You need to update your resume due to applying for a new job, adding a promotion or a career advancement. Simply, it’s always the best idea to have a fresh, clean and updated resume on hand at all times.

Because your resume is your first opportunity to make a solid impression with a prospective employer, it’s imperative that it showcases your skills and qualifications.

Many factors can contribute to your resume failing to impress employers, from complicated layouts to crowded pages stuffed with text that’s unreadable. Your poorly formatted resume may be keeping you from getting interviews, even if you are highly qualified. 

 

While updating your resume or even creating your first resume, here are the top mistakes to avoid:

 

Complex Design 

When it comes to writing your resume, the most important thing to remember is that it must be easy to read. Recruiters are tasked with reading hundreds of resumes every day, so you can be guaranteed that anything difficult to read, or crammed with lots of crowded text, will be skipped over.

Avoiding wacky designs and choosing simple, clean fonts and designs as well as a logical layout for your résumé will help it stand out. If you are using color for your header, a splash can work, but using multiple colors is messy, illegible, and can look unprofessional in most industries. Keep your CV’s body in black text over a white background so that it can be read easily.

 

Unnecessary Personal Information

As someone who specializes in writing resumes, I cringe every time I see overly personal information on a résumé.

You don’t need to tell your potential employer your date of birth, your marital status, or your blood type if you are a candidate. Filling up the first half of the page with excess personal information will hurt your résumé’s competitiveness because recruiters are looking for people who are capable of doing the job they’re offering. Two pages are all you have to make an impression, so you must use as much space as possible to showcase your skills and suitability for your target jobs.

 

Unbroken Text

Formatting should focus on making sure your résumé is readable. It involves dividing large pieces of text into bite-size chunks that are easy to read.

In your résumé, make sure you separate each section with clear headings and borders, and add only information that is pertinent and serves a specific purpose to each area. Do not go over two lines in a sentence.

Bullet points should be used for all your key information; many of your capabilities, accomplishments, and responsibilities can be written in this manner. Recruiters will appreciate the cutback on unnecessary filler words and phrases, while also having easy access to pertinent information through bullet points.

 

Don’t Go Over Two Pages

A lengthy resume will not be read completely in today’s job market. You should aim for a length that is around two pages.

You’ll have enough room on two pages to emphasize your important abilities, accomplishments, and responsibilities without overwhelming or boring your readers.

If your résumé is more than two pages lengthy, you may make it shorter by writing more clearly and eliminating non-essential material. Remove any information from your application that is either irrelevant to your target jobs or just adds no value.

 

Horrible Page Organization 

Recruiters will be confused by a poorly formatted résumé, which will reflect negatively on your general organizing abilities. Poor page organization, whether it’s missing headers or poorly designed job descriptions, may drastically hurt your prospects. Use clear headers, split each part with space and borders, and break up any huge blocks of text with bullet points to make your résumé readable. 

You should also organize the content rationally, beginning with a summary at the top of your résumé to entice readers, and then going backwards in time with your professional history. Remember that recruiters deal with hundreds of résumés every day, so make it as simple as possible for them to discover yours.

 

Final Thoughts

The significance of a well-written CV cannot be overstated. It’s a tool for self-promotion; it’s the first way you introduce yourself as a job candidate and try to convince a potential employer that you’re the best candidate for the position.

Please contact us at MCDA CCG if you need support or guidance with your job search, updating your existing CV, or rewriting your current CV, or any other career-related issues. We offer online or in-person sessions to assist you in creating the perfect CV for your job search.