Hi, this is Eric with more help for Ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs. Today we’re going to talk about avoiding common résumé mistakes. In our prior videos, we talked about setting up a professional résumé after spending a lot of time and effort; you want to make sure that someone will seriously consider your résumé.
Years working in corporate management and human resources, I can tell you that someone that looks at résumés is going to initially spend less than a minute. What we will do is avoid some common mistakes that cause some résumés to end up in the trash.
Make it brief, one or two pages preferably one page. People do not like to read, if I think that I am going to spend a lot of time reading to your résumé I will probably will put it on the bottom of the pile and read it last.
Be honest. Make sure everything on your résumé is the truth. I know there is often a temptation to embellish or add things to our résumé that may not be exactly the truth but you may figure that someone is going to check on each bit of information; I suggest that you be honest.
Make it easy to read and understand. If I have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what you are trying to tell me, believe me I really will not spend a lot of time. Use high quality white or off white paper. I have received résumés on yellow paper, blue paper, and orange paper, to me I thought it was some kind of childish. You want your résumé to be as professional looking as possible so I suggest white or off-white high quality paper.
Also, please have someone else proofread your résumé. You have been working on it for a while and everything looks well to you but please have someone else read and I am pretty sure they will find some mistakes that you can improve on before you submit it.
Never list reasons for leaving other jobs, remember your résumé is a selling tool. You will only going to use it to sell, sell, and sell only positive things on your résumé.
Please do not list your references; there is a section on your résumé that says references furnished upon request.
Do not include salary requirement, remember our résumé helps us to get an interview. Do not exclude yourself from consideration by pricing yourself out of a job. Never send a photograph. People may not like the way you look, remember we are trying to get an interview here.
Do not include personal information. I have received résumés with height, weight, hobbies and I thought that was just ridiculous to people who include these type of information. Unless it directly relates to the job you are looking for, please do not include these type of personal information.
Please do not put your social security number on your résumé. I have seen résumés that have social security numbers or other sensitive information. It’s not the place for your résumé. We want to have our résumés seriously considered.
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