When is the last time you updated your resume? Months ago? Years ago? Whether you’re actively looking for a new job now or are considering making a career change in the future, keeping your resume in tip-top shape is crucial. In order to differentiate yourself from other applicants, you’ll want to avoid making these five mistakes on your resume so you stand out to recruiters. Knowing from personal experience in the recruiting world, recruiters only give about six seconds to review a resume—ten if they’re feeling generous. All this to say: you need a stellar resume, and we’re here to help.  

Read on to learn about five resume mistakes we see all the time and how to fix them.

Resume mistake: Typos and grammatical errors
Quick Fix: I’m going to be frank with you here—there is no excuse for having typos and grammatical errors on your resume. But that’s easy to fix. Especially with GoogleDocs corrections and the plethora of extensions that you can add to your browser. Just install the Grammarly extension in your Chrome browser and it will check all of your documents including emails and give you suggestions. All of our editors at C&C use it. It’s just nice to know that someone’s got your back. 

Resume mistake: Not customizing your resume
Quick Fix: Ever heard of a burrito? Typically made with beans, rice, cheese, salsa, and the like? Your resume shouldn’t look anything like that. Let me explain. There are two types of resumes that you should have—a burrito resume and a targeted resume. The burrito resume is, often times, only for you. It lists every career experience you’ve had with as much detail about each experience as you see fit. This resume should not be sent with a job application, that’s where your targeted resume comes in. Your targeted resume should be customized to the job that you’re applying for—for example, if I’m applying for a job in influencer marketing, I should list experience that involves analytical, creative, and customer service experience. Everything else should be kept out. And now who’s hungry for a burrito?

Resume mistake: Lack of detail 
Quick Fix: Instead of simply stating what you did, explain in more detail the work that you have accomplished.

For example:

1. Ran influencer campaigns on YouTube.
2. Executed over 200 YouTube influencers by sourcing, negotiating, and launching campaigns with talent directly, resulting in over 1,000+ new customers and $200,000 in product sales.

Number one doesn’t provide enough information to get a recruiter interested, whereas number two is equal parts quality and quantity. You want to explain what you did and quantify your work as much as possible.

Resume mistake: Too long
Quick Fix: If your resume is targeted for the job that you’re applying for, chances are, you should be able to keep it to one page. And one page is truly the ideal length for your resume. Especially when a recruiter is shifting through hundreds of resumes a day, you don’t want them to immediately see that your resume is two or three pages long and dismiss it. Short and sweet, while simultaneously detailed and effective. 

Resume mistake: Overly visual (or not visual at all)
Quick Fix: The design and layout of your resume is just as important as the quality of your statements. And while I typically would encourage you to showcase your personality through design, when it comes to your resume, you’ll want to lean towards a more minimalist look. I’d recommend capping your resume to three colors—black, white, and something of choice. This is only if you absolutely feel the need to show color, your resume will stand out without color too. You can, and should, explore some of the templates that Microsoft word or Google offer. 

About the Author

Syama Meagher is the Chief Retail Strategist at Scaling Retail. They have launched brands around the world, through a combination of expert advice and creative marketing strategy. Scaling Retail believes in the power of hard work to grow and build your businesses. Discover Scaling Retail at ScalingRetail.com.

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