5 Resume Mistakes You MUST Avoid (with real examples)!

😵‍💫 Resumes are easy to create, sure, but with so many rules and nuances, it’s hard to get exactly right

And that’s why in this video - 5 Resume Mistakes You Must Avoid - I show you all the changes I made to my original “bad” resume, and more importantly, explain WHY recruiters and hiring managers look for the things they do when deciding who to give interviews to

It’s sometimes just not enough to discuss resume best practices in theory; I’ve always found it more helpful to look at real resume examples to see what changes I should be making to my own CV during the job search process

Now, let’s get you that first round interview 😁

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 5 Resume Mistakes to Avoid
00:42 Putting Education above Experience
01:52 Not Showing Impact
02:53 Failing to Include Meaningful Metrics
04:32 Not Tailoring Resume for Each Application
05:34 Overlooking the Small Things

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👨🏻‍💻 WHO AM I:
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#resumetips #jobsearch

[JeffSu]

🕵🏻 Did you catch any mistakes in your resume after watching this video?

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 5 Resume Mistakes to Avoid
00:42 Putting Education above Experience
01:52 Not Showing Impact
02:53 Failing to Include Meaningful Metrics
04:32 Not Tailoring Resume for Each Application
05:34 Overlooking the Small Things

[LARKXHIN]

Recruiters hate reading buzzwords in resumes but also send me nothing but buzzwords in outreach metrics 😂

[HunSim]

Recruiters make one mistake: they hire those who make better resumes, not do their job better. We are living in the world of the spectacle. Everyone strives to appear to be someone they are not.

[easjer]

I'm a job coach in my day job (I review and rewrite resumes for job seekers) and you've nailed a lot of the big things I talk about every single day. Particularly when you speak about including impact, tailoring resumes and prioritizing work experience - you are absolutely correct. However, there are a couple more things I would add: professional summaries and ATS. It is really important to begin a with a brief 1-3 sentence summary overviewing your professional history as it relates to your target job. It is, in fact, the easiest way to keyword target and tailor a job with low effort. Recruiters and hiring managers spend less than a minute on most individual resumes, so summarizing your relevant experience upfront in an elevator pitch helps you gain traction. I've compared to it the thesis statement of your professional career, that you back up with your well rounded, achievement based bullets below.

Most employers today utilize some form of ATS (applicant tracking system) to process online applications. Many of these will take a resume and parse it through an internal reader, which converts it to a keyword searchable format and into a universal basic template. You might be surprised by how few hiring manager understand this is happening, but it can absolutely destroy the resume if it's not formatted correctly. Entire sections of data can be eliminated, or mashed together resulting in a resume that is unreadable. Make sure you are optimizing for ATS success with both formatting (plain, not highly formatted, no columns/pictures/tables, left justified with standard section headings) and keyword targeting.

Finally, keep things brief. Remember - less than a minute of eyes on during first pass when the bulk of decisions on further review are made. Limit bullet points to 3-5 per position, limit bullet points to a single concept and no more than 2 lines per bullet. The longer it takes to read and understand, the more likely the recruiter starts skimming. When they skim, they miss important things.

[jennahilton]

What I’ve found to be the case is that it really doesn’t matter whether Education or Experience is listed first. It matters that the most relevant part of your background is listed first. Almost all of my previous work has been in retail or other form of customer service, but the position I want to be in is my first job was that of a market researcher. The fact that I was a janitor, a cashier, and a call center rep will not help me get into marketing research. My education is going to be a stronger highlight because my bachelor’s degree proves that I am good at research (major was history), while my master’s (MBA in marketing management) proves that I understand how business works and how to create a market strategy.

When I put my experience first, I was never noticed (at least not by reputable companies). When I put my education first, I got more attention. IMO, these hard rules about what to list first on a résumé don’t always work, especially for younger jobseekers/recent graduates trying to start their career.

(Edit: added other roles to better prove my point)

[TooSmooveWill]

Hi Jeff! Just wanted to let you know that after watching countless videos you’ve made and implementing these strategies, I’ve landed an amazing job offer. I got the official offer letter today. I just wanted to say thank you and let you know that you’re truly helping people with these videos. All the best! Keep up the amazing content 😁

[Jim-clzv]

I just recently came across your videos and I have to say, I don't think people truly appreciate the quality of information that you are sharing with us. In the past month, I have increased the amount of first round interviews I have received thanks to your help. Keep up the great work!

[avantiiresha]

Also some people don’t use any colours which makes their resume plain… you should use the colour on your resume which is similar to the company scheme you are applying for … you can look at their homepage and find out which colour they use on their homepage, that way you would attract their attention immediately when they see your resume and psychological impact would be they start seeing you part of their group already from the beginning.. this is very subtle but effective trick

[jesualdobraga]

Dude, you are killing it, been showing your videos to my team. Amazing content, keep it up please!

[IamFineThankYou]

Thank you Jeff for the useful information! I just open a LinkedIn account by following your video tutorial. Currently, I’m confused when I work on my LinkedIn and resume, you just point out the difference between two of those. Although I don’t have full-time experience, I’ll put the work experience on top based on the interview experience and your advice.

[gioyfa]

Great Jeff! 👍
I totally agree with all of your points. Especially the 2nd and 3rd (point to metrics and impact of them), the 4th (about tailoring resume for each job you apply) and off course avoid typos and grammar mistakes that override any skills or experience.

What I usually advise friends is: 1) read carefully what the company needs and spot on them in your resume, 2) include metrics and achievements that had meaningful impact on past jobs and 3) include at the bottom of resume a graphic section of 2 rows with 4 skills on each row, based on word cloud generator, so to keep the attention of recruiters.

[byeteaching]

It's essential to approach the job search with a fresh mindset and avoid falling into these traps. Thank you for the helpful advice!

[bryce]

All of the resume building classes, professional help, and videos I have watched and this is the first time I have ever heard some emphasize the hyphens. I am a stickler for having things having a uniform look. I have heard all of my teachings speak on formatting but those little details seem to be so easy to miss for most.

[al-minbar]

The last time i was working on resume, it took from me a long time, but luckly after watching your i was able to catch few mistakes, thanks a lot.

[jerimas]

You're the man, Jeff. Thank you for the detail and passion behind these videos!

[iwan]

Love to watch your passion explaining everything in this content🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 Thank you

[perlalopez]

Thanks for this video Jeff. I'm pretty sure I've made at least one of these mistakes on my current resume. I really hope I get hired soon.

[MatthewEaton]

This is all very true and something I can do today to make a difference. Thank you for making this video, it was at the right time and quite needed!

[belkord]

Hey Jeff, I wanted to say thank you so much for your content. Thanks to you, i got way less stress and extremely well prepared for my interview and i aced my dream job lately. Keep it up the great content, you are helping a lot of people. Cheers !

[riftster]

Thank you Jeff! Very thoughtful to provide the docs... great work, Sir !