Most jobseekers go through a lot of trouble trying to make their resume look good and professional. But there is more to your resume than just putting in data under specific headers and choosing a good design. Even a well written resume can have loopholes.
Every jobseeker must watch out for these loopholes and errors. These stumbling blocks make sure that your CV goes into the trash box. These are items that irritate, prejudice or show weaknesses. Or it may be information that over talks or misinforms.
Everything in your resume is important. But what has to go in and what has to show is a fundamental decision that needs to be taken.
Here is a list of mistakes no jobseeker can ever afford to make:
1) Avoid putting in your “objectives”.
Headers saying “Objectives” are dangerous because if what you write on top of your CV does not match what the company wants, then it is a sure shot way of getting rejected.
Also, no company is really interested in what your objectives are, they mostly care about their own objectives…which happens to be – Do you fit in or not?
Instead, put a brief summary about your experience and your contribution to previous companies. If you are a fresher it’s best to avoid this section. There are other formats you can use and other ways in which you can talk about yourself.
2) Do NOT make grammatically incorrect statements.
Resumes are supposed to be a presentation. The fact that you are talking about you is naturally understood.
So avoid writing your resume in the- First-person or the Third-person.Your resume shouldn’t include the words “I,” “me,” “she,” or “my,” “He “– This is grammatically incorrect and proves your English is weak.
Also the tense is important- In school we learnt that there are grammar rules about past, present and future tenses. So you cannot be “doing” something if you are talking about your previous jobs. It has to go into past tense.
You may not be an expert in grammar, but you can check your resume for mistakes on the internet or on the Microsoft Word program on your computer.. Be especially careful if you are applying for international jobs. You have to show that you know the standard international English.
3) Do not include your marital status
Technically no one is entitled to ask you about your marital status. Or if you have kids, a happy marriage or your divorce status. So don’t put it in the CV. It creates pictures of stereotypes that can create prejudice in the mind of the person shortlisting.
4) Avoid mentioning your religion.
Religion again can create stereotypical images. If someone has a religious preference or a prejudice it will definitely be a sure shot way of getting rejected. It’s best to keep religion out of your resume!
5) No need for declaring your underprivileged status.
People don’t care about how underprivileged you are. Most people are only interested in how you can improve or contribute to their companies.
Mentioning that you belong to a category of -Schedule Caste, OBC, Tribal, Minority is relevant only if you are applying for jobs that have a reservation / provision for that category. But avoid it everywhere else.
6) Avoid “The Declaration”.
Many people declare at the end of the CV that whatever they have said is true and put in a signature to stamp it . Your CV is not a legal document but I wonder why so many jobseekers want to swear that it is an honest document. I wonder why? Gets me suspicious. So leave it alone…
7) No need to put in “References on Request”.
Either you give it or don’t give it. On request means you are saying that you have something up your sleeve and are not in the mood to declare it now.
I suggest don’t put a references list on the CV – Even if you want to impress the hiring organization about how great your contacts are.
8) Hobbies are a NO-NO.
No one really cares about what you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Even if you are a fresher who is desperately tying to fill a page of data on your resume, don’t put a hobbies section. Mentioning hobbies in your resume had become redundant.
9) Your Family Background is not required.
The CV is not a platform for displaying your family tree. Keep your report on family members, their age, what they do, and how many of them depend on your income out of your CV. It is boring and irrelevant.
10) Avoid Sob Stories.
Many people put in a reason for a gap between jobs or an unemployment period. Leave it alone- Talking about it beings it to notice.
There is no need to give a reason or make a statement of justification. Having a baby, divorce, death in the family, getting sacked, retrenched etc, can be explained if required at an interview. Putting it on your CV creates unnecessary offerings of data which may not attract a positive reaction.
As a jobseeker you have access to a lot of help and support information on the internet. Even so, stupid mistakes on your resume are not detected easily. So please take intelligent decisions regarding your resume development and ensure that your CV is absolutely error free.
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If you want your resume checked for fundamental mistakes please email your resume to limasehgal@gmail.com for a free feedback & evaluation.
Copyright © 2015, Lima Sehgal
Lima Sehgal is Publisher, Author and Career Solutions Specialist.