Want the job? Avoid these mistakes
Your resume is a paper representation of you. Or rather, it’s the person you want to be in the eyes of your employer. That means there are some basic rules to follow when creating your resume, Specifically, there are several things you don’t want to do—assuming you want gainful employment. Here’s a list for our use.
- DON’T SEND OUT YOUR RESUME WITHOUT HAVING SOMEONE PROOFREAD IT. Or three someones. Typos are inexcusable on a resume and generally mean you won’t even make it to the interview stage.
- DON’T FORGET YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION: home address, phone and e-mail are all imperative. You never know by what means your future boss will want to contact you. And be sure to update your e-mail address to reflect your newfound maturity—addresses like "hot4ubaby" or “pinkieprettyone” belong to someone who is looking for something other than a job.
- DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE THE LOCATIONS OF YOUR VARIOUS JOBS. Employers want to know where you’ve lived and worked.
- DON’T USE CUTE FONTS. They don’t reflect creativity; they are a sign of immaturity.
- DON’T USE WHACKY PAPER. Sure, it’s OK to stand out from the pack by picking a slightly different hue for your resume. But that one with the paisley? No.
- DON'T INCLUDE PERSONAL INFORMATION. Your marital status, age, race, family, and hobbies are things you can discuss at the appropriate time ... after you discuss your salary.
- DON’T LIE.You need to back up everything on your resume. If you claim to have visited Paris in college, you need to be prepared to show pictures of your visit. And don’t fudge dates to make it look like you’ve been employed all your life—it will only confuse you during the interview.
- DON’T EXAGGERATE YOUR TALENTS. If you can speak a little Spanish, don’t be tempted to say you are fluent. If you once used InDesign and were confused by it, don’t claim it as one of the many computer applications you’ve mastered.
- DON’T MAKE A JOB SOUND MORE IMPORTANT THAN IT WAS. Some grads try to jazz up their resume by making a stint at an ice cream shop sound like three months at the United Nations. Employers once had odd jobs, too. Skip the ice cream shop listing, or simply state what it was, without exaggeration.
- DON’T BE MODEST. If you won an award in college, mention it (assuming it’s not something like Most Likely to Get Drunk). If you excelled in sports, mention it. If you traveled for a year abroad, mention it.