- Poor grammar, types, misspellings,
etc. A sloppy resume says you're careless.
- Overkill. Generally, anything over two pages is too long.
- Lack of Specifics. Quantify your results. Don't state: "Responsible for supervising 300 employees." Instead say: "Managed the marketing department, which increased revenues 82 percent in a four-year period." Don't write a job description; list what you have accomplished.
- Plagiarism Avoid patterning your resume after the same examples everyone else uses. Hiring authorities get bored with look-alike resumes. Be creative and different-but only to a point.
- Colored paper. Any color other than white is unacceptable. Colored paper does not copy well-your resume will be distributed to multiple people.
- Clichés and buzzwords. Don't use words that you think should sound "smart." Hiring authorities are not impressed with "utilize," "flexible," "team player," and "seeking an opportunity for me to grow and develop."
- Tiresome details. If you're well into your career, skip those college summer jobs. As you advance in age and up the corporate ladder, pare down your resume. Nobody really cares that you worked your way through college waiting tables, especially when you're applying for an executive position with a securities firm.
- Indeterminate gender. If you're Jamie, Sam, or Lee, don't keep hiring authorities guessing. With certain names use Mr. or Ms. as a prefix.
- Lying. Don't lie because if you get caught, you won't just lose the job opportunity, you'll also lose your credibility.
- Omitting your job objective. State clearly what you're looking for. Ambiguity indicates you lack direction and focus.
