What are the top three things people do wrong in resume creation

When it comes to resume writing people tend to:

1) Undersell their skills and experience;
2) Use the wrong format for to represent their experience; and
3) Forget to proofread their document.

To the first point, people generally assume that if they have held a mundane job or a position that they feel is either boring or self-explanatory, there is no need to polish it up on their resume.  This is an example of underselling yourself.  A resume gives employers a chance to see how well you write and how well you can articulate yourself.

So, it is really important that people don’t forget to include important or vivid details in their job descriptions. Saying you are a teacher is one thing; but, saying that you’ve taught over 40,000 students is another and is much more attractive to employers.

Secondly, many job seekers use the basic chronological format for their resume.  This can prove to be a disservice to them because chronological resumes emphasize longevity and some job-seekers don’t have that background.  In this case, a functional or skill based resume would prove to be a better choice because it focuses the readers’ attention on their skill and talent, not their longevity.

Lastly, typos abound in resumes!  Many people rely on their built-in spell check to do the work for them.  However, some words may be spelled correctly but may be the wrong word for that sentence (think: “manger” vs. “manager”).  Reading aloud will help the job-seeker catch more errors in grammar and spelling than just allowing the spell-check feature to do it.