Career

6 Mistakes that Can Kill Your Resumé

Here is an interesting list of 6 common mistakes that you should avoid in your resumé. If you don’t, you will likely be spending more time in your job search.

Previously, we have discussed about the 28 Question about Entry Level Student Resumé.

For this current article (from CIO), you can learn about the 6 most common ways to ruin your resumé.

6 Costly Resumé Mistakes

Try to avoid the following mistakes in your resumé.

  1. Mistake 1: Your objective is unclear
  2. Mistake 2: You’ve listed old skills
  3. Mistake 3: You’ve created an acronym explosion
  4. Mistake 4: You’ve misused industry jargon
  5. Mistake 5: You’re unclear what job you’re applying for
  6. Mistake 6: You’re vague about your experience, or you’re just downright confusing

You can read more details about each resumé mistake here. The author has given clear descriptions of these mistakes and tips on how to avoid them.

Most international students applying for jobs usually make the following 3 mistakes:

  1. Mistake 1: Your objective is unclear
  2. Mistake 5: You’re unclear what job you’re applying for
  3. Mistake 6: You’re vague about your experience, or you’re just downright confusing

Objective is Unclear

If you come across a resumé that has an objective that looks like this:

  • “Looking for full time position as Software Engineer, where I can utilize my skills to the full extent”

What job you’re applying for

This is common mistake in most resumé. You might be willing to take any job in this economy (Software developer, tester, BA, etc.).

In that case, have a separate resumé for each job area you apply for. Don’t use a common resumé for each job. That will not work.

Each resumé has to be tailored to the job you are applying for.

Job Experience or Project Description

Your resumé should say what you have accomplished in previous jobs/projects and how you can contribute to the new job you are applying for.

Don’t just copy and paste a project description into your resumé. That clearly shows immaturity on the part of the applicant.

Similar Posts

4 Comments

  1. I have 10 years of professional work experience in Molecular Biology. Now I want to apply for Ph.D in the same field in US. I ma planning my Gre in 2011. I have some doubts regarding my chances of admition.

    1. My MSc Microbiology(2001) percent score is 59% only. Do I have hope to get the admition?

    2. Would subject GRE be required?

    3. How much general GRE score would be required?

    I would be very greatful to you if you would solve my confusion.

    Anagha

  2. Hi sir,
    I have applied to 4 universities for Fall 2010 and expect to get admits from atleast 2 of them for MS Mechanical Engineering.
    What i wanted to know is, i passed out my B.E in 2008 May and after that i dont have a proper work experience to show for 2 years till July 2010. I can say i was taking care of my family business, but it is nothing related to my engineering course. Will this gap in education affect my chances to get a job after i complete my MS? I guess this is an entirely new question in this blog. Please tell me your suggestions……

  3. I am permanent resident of Canada. I completed my degree from India and I have three years of experience in Telecom Indian sector. I have been looking for a job in Canada but somehow unable to get any response.

    Is I am doing something wrong in my resume?

    Should I mention my permanent resident status in my resume?

    Any help would be appreciated.

    Thanks

  4. I would add one more major mistake: You include misspelled words or bad grammar. Companies receive so many resumes that a mistake like that could throw you out of the running.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *