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8 Resume mistakes that can ruin your chances of getting hired.

A resume is a very important part of the job-hunting process. It is the first thing that the employers see, and they judge you according to it. The CV is your first impression for the recruiters, and even a single mistake can ruin your chances of getting hired.

How do you know if your resume is not up to the mark? Well, if even after sending out a bunch of resume to various companies, you are not getting a positive reply, it’s time to remake it.

In this blog, we will explore some common and other grave mistakes that make it hard for people to land a job interview.

Here are the resume mistakes that ruin your chances of getting hired:

1. Not making the CV tailor-made for the job

There is no one size, fits all concept here. The biggest mistake you can make in your resume is making it generic. A single resume cannot work for every post and vacancy. The employer who is reading your CV wants to know why you are perfect for the job. If the resume doesn’t talk about the skill they are looking for, he/she will definitely overlook all your experience.

2. Writing things you can’t prove

First of all, lying on your resume is the worst mistake anyone can ever make. Firstly, because employers can sometimes cross-check the details and if caught, it will ruin your reputation. Also, writing things like ‘I was the best salesperson in my state’ is something you cannot prove. So, don’t make claims like these as they will only embarrass you.

3. Having a weird or ridiculous e-mail address

If you want to be taken seriously in a job interview, you need a professional e-mail address. Having an e-mail id like crazyforwork@gmail.com, sounds unprofessional and embarrassing. It will make the employers question your seriousness towards work and judgment.

4. Overstuffing the CV with keywords

Nowadays, many companies use automated computer CV scanners. They scan all the CV for keywords that justify the job vacancy. If they don’t find any keyword, they reject the resume no matter the skills of the person.

The idea of having a CV scanner has terrified a lot of candidates. Now, most people are stuffing their resume with keywords which is equally bad.

Here’s why:

  • It doesn’t look organic and doesn’t appeal to the HR team when they read it.
  • It interferes with the flow of the content and you miscommunicate important details.
  • And the most important reason is that only a handful of companies use this software. Most big and smart companies still use the old method. And your keyword stuffing will ruin your impression for them.

5. Using clichés

Recruiters want facts like skills and achievements from your resume. They are not interested in reading some fancy cliché that has no meaning. So, using phrases like ‘work well with a team’ is something that won’t interest them. Instead, tell them how you and your team accomplished a project in brief. Tell them about your leadership quality and skills.

6. Giving reasons for quitting your old/current job

Employers are interested to learn how your skills and knowledge will help their company. They don’t want to read why you left your old job. If they want to know about that, they will ask in the interview. So, don’t waste the space in your resume with this.

7. Using fancy and unreadable fonts

You can experiment with a new font style that are not ‘Arial’ or ‘Times New Roman’. But that doesn’t mean you use fonts that are too fancy. Fancy fonts look good on paper, but are very hard to read and if HR can’t read your resume, how will they call you for the interview?

If you are getting too much confused, try Canva CV maker to use readymade templates, a little bit of customization and you are good to go.

8. Too little or too much information about current role

If you are looking for a job switch, make sure your resume has enough detail about your current role. Don’t make the job description too short or too long. It should have all the important details like what was your role, the projects you worked on, your achievements and so on. But all these should be described in one or two lines. Don’t write a paragraph explaining your current or old jobs.

Bonus: The most common mistake people do is not proof-reading their resume. A simple spelling mistake or grammatical mistake can cost you a lot. That is why it is crucial to re-read your CV a couple of times.

These were some of the mistakes that can cost you a job interview. First impressions matter and a well-crafted resume can help you get that dream job.

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