When putting together a resume, there are certain things that all career advisors tell you to watch out for – grammar and spelling errors, unexplained gaps in employment, for example.
But there are other things that will get you into trouble as well. Unfortunately, these aren’t as black and white as those mentioned above. That’s because each company and industry is different and is looking for different abilities and experiences. But there are few resume problems that generally cut across different industries and could cause your resume to end up in the trash bin.
One shortcoming is not being involved with social media and not having a LinkedIn profile on your resume. It labels you as someone who is not technologically savvy. You want to let an employer know that you have an electronic profile. This is especially important for jobs like Web design or photography or writing, where it can be used for a sample of your work.
This next resume snafu is a bit counterintuitive – not changing jobs enough. In the past, hopping around from job to job was seen as a drawback, showing that the person couldn’t stay in one place for very long.
But these days, when many employers are looking for workers with a range of experiences, a person who has not moved from one job shows a limited background and a lack of initiative. Having held several positions becomes even more important for certain jobs and industries, such as IT or if a person is a project manager.
If you happen to be one of those people who haven’t moved around a lot, there are things you can do to highlight your diversity of experience. For example, if you have been transferred or promoted, you should put that under a separate heading on your resume. You could also emphasize moves to other departments or locations. If you have taken any professional training or other education programs, you should highlight those as well as examples of your initiative and knowledge of your field.
Also, in general, you want to avoid putting any personal information on your resume, such as hobbies and interests. But there may be times when including hobbies could be helpful. If, for example, you are applying for a sales position for exercise equipment, including the fact that you are an avid runner or participate in some other sport would certainly be a plus on the resume.
If you are looking for temporary, temporary-to-hire or direct-hire work in the Anchorage area, send a message to the Opti Staffing Group. We would love to discuss how we can help you find the job that is right for you.