Resume Mistakes You Need to Avoid

A Professional Resume Leads to Interviews
A professional resume can be hard to develop for many people. The best way to work on your resume is one step at a time. There are many resume formats available to you. Most all word processing software have preinstalled templates that you can use.

With Microsoft Word you it's possible to go online and download other resume templates.

When choosing a template, make sure to choose one that will make your resume look professional. Small cute little flowers may make you happy, but may result in a potential employer throwing your resume away.

When writing a resume try to limit it to one page, employers do not have time to read more than that.

They are trying to hire someone to take the extra burden from them, and certainly a handful of two page resumes is not going to help them lessen that burden.

It's important when writing a resume to not type it any smaller than a 12-point font. If you use a font that is much smaller, your resume will be difficult to read. Using odd fonts is not recommended, it's best to use Ariel or Times. These fonts are crisp, clear and much easier to read.

The Actual Writing Process

Here are some resume tips that you definitely will not want to forget. Use strong words! Instead of: gave instructions try, directed staff development. This will bring more attention to your resume and have your potential employer reading on instead of placing it to the side.

That is definitely a good thing. For past jobs you will need to use past tense verbs since this job was in the PAST. Only your current job will have present tense verbs.

Also, to keep the readers attention, you will want to use a bulleted list instead of a paragraph listing your job description.

Again these employers are very busy and probably have about 20-30 resumes to go through. If they can glance over your capabilities it's much better for them. Make sure there is some white space on your resume. Too much text makes it look cluttered and may turn off a potential employer.

Last But Definitely Not Least

It's important for a professional resume to use a higher quality paper if possible. You will also want to make sure that you use a good printer, it is printing on a high quality setting, and it has enough ink in it to do the job completely. Against better judgment, many people will make snap first opinions of people.

These first impressions stick. Do not send a sticky, stained or wrinkled resume that has been manhandled by your child or grandchild. An employer will find this as a lack of regard for him, the company and the job.

If you are considering using an online job search site such as Monster.com, Hot Jobs at Yahoo, etc. you will want a text only (not a fancy resume format) for your uploaded resume because the conversion process may cause awkward spacing. You want to make your resume as easy to read as possible.

There is no shame in getting help from someone to write a professional resume. Sometimes the task is just too daunting and the ‘rules' may just be too much to follow. If you get help, it's a good thing. Better to be helped and have a job than to not be helped and loose that chance because of a poorly done resume.

Points to Keep In Mind:

1. Use professional resume format

2. Avoid fancy resume templates

3. Limit resume to one page

4. Use a readable font, such as Times or Ariel

5. Do not use font size smaller than 12-point

6. Use past tense verbs for past jobs

7. Use bulleted list to add to readability of resume

8. Use plain text resume for uploading to job search sites