Job Cuts Looming? Avoid These Resume Blunders

We get asked questions about resumes all the time. You would be amazed at the mistakes that people make when writing their resume. The tragedy of this is that most people never get to know exactly what is wrong with their resume- they carry on oblivious to what is holding them back

If a CV is too long, people lose interest. Too short and it is dismissed as being lightweight. Two sides of A4 is the perfect length. Large enough to be substantial, short enough to be digested in the time available to the recruiter and moved to the maybe pile for proper consideration later on.

Never use bright colours, fonts, print sizes, or textured paper on which to submit your resume. Unless creativity is part of the job requirements, conservative is definitely best. Black print on a plain white or neutral background like light brown works the best. Recruiters are expecting a certain style of resume and you won’t get far sticking to this rule. Of course there are always variations to any rule but you won’t go far wrong listening to this sage piece of advice.

Unless the application states that you must, never include a photograph. You have no idea who is going to receive your CV and you need to protect your identity. By the way, never put your actual date of birth on the CV either- your age alone is fine or just leave it out. Personal details can be used to steal identities- guard unnecessary details if you can

Tell the truth- it’s for the best in the end

Rubbishing your previous manager or company is never a good idea- nobody wants to be bad mouthed. If there is a genuine reason why you left your last employer that needs explanation, leave it for the interview. A CV is a positive selling document that has no room for negativity.

Having fun with your mates on facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. may be a great deal of fun. Be warned, employers are becoming social network savvy and using these sites to check you out. Don’t put anything on these sites that you wouldn’t want to be confronted with later on. Clean things up- be aware that cached pages can be available for a long time after you deleted them. Don’t believe me? Check out one of your old school friends on facebook

Never leave a gap in a resume. You are simply looking for trouble, Employers are trained to look for reasons to reject candidates as well as take them on. If you were out of work or sick for a period of time, explain what happened- whatever you do, don’t leave it up to the reader to make their own mind up

Your personality will shine through your resume if it’s written properly. No jokes please as it’s far too easy to offend without meaning to. Leave your sharp wit for the interview. A sense of humour is a wonderful thing- it’s place isn’t on a resume

When you apply for your next job, check out the work of a professional CV writer. Glenn Hughes is owner of the professional CV writing service CV That Works Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.

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