Job-Hunt Intelligence - 7 Deadly Resume Mistakes for New Grads to Avoid

Published: Tue, 10/10/17

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By Chandlee Bryan

Searching for work after college can be challenging, particularly as many organizations don’t share what they look for in resumes.

Here are seven common mistakes that people make on a resume that can leave employers with the wrong impression – and simple solutions you can implement to keep your resume in the clear.

The Mistakes AND the Solutions

1. Forget to list yourself as the author of your resume.

Even if you have included your name in the title of your resume document, your resume may be visible to your audience as another person’s work. How does this happen?

Solution:

You must put your name in as the Author of your resume in the “Info” or “Properties” section of your document. Otherwise, either the default or previous author listing will show instead. Make sure to check this before you finalize your resume.

2. Use an original font.

A vast majority of employers use applicant tracking software (ATS) to scan and rank applications for relevance. ATS systems are programmed to look for keywords and they frequently misread text presented in an “unconventional” font. You don’t want an "I" to be misread as an "L" do you?

Solution:

To make it easy for others to read your resume, use a standard font. ATS system friendly fonts include Times New Roman, Arial, and Courier.

3. Cite all coursework as “relevant.”

For some post-graduate positions, it is helpful to have coursework that relates to the job. But most job descriptions don’t specifically ask for coursework.

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By Don Goodman

More than 85% of employers will "source" (find people to hire) through LinkedIn. There are now over 500 million people on the site, and this article will show you how to make sure that you show up in the searches relevant to your job search.

LinkedIn offers many opportunities to include appropriate keywords for your job search and career.  It is smart to take advantage of that opportunity, given LinkedIn's popularity among recruiters.

Determine the Keywords You Want

Let's assume that you are an IT ("Information Technology") professional. Identify the 2-3 keywords that are most important to you. For example, if you are an Applications Developer, then you might want to have both Senior Programmer and Applications Developer as core keywords.

However, you can take this a step further by indicating your areas of specialization, so you might want to add "mobile applications" or "financial applications" to the list.

Be careful with management titles as a CIO in one firm is a Director in another, depending on the size of the firm, so use those titles only if it is the only one you want. A good tip is to include generic titles like: Senior IT Executive | VP IT | CIO.

To be sure you are using the best keywords for you, read How to Identify Exactly the Right Keywords for Your LinkedIn Profile.

Where to Use Your Keywords

Now your job is to get these keywords into your LinkedIn profile as much as you can. Having said that, there are certain parts of the profile that carry more weight.

READ MORE

 
 
Whether you are in a job search or managing your career, you'll want to grab your free copy of the latest version of Personal Branding Expert Meg Guiseppi's 15 Minute Guide to Smart Personal Branding with LinkedIn. This ebook will help you to use LinkedIn more effectively and also to improve your understanding of personal branding.

Newest Job-Hunt Quick Guide: 
Smart Personal Branding with LinkedIn, 3rd edition
  By Personal Branding Expert Meg Guiseppi 

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 Make LinkedIn work better for your career with Meg's help in this ebook.
 
 Recommended Reading...
  1.  How to Improve Your GPA After Graduation by Chandlee Bryan
If you've graduated from college in the last three years, list your cumulative GPA if it is a 3.0 or above. Because if it isn't there, employers may -- and, in my experience, will -- assume that your GPA is less than a B average. If your GPA is less than a 3.0 or if you have hidden success stories in your academic record, you still have options to tell that story on your resume. You can do this by selectively presenting your GPA. Here's how...
  1. The Most Common Job Interview Questions (and Sample Answers) by Susan P. Joyce
Interviewers seem to have favorite questions that they always ask every job candidate. The best way to impress interviewers is to have thought about the question and prepared to answer it in advance. Some of these questions will also be asked while networking or just talking with family and friends. Get comfortable answering them.
 
 

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