The Resume Mistake That’s Costing You Interviews (And How to Fix It In 5 minutes)

Key Points:

Before diving deeper, make sure your resume nails the basics.

1. Keep it consistent: Use the same font type, font size, and line spacing throughout. Stick to easy-to-read fonts like Arial, Calibri or Helvetica.
2. Check spelling and grammar: Run your resume through a free spell-checker or ask a friend to proofread.
3. List jobs in reverse order: Start with your most recent job and work backwards.
4. Make contact details clear: Double check your phone number and email are correct and easy to find.

If you’ve done all that but you’re still checking your phone for a call back, it’s time to remove the no-goes below.

• Being too general in the career objective.

Your opening lines matter. There’s no need for fluffy words and sentences that make no sense. Instead, you should use the intro to give insight into who you are, your strengths and your passions.

• Listing skills with no evidence.

Buzzwords like ‘teamwork’ or ‘project management’ mean little without text proof. It’s important to provide evidence demonstrating how you have applied these skills. Think about a time that you made a big impact at your previous workplace. Maybe sales at the pizza shop went up by lots when you worked there. Make your achievements real using numbers and results.

• Spelling and grammar errors.

A simple mistake is common. But a simple fix could land you your dream job. The most frequent spelling errors are the use of American spelling, using ‘z’ instead of ‘s’. It’s important for you or a friend to proofread your resume before sending it off. If you’re still unsure, there are free spell-checking resources available. Give your resume a final proofread before sending it off.

• Underselling yourself.

Don’t hold back. Think of your resume as the spotlight for you to showcase your accomplishments. You don’t need to brag, but you can confidently present your skills, capabilities and experiences. Use examples to make yourself shine!

• Messy formatting

A cluttered resume looks unprofessional, and some recruiter softwares might reject it automatically. Keep it clean and consistent.

1. Use a simple Word document
2. Choose one easy-to-read format
3. Keep font size around 12
4. Use clear section headings in bold

• Including your personal address/ and or photo

You don’t need to include your full address or a photo in Australia. The employer doesn’t need to know your street address, and it shouldn’t matter what you look like.

• Not tailoring to the job description

A generic resume can sometimes look like you aren’t genuinely interested in the job. Have a look at the job description and highlight key words they use to describe the job and show them how your capabilities and experiences match.

Small tweaks to your resume can make a huge difference. Fix these simple mistakes to elevate your resume and get the interview you’re wanting.

https://employability.uq.edu.a...