3 Resume Mistakes to Note

As a hiring manager or employer, you know how many resumes flood into your inbox once you post a job opening. Over the span of just a week the number could stack up to the hundreds. As you are well aware, it can take hours to sift through all of these resumes, and one of the best ways of whittling down a large stack of them is by pinpointing silly mistakes. Vocabulary, layout, grammar and overall visual appeal may seem like petty reasons to rule out a resume, but when you have hundreds to attend to it can shorten the pile quickly. Take a look at  these four resume mistakes you should note and use to help you rule out candidates easily.

Vocabulary
It’s true that a good, strong vocabulary does not mean that a person is intelligent. Conversely, a bad vocabulary does not denote lack of intelligence. However, when it comes to resumes and applying to jobs, bad vocabulary and spelling errors does indicate laziness and carelessness. If a candidate has a pretty impressive resume with a ton of experience, then perhaps it’s OK to let some spelling errors slip- we all make mistakes right? On the other hand though, if this candidate did not take the time to edit their resume and/or have someone else take a look at it, then how important is this position to them? How bad do they want it? If they were serious about getting a job, they would take the time to ensure their resume is up-to-par.

Layout
There is nothing worse than a terrible resume layout. As stated by the Business Insider, job seekers only have about six seconds to grab your attention. From your end you probably know how much time you spend on one single resume until you lose complete interest. When the layout is terrible and hard to follow, you probably spend even less time. Savvy job seekers know this and format their resumes accordingly. In fact, the Insider even provided an image that shows where the eyes of most hiring managers fall when it comes to certain layouts. Take a look at the photo for yourself below. The more organized and clear resume was looked at more carefully, and eyes fell on almost all of the information. If you pick up a resume with a horrendous layout, you might just want to put it right back down.

Design
It’s no secret that most of us flock towards things that are visually appealing. We like pretty things and there’s nothing wrong with that! So when a candidate goes that extra mile to put a bit of flair on their resume in order to stand out from the rest, it’s definitely noteworthy. In fact a resume with an interesting design or flair may be the first one you look at. However, loaded resumes are big no-nos. It’s great that candidate’s are willing to go the extra mile to get the position, but if their resume is so loaded with colors, designs and odd text that it’s difficult to read what’s actually on there, then it defeats the purpose. They want to catch your eye, but you have to be able to read their information, too! Otherwise, how will you know if they are qualified or not? Needless to say, a loaded resume is bad news too.

It may seem a bit petty or wrong to weed out candidates this way, but when you have hundreds of resumes to sift through, this is a great elimination process. Plus, if candidates aren’t taking the time to weed through their resume with a fine-toothed comb, then they need to make some changes on their part. It’s a competitive market out there and job seekers are well aware of the actions they need to take to come out on top.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Careerealism