5 Biggest Mistakes in Resume Writing Post-2010

There is seldom anything more paralyzing to a newly-minted jobseeker than the daunting task of refreshing a resume.  For some, articulating their value and skills is second nature and as such comes easy.  To others, however, identifying what it is they do and how they have positively contributed to their past employers is more difficult.  Regardless of your camp, it is easy to fall prey to committing the following resume blunders.  If your resume includes any or all of the following you may want to consider shredding it and starting from scratch.  This is not an April Fool’s joke.

Being cheesy

What is considered as cheesy can change with time.  Just as your prom dress or lady-killer duds looked just right at the time, your resume can go from cutting edge to dusty pretty quickly.  It is for this reason that we implore you to avoid buzzwords.  A buzzword can be impressive if you are savvy enough to use it before the vast legions of jobseekers grab a hold of it, but it is most likely to make you look too lazy to really identify your strengths and value, especially if it is overused.  In any case, most buzzwords are too vague and may mean different things to different people to really make an impact on your resume.  Acronyms do the same thing.  Few acronyms transcend industries and even employers – so if the employer reading your resume wonders what IPHA stands for you need to rethink how you are communicating your experience.


“Responsible for” isn’t exactly a selling feature.  Just because you might be responsible for something it does not mean that you excelled at it.  This infraction gets worse when bullet point after bullet point describes you as being “responsible for” something.  Get a thesaurus app and find some new words.  Action words: verbs. 

Bad grammar and spelling mistakes

Your friends might not mind a badly-worded tweet or text, but there is no room on your resume for bad grammar or spelling mistakes.  Ask the smartest person you know to proofread your resume for you.  No mistakes; no exceptions.

Being obvious about hiding something

You’ll only look like a toddler hiding a forbidden cookie behind his back.  Be clear and be honest about start dates and end dates on employment and education.  If you left your job after 2 months; say it.  If you didn’t finish that diploma; say it.

Name dropping

There is nothing less impressive than a resume that lists names of people that a jobseeker has worked with or reported to in the hopes that some fairy dust will fall on the jobseeker.  Focus on your own worth and value...trading off of someone else’s hard work and accomplishments only reflects poorly on you.

Resume-writing is a skill that takes time.  If you have committed the above-mentioned mistakes, please don’t feel badly.  There is a reason that HR professionals dedicate their time to keeping tabs on resume writing trends.  Simply take your time and take it seriously.

If you are not interested in writing your resume yourself, consider InsuranceWorks.com resume-writing service. 

Build Your Resume is a resume-writing service that gives you access to HR-designated staff member of insuranceWorks.ca to revamp and improve your resume. 

Login to your account to get started.

Call toll free 1-877-846-6604 for details.