If a recent survey by the recruiting and staffing agency Aerotek is any indicator, it’s hard out there to find a job right now. When they polled over 1,500 job seekers across a wide range of industries, over 70 percent said they felt they needed to work harder than usual to land a job in this economy.
However, some career coaches say that instead of working harder, you can simply work smarter. One key strategy is to soup up your resume with strategy in mind.
Anna Papalia, a career coach, author, speaker, and influencer with over one million followers, says there are a handful of ways that resumes tend to go off the rails. She recently took to TikTok to share those pitfalls and the simple solutions that set them straight. She says that doing so could be the key to finally breaking into the position or field of your dreams. Read on to learn the five resume mistakes you’re probably making and how to avoid them.
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1. Don’t confuse potential employers when you name the document.
ShutterstockOne of the biggest errors that people make on their resumes is also the easiest to fix. Papalia says that all too often, job seekers save their resume documents in a way that potential employers or recruiters will find confusing or easy to misplace.
“Don’t save your resume as ‘Resume 2024,’” the career coach says. “Save it as your first and last name.”
2. Don’t use an objective.
ShutterstockSome job seekers will also add an objective at the top of their resume to summarize their goals related to the position while establishing a good first impression. However, Papalia suggests writing a summary instead, which puts your best professional assets front and center.
“A resume summary is a short professional introduction to a resume that highlights your biggest professional achievements and most valuable skills,” explains the job site Indeed.com. “Its purpose is to give the potential employer a quick way to see whether the applicant has the right skills and experience for that particular role.”
This is your chance to outline your most relevant skills and experiences for that position, so be sure to include skills, soft skills, certifications, industry awards, and anything else that illustrates your capacity for success in the desired role.
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3. Don’t misorder the sections.
ShutterstockHow you organize your resume can also make a major difference in a potential employer’s interest level.
Papalia notes that one of the most common mistakes she notices among job seekers is that they routinely put their educational background at the top of their resume.
“I don’t care where you went to school, even if you’re really proud of it. It doesn’t actually matter,” she says. “The only thing recruiters care about is your work experience, so put it right at the top—don’t make them hunt for it. Doesn’t matter who you are. This is the layout: Summary, Work, Education.”
Additionally, you should list your experience in reverse chronological order, beginning with your current or most recent position.
Finally, Papalia says that you should not include your address in your contact information. “We don’t need any of that. Just put your LinkedIn, your email address, and your phone number,” she advises.
4. Don’t use an old template.
iStockJust as presentation matters in a job interview, it also matters on your resume. Choosing a template style that’s clear, professional, well, and organized will help create the best possible impression.
“Don’t use the same template that you’ve been using for the last 15 years. You’ve got to freshen up. You’ve got to modernize. An out-of-date resume template is going to make you look out-of-date,” explains Papalia.
5. Don’t plagiarize the job description.
ShutterstockWhen you’re applying for a job, it’s a good idea to tweak your resume with the job description in mind. This will help highlight the experience and skills most relevant to the position, and demonstrate that you have a good understanding of the role.
However Papalia says that her “biggest pet peeve” as a job coach is when people pull language directly from the employer’s job description and insert it into their resumes.
“Do not cut and paste bullets from the job description and put them on your resume and think we’re not going to notice. You have to write great bullets: Use metrics and action words,” she urges.
