Trying to find a job can be unbelievably frustrating. You spend weeks perfecting your resume, writing cover letters and applying for jobs only to get rejected, or worse, hear nothing at all.
You have the experience and skills necessary for the position, but you’re not making any progress in your job search. Your resume may be the problem.
Here are 4 common mistakes people make which cause recruiters to reject their resumes:
Unprofessional email address
GamerDude64@email.com may have been a cool email handle in middle school, but you can count on it eliminating you from the candidate pool quick if it’s on your resume. Most pre-interview communication happens through email nowadays, so your email address will be one of the first things a recruiter looks for on your resume. You could be the epitome of professionalism in person, but if your email address is unprofessional, you can count on not getting an interview.
Your resume doesn’t match your online profile
A recent CareerBuilder study found that 51 percent of employers have passed on a candidate because of their social media profiles. One of the first things recruiters will do when deciding if they will bring you in for an interview is look you up on social media. If your social media profiles don’t scream professionalism, it’s always a good idea to adjust your privacy settings so someone who you haven’t friended can’t see your profile. But make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and matches the information on your resume. Many recruiters use LinkedIn to vet potential candidates.
The font is too small
There’s a misconception that your resume should only be one page, so many job seekers will try to cram as much as they can on their resume by using a very small font size. But if a recruiter can’t read your resume, there’s really no point. A good rule of thumb is to keep your font size 10 point or above. And if your resume requires a second page, don’t worry! Recruiters expect two-page resumes from those who have been in the workforce a long time.
Errors or inconsistent formatting
No matter how many times you read over your resume, you could still miss errors and misspellings. Our brains have a knack for filling in missing letters in words or skipping over misplaced words, especially if you wrote them. Your best bet is to have someone you trust proofread your resume. Getting a fresh pair of eyes on your resume can help find mistakes you missed and get your resume in tip-top shape.
You’ve worked hard on your resume and it’s almost perfect! Use these tips to tweak your resume so it’s truly the best it can be.