CAREER RESOURCE CENTER

Top 10 resume errors for Internet application
November 2003

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Contact information that is incorrect or difficult to find.
An unbelievable number of resumes are submitted with invalid email addresses and phone numbers, or the contact information is listed at the end of the resume. You are only going to get one shot with a hiring manager, and so be sure that your contact information is correct and easy to find.

Sending a resume with typo, grammatical errors or misspelled words.
Have at least one other person proofread your resume before you start applying for positions. It is surprising the number of resumes that are sent with grammatical errors, typos and poor formatting. A prospective employer will wonder if you don't care enough to send out an accurate resume; what level of quality can they expect in your work with them. Many hiring managers will throw out a resume with a typo without even considering qualifications.

An objective that is different from the job description.
As online job applications have grown, it has become easy to "blast" out a resume to 50 different positions in a matter of minutes. The objective is usually the first few lines on a resume and if it states a goal that is completely different from the position you apply for, the hiring manager may question why you are interested in the position. It will make a much better impression if you either tailor the objective or leave it off all together and develop a good cover letter.

Lack of qualifications for the position that you are applying for.
Recruiters and hiring managers are seeing a huge volume of resumes right now and it is important to be considerate of their time. When you send a resume for a position that you are obviously not qualified for, you are leaving a negative impression with the person reviewing your resume. When you read a job description, be honest with yourself about whether or not you have the qualifications to do the work.

Unexplained gaps in employment.
Try to fill in the blanks with whatever you were doing at the time; pursuing additional education, staying home with family, or another reasonable explanation. Don't get too personal but give some basic information. If the gap is current and 6 months or less, it is O.K. to leave this time unaccounted for. Most people understand that it takes longer to find a job now with the economic slow down.

Exaggeration of your experience or the dates that you worked with a company.
If an employer verifies past work dates and finds a discrepancy it will cause them to question your honesty.

Dishonesty about having a degree.
Many employers verify education. If your resume states that you have a degree when you don't, it can cost you the job. Even if you are within a few credits of receiving your degree, if you don't have your diploma, don't put it on your resume.

Too much personal information.
Don't include information like marital status, age, height or social security number on your resume. Legally, prospective employers cannot ask you about personal information, and so don't supply extra information.

Too much additional information.
Do not include a lot of extra paper like school transcripts, certifications or letters of recommendation unless you are specifically requested to do so. Save these for the interview.

Using a functional resume.
When you are submitting your resumes over the Internet this may limit your ability to catch the attention of the recruiter reviewing your resume. Resumes submitted via a company website or site like Monster usually go to a recruiter and they like to see specific experience listed chronologically.