Your resume is a reflection of your personal value. While it won’t get you the job, it should get your foot in the door and provide a platform to help you sell yourself. Review these four deal breakers to see if your resume commits any of these scary mistakes!
1) Did you include all your contact information? It’s totally acceptable to leave off your street address, and I actually recommend it for security reasons. But can’t tell you how many resumes I receive with no email address – it’s not only the most convenient way to contact you for a recruiter but the lack of an address makes one wonder – did you forget? Or – even worse – could you possibly not have one?
2) Did you account for any extended absences? I don’t necessarily advocate for a separate entry called “Homemaker” or “Stay-at-Home Mom” BUT if you did take time off to care for your family, add a line in your last role before that. Try “Resigned in 2014 following maternity leave.” Short, sweet and to the point. Even better – no one is wondering why you left!
3) Did you use an easy-to-read compatible font? I still use serif fonts, but most often use cleaner, more screen-friendly fonts like Arial, Tahoma, and Calibri. Not only are they easier on the eye and ATS-friendly, but no matter what OS or device your recipient is using they’ll come up clean.
4) Did you read through your resume and the job posting to ensure you’ve captured all the relevant keywords. No I don’t think it’s necessary to write a new resume for every job. If you had unlimited time and resources it would be a nice idea, but probably not realistic. What you absolutely have to do, however, is compare your resume with the job posting and include as many relevant keywords, with quantified descriptions of how you exemplify the characteristic or skill.