5 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Own Resume

There’s no denying that the job market is fierce. There are often dozens of people fighting over the same open positions. If you’re not standing out for the right reasons, you’re missing your opportunity. When you’ve been submitting tons of resumes with little to no response, it may be time to consider double-checking your resume and ensuring that it’s giving off the impression you want. Many candidates are unknowingly sabotaging their own resumes and job searches by making simple mistakes.

1. You haven’t branded yourself. Your resume should have a clear marketing message and branding statement that shows who you are. This is especially important if you’ve had several different job titles or are switching careers. You want to create a clear picture of who you are and what you bring to the table.
   
2. You’re still using an objective. An objective tells an employer what you are looking for in a job, when really they’re more interested in how you match up with their needs. Revamp your objective into a strong summary of qualifications that shows your best attributes and how they align with the position and company culture.
   
3. You haven’t included metrics. While stating your accomplishments is a solid start, backing them up with metrics provides measurable results that emphasize your abilities. Saying you reduced expenses by controlling inventory is great, but how much did you save the company? $ 100 or $ 100,000? Was your team five people or 50 people? Numbers talk.
   
4. You’re lacking context. Keeping your resume concise and to the point is important, but you don’t want to sacrifice context. Make sure you’re highlighting essential details that show why what you’re talking about matters, what it accomplished, and how you did it. You might know the significance of a big project, but someone outside of your company probably doesn’t. Tell them.
   
5. You haven’t carefully proofed it. Spelling and grammar errors can leave a poor impression of a great candidate. It shows lack of attention to detail, or perhaps simply lack of effort. Use spell check, but also have at least one or two other people read over your resume to catch other errors. Spell check won’t catch mistakes if they’re spelled correctly – e.g. “manger” vs. “manager” – and doesn’t always have perfect grammar. Take time to proof your resume well.

Simple mistakes such as these could mean the difference between you getting called for the interview versus someone who is equally as qualified but demonstrated it more clearly on their resume. If you’re struggling to get your resume up to par, or don’t even know where to start, contact Chic Resumes at resumewriting@grammarchic.net or (803) 831-7444. We’ll help you create a resume that reflects you in a positive light and emphasizes your strengths, skills, accomplishments, and experience.

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