Top Ten Resume Blunders

B‍y Tatiana Serna, Campus Representative, University of Rhode Island

Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert, writes about the top 10 resume blunders which are:

1. Being Too Focused on Job Duties

When developing your achievements, ask yourself:

· How did you perform the job better than others?

· What were the problems or challenges faced? How did you overcome them? What were the results? How did the company benefit from your performance?

· Did you receive any awards, special recognitions or promotions as a result?

2. Using Flowery or General Objective Statement

If you're on a career track, replace the objective with a tagline stating what you do or your expertise.

3. Making Your Resume Too Short or Too Long

Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they've heard resumes shouldn't be longer. By doing this, job seekers may delete impressive achievements. Other candidates ramble on about irrelevant or redundant experiences.

4. Using Personal Pronouns and Articles

There should be no mentions of "I" or "me," and only minimal use of articles.

5. Listing Irrelevant Information

Many people include their interests, but they should include only those relating to the job.

6. Using a Functional Resume When You Have a Good Career History

Unless you have an emergency situation, such as virtually no work history or excessive job-hopping, avoid the functional resume format.

7. Not Including a Summary Section That Makes an Initial Hard Sell

As part of your resume preparation, peruse job openings to determine what's important to employers. Next, write a list of your matching skills, experience and education. Incorporate these points into your summary.

8. Not Including Keywords

With so many companies using technology to store resumes, the only hope a job seeker has of being found is to sprinkle relevant keywords throughout the resume.

9. Referring to Your References

Use this statement only to signal the end of a long resume or to round out the resume layout.

10. Typos

One typo can land your resume in the garbage.

It is important, especially as seniors, to have our resume reviewed by as many qualified people as possible. Usually resume reviews are offered at career services, or through your internship coordinator. Your resume is a reflection of yourself and it should be perfect. It is also important to try and find as many ways as possible to enhance your resume, whether that be through experiences or/and by obtaining additional certifications.