. Lying Stretching the truth on your resume is never a wise move, and will always come back to haunt you. Companies carry out background and reference checks for a reason, and they will discover if you are being untruthful on your resume. What may begin as just a small change to a job title could cause a hiring manager to question your honesty. This is the last thing you want a hiring manager to call into question. Be truthful on your resume, and apply with confidence. While you may think a white lie here or there may get you a job interview- explaining the lies later on will cost you the job offer. Next time youre wondering why you never received a call after applying, remember it could be because one of these mistakes are haunting you! While there are certainly more possible resume mistakes to make, these are the ones that may catch you off guard in the future. We hope the suggestions provided help you avoid any future mistakes!