A survey of 2,500 executive recruiters throughout the United States and Canada indicated the most common mistakes that candidates make on resumes that prevent them from being considered for positions. To increase your chances of making it to the next step avoid:
Spelling errors, typos, and poor grammar
A resume that reads like a job description instead of focusing on skills and accomplishments and how the accomplishments were achieved
Not including dates or providing inaccurate dates
Missing or inaccurate contact information
An unprofessional e-mail address
Poor formatting
Functional as opposed to chronological resumes
Long resumes - too long
Long paragraphs - no use of bullet-points
Lying, misleading (especially in terms of education, dates, and inflated titles)
Applying for positions for which you are unqualified
Including Personal information not relevant to the job
Not including Employer information
Not including Industry information
Not including Product information
Meaningless objectives or introductions
Poor choice of font or style
Resumes not sent in PDF or MS Word formats
Pictures, graphs, or URL links no recruiter will call up
Writing resumes in the first or third person
Gaps in employment
Burying important information in the resume
Having provided you with the above information, if you want your resume to be reviewed, some recruiters indicate that it can be beneficial to:
Fax a resume
Snail-Mail a resume
Write an effective, focused profile or summary at the top of your resume
Use a functional rather than a chronological resume if you are changing careers, a new graduate, have gaps in your career, or want to avoid looking like a job hopper
Have a longer resume that details skills and accomplishments
