Common resume mistakes....

It is very important to avoid these common pitfalls when crafting your resume.

1. It is a common mistake to think of your resume as a history of your past, as a personal statement or as some sort of self expression. Sure, most of the content of any resume is focused on your job history. But make sure to write from the intention to create interest (Think of any highly successful advertisement campaign, they create new and exciting ways to CONNECT buyers emotionally to their product, you must do the same.), to persuade the employer to call you. If you write with that in mind, your final product will be very different than if you write to inform or catalog your job history.

2. A Resume that is duties-driven instead of accomplishments-driven. I see this in almost every resume that gets sent to us. It’s an easy mistake to make; almost no one has ever taken a proper resume writing class – because there is none.

Don’t use words or phrases like “duties include” or “responsible for”. Those will simply not cut it; an employer wants to see that you can go above and beyond basic job duties. You need to show your achievements and skills. Explain how you are different and how you set yourself apart at each job.

How did you overcome a problem? What were the results? How have you helped your employers:

make money
save money
save time
make work easier
solve a specific problem
be more competitive
build relationships
expand the business
attract new customers
retain existing customers

These are the issues you must be able to get across in an effective and creative way.