Resume Help Blog

Can writing an effective resume be challenging? Certainly! There are numerous rules and none of them apply 100% of the time. It is much easier for people to craft their document if they understand the rules they need to follow 100% of the time – the mistakes that should never be made and will brand a job-seeker as unprofessional. Eliminating these errors from your resume will go a long way in improving your chances of securing an interview. However, if you are not comfortable with writing or have written your resume and followed the majority of these suggestions without the results you expected then you would benefit from having a professional resume writer do it for you. Many of our writers will also blast it out to the major job boards which really gives you exposure. Here is our list of things to avoid:

1. “Responsible for…”

The Problem:
This is one of the most common, and most amateurish, resume errors. There is no greater example of weak, passive writing than the overused “responsible for.”  It does nothing to draw in the reader, and demonstrates no specific or relevant skill. With the average resume being read in approximately seven seconds, the first word or two in each sentence is absolutely critical because it is the information that will be read first and most. If the hiring manager holding your resume does not spot keywords of interest in those vital locations, then the entire resume is probably going in the trash, no matter how great the rest of your information is.

The Solution:
A great way to test the quality of a resume is to read just the first word in each sentence, and see what image those words convey of you as an employee. If your first words consist of “responsible for”, “helped”, “handled”, or other passive language, then you’re not creating a powerful or compelling first impression. Open each and every sentence with a power verb that is relevant to the job you are applying for. Words such as “manage”, “direct”, “administer”, and “process” can often be used to replace “responsible for”, and are far more effective.

2. Using a paragraph format.

The Problem:
As mentioned above, the average resume is given a cursory glance of approximately seven seconds. In those precious few seconds, the hiring manager will skim through your entire document and determine if you possess the qualifications needed for the job. If your information is organized in long, dense paragraphs that are difficult to read quickly, they are most likely not going to be read at all. Remember, you have only seven seconds. Paragraphs are intimidating to the eye and for the hiring manager who has literally hundreds of other applicants to choose from if it is not in an easy to read format it will be tossed.
The Solution:
Create brief, bulleted statements. Each statement should focus on one particular skill and be no more than two lines in length.

3. Repetition.

The Problem:
It is not uncommon for people, in an attempt to not overlook anything, to mention the same skills multiple times within the same resume. This creates a boring, stale document in which the heavily repeated skills overshadow everything else. In addition to this, the repetition contributes to excess length; again, we come back to that same seven seconds. Let’s say, for example, that in your resume you want to list skills A, B, C, and D. If you do just that, then it is easy to identify all of those skills in seven seconds. If, however, your resume lists A, B, A, A, B, B, B, C, A, C, B, A, A, C, B, D, C, A… suddenly, your qualifications are not as obvious and one – D – could very easily be overlooked.

The Solution:
Identify which skill each and every statement is addressing and write that information directly on a copy of your resume. Then review the skills listed next to all of your statements. Are you seeing one or more skills listed over and over? Consolidate this information.
4. Writing job descriptions.

The Problem:
Committing this error is what can make the difference between getting an interview and losing the opportunity to someone else. State what you did in your position. Make it clear and concise. Employers are not interested in what activities you performed on a daily basis – they are interested in how well you performed those activities.

The Solution:
Focus on accomplishments. Many job-seekers disregard this advice with the mistaken notion that they do not have any accomplishments. Most of the time these people do have quantifiable achievements; they just don’t realize that they do. It can be difficult to look objectively at our own experiences. Review your employee evaluations. What positives are noted? Think about special projects or busy times; were there any instances in which you were praised, or were very proud of the job you did? Any times in which you improved processes, made or saved money, or lifted some of the burden off your supervisor’s shoulders?

5. Using Objective statements.

The Problem:
This is often the result of a job-seeker who has either been out of the market for a long time, or someone who is using a dated resume-writing manual. Objective statements are counter-productive. By definition, an Objective states what you, the job-seeker, want. The problem with this is that the hiring manager does not care what you want; the hiring manager cares about what you can do for the company. Additionally, what you want should be clear from your cover letter and by the simple fact that you sent your resume in the first place – it does not need to be repeated (see #3, above).

The Solution:
Professional Summary, Profile, Summary Statement… whatever you want to call it, a summary section at the top of your resume that reviews your strongest, most relevant skills and abilities is a surefire way to capture the attention of your reader and encourage him or her to read on. This is also a highly effective strategy to position notable achievements that occurred early in your career in a visible location.