Three Common Resume Errors

By Author: Rahul Sinha
Total Articles: 17
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First impressions are usually the last impression. People make an instant judgement about who you are within seconds. They treat your resume the same way. While you could have worked hard to get it noticed, what could there be the basis that recruitment consultants overlook your resume – or worse, throw it in a bin?

The bin? I know that sounds unbelievable and the thought that comes to mind – no my resume isn’t that bad! You may be correct too, but if you ever had a chance to see a recruiter working, you’ll agree with me. Recruitment consultants, on an average, comb through dozens even hundreds of resumes every day. So, in an effort to pick the most suitable one, they simply toss away those that don’t create an impression.

To learn more about their sorting process, I asked a few recruiters on how they decide which resumes make the cut while others get tossed. Here are three of their favourite check points:

A very long resume: As a manager, you are expected to be acquainted with the art of selling your experience quickly. An ideal resume has two pages. Anything longer than that could mean that the ...
... hiring team simply will not have the time to go through your resume. While articulating your job experience, take care to cut down the trivial points of the past jobs. A two-page resume is considered appropriate even if you have more than two decades of work experience. All an effective resume has to ensure is to capture your professional credentials in two pages.

Unanswered gaps: Whenever there are any unexplained shifts or gaps in their resumes, candidates usually wait for interview calls to clarify. Some recruiters feel that it is too little, too late as the chances of such a resume making it that far are rare. Such issues must be addressed suitably in order to make the profile rock solid. Let’s consider a case where the job seeker has taken a sabbatical or worked with a company that was on the verge of downsizing and asked their employees to leave. While it is tempting not to touch on the gap, it is not the right thing to do. Instead, it is important to explain the gap appropriately, preferably with professional inputs. When the issue is duly explained, the recruiter can look beyond the reason to why the gaps exist.

Excessive use of resume clichés: Let’s face it – there are some terms we all like to use in our resume. Some of these are so excessively used (for example: “detail-oriented”, “meets and exceeds goals”, “seasoned”, “highly experienced”, “out of the box thinker”, “strong communication skills”, “proven leader”, etc.) that they become deal-killers. These vague adjectives get your resume swept right into the trash. These resume clichés are often misinterpreted. For a person who is yet to demonstrate one’s capabilities, clichés make it appear as an over promise.

When you are creating your resume for a senior management position, it’s imperative to create a resume that is as close to what you actually do as possible. Resume is your personal branding tool. Think through it, and then take action. If you're a job seeker looking for a senior management role or have gained significant experience in handling interviews, what do you keep in mind about the resume you send? Leave a comment below.

Shine Kapoor writes articles on behalf of HeadHonchos.com, India’s premier job search & career portal. HeadHonchos.com provides resume writing services as well as a range of specialized services that facilitate senior job search. create a resume by our specialized services including Executive Resume writing, Executive Education.