1) The first, and most important, is poor writing. Things like typos, misspellings, verb tenses mixed and sentences butchered. A potential employer will not struggle to get through your resume. Your resume must be easy to read; 7 seconds, remember?
2) Second, you need to use an easy-to-scan format; something one can glance over and have key details stand out. You should limit the amount of fancy formatting you do. Just because you can manipulate all of Microsoft Word's functions doesn't mean you have to show it here. Keep it clean and simple. Put enough detail in to sell yourself just as a job seeker, but no more.
3) Third, and this is closely related to formatting, do not over write. This is a trap all amateur writers fall into. The best authors know less is more, and what works for books works for resumes too. Too often I have read resumes that have huge paragraphs of text explaining every single detail about their current job or even the company they currently work for. Employers and recruiters are not going to wade through volumes of text when they have another 100 or so resumes to get through. They need to know quickly and easily what you have done and what you can do. Most often a short bulleted list accomplishes this best.
4) Fourth, you need to tell potential employers what you are capable of doing. Instead of just describing past jobs/internships, you need to list your achievements and what you have done beyond the requirements of the position.
5) Fifth, there is more than one type of resume. While just about every job seeker writing their own resume tries to make their professional life fit a chronological format, it simply is not the way to go for many people. Experiment a little bit, and find the style that fits you best. If you don't have much work experience then you might want to include an extracurricular activity section.
The most important thing to remember is that your resume is error free and easy to read, remember it has only 7 seconds to shine.
2) Second, you need to use an easy-to-scan format; something one can glance over and have key details stand out. You should limit the amount of fancy formatting you do. Just because you can manipulate all of Microsoft Word's functions doesn't mean you have to show it here. Keep it clean and simple. Put enough detail in to sell yourself just as a job seeker, but no more.
3) Third, and this is closely related to formatting, do not over write. This is a trap all amateur writers fall into. The best authors know less is more, and what works for books works for resumes too. Too often I have read resumes that have huge paragraphs of text explaining every single detail about their current job or even the company they currently work for. Employers and recruiters are not going to wade through volumes of text when they have another 100 or so resumes to get through. They need to know quickly and easily what you have done and what you can do. Most often a short bulleted list accomplishes this best.
4) Fourth, you need to tell potential employers what you are capable of doing. Instead of just describing past jobs/internships, you need to list your achievements and what you have done beyond the requirements of the position.
5) Fifth, there is more than one type of resume. While just about every job seeker writing their own resume tries to make their professional life fit a chronological format, it simply is not the way to go for many people. Experiment a little bit, and find the style that fits you best. If you don't have much work experience then you might want to include an extracurricular activity section.
The most important thing to remember is that your resume is error free and easy to read, remember it has only 7 seconds to shine.
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