5 common resume mistakes to avoid in 2023

There might be no other candidate suited than you for the job, but the employer will never ever get to know that if they throw your resume into the trash can after a quick glance. We always say that you only have a few seconds to impress a hiring manager with your resume. Why waste the opportunity of a lifetime because of a few resume mistakes?

Mistakes on your resume say a lot about your personality to a seasoned hiring manager. Whether you are trying to sneak around a career gap or simply too careless to notice spelling errors, a hiring manager would soon put you in the no pile if they spot more than a few mistakes on your resume. Here are some things you must never do on a resume if you want the job:

You have poorly formatted your resume

The look and feel of your resume matter a lot when it comes to first impressions. Before you hit “Save,” always check for formatting errors on your resume. If you are creating a resume using MS Word, you can use a lot of the formatting options available on the software to bring attention to important details. Not sure how to create the perfect MS Word resume template? We have everything you need to know, right here in this article.

Your resume shows your immaturity

Resumes can look pretty boring most of the time. But that is how they are supposed to look. A resume is a professional document and hiring managers don’t expect to see cute graphics or pictures on one. Always try to keep your resume professional and neat. It is wise to go for a minimalist, clean look for your resume when in doubt. Use splashes of not-so-bright colors wisely on your resume when you want to add a personalized touch.

You didn’t create a customized resume

You can’t apply for every job posting with your master resume template. You need to carefully craft your resume for the job advertised. Sending in a tailored resume for a job application will drastically improve your chances of getting hired. You must always update your resume to stay on top of the latest professional achievements in your career. This will help your achievements look more relevant to the position and also save you from age discrimination in some cases.

You are trying to be sneaky on your resume

Over a whopping 55% of Americans lie on their resumes, and hiring managers know this. Employers can smell lies on resumes from miles away. Never try to stretch the dates of your past jobs to cover up a career gap. Omitting career breaks on your resume too is a bad idea since a lot of hiring managers interpret this as dishonesty. Were you aware that lying on your resume exposes you to many risks, which sometimes even include getting into trouble with the law? Instead of getting caught up in lies, list your career gap on the resume and mention the positive things that you added to your professional life during the break.

You didn’t get your resume reviewed

Like we always remind you, whenever you have completed creating your resume, you should use Resume Mansion’s resume critique checklist and review your resume. Once you have done that and spotted the errors, you can revamp your resume to fix those. However, it is always better to have your resume reviewed by the certified resume writers of Resume Mansion before you send it out. Our resume critiques are 100% free and helpful. So, why wait?