You've probably been told over and over that the use of proper spelling and grammar are extremely important on your resume and that one little mistake can ruin your chances at obtaining a particular job. It seems to me that these warnings are given out all the time. When I ask people to tell me the number one mistake on a resume, they almost always say that it's bad spelling and/or grammar. This really makes me wonder because it's pretty rare that I come across an error-free resume. There always seems to be something, whether it's a misspelled word or a missing comma. The best explanation I can come up with is that people today seem to rely a little too much on spell and grammar check programs. Spelling and grammar check programs are great in many ways, and they seem to pick up a lot of common mistakes. For example, they automatically add apostrophes to words like "can't" when you forget to put one in there. Or they might automatically capitalize the word "I." They also do a good job at highlighting some clearly misspelled words. Despite all of these benefits, however, programs like these should not be seen as flawless. There are tons of things they can miss, and below are a few examples: Same word, different spelling: Some words sound exactly alike, but have different spellings with entirely different meanings. Spell check will not pick up when these words are used improperly. These words could include: then, than, your, you're, too, to, two, their, there, are, our… and this is only naming a few. Word choice: Did you know, for example, that the words "which" and "that" can not exactly be used interchangeably? Punctuation: Comma omissions and unnecessary commas are usually not picked up. Overall structure of your resume: Is your resume written in past or present tense? Or are the tenses all over the place? Consistency is something these programs won't notice. I'm not saying that you shouldn't use these programs - they are useful in many situations. I'm saying that you shouldn't rely solely on them to check over your resume because they aren't foolproof. It's important to check and re-check it yourself and to then also show it to a couple of friends and see what they can find. We sometimes rely on computers to do too much for us, and we forget that they aren't even close to flawless. Don't underestimate the capabilities of the human eye.

My philosophy is simple: Stick to the facts. If in doubt, leave it out! Abbreviations Avoid abbreviations! They are unprofessional and not universally accepted. Trust me; nothing looks worse on a resume than seeing sentences resembling the following: "duties included answering the fone and going 2 c clients." This is a resume, not a text message. Make sure you use correct words and proper sentences. Personal Information Leave off anything related to hobbies or personal interests. If it doesn't relate to employment it doesn't belong on a resume. Information such as weight and height is irrelevant (unless of course you're trying out for basketball team). I have seen resumes where people include their eye colour and comments about their skin ("glowing skin"). Do not give the reader a reason to eliminate you because of your personal characteristics. Again, stick to the formula - if it does not relate to the job it doesn't belong on the resume. Graphics / Artwork People feel that in order to be noticed they need their resume to look like a piece of artwork. This perception is wrong and has the opposite effect of appearing unprofessional and amateur. At the end of the day, the employer only wants to see skills, duties, and achievements. He or she is not interested because your resume is shaded yellow with a butterfly in the top right-hand corner. Negativity Never, never, never be negative on your resume or cover letter (and most importantly, in your interview). If you left your previous job because you hated your boss, keep it to yourself. Do not try to explain this on your resume because you cannot explain those reasons in writing. Remember, a resume's job is to promote and sell. Do not get eliminated immediately for being negative. No Dates DO NOT MAKE THE READER HAVE TO GUESS! This is such a killer on any resume. INCLUDE DATES. What years did you go to high school? How long did you go to university? When did you graduate? How long did you work at your current job? Do not make the person reading your resume have to ask these questions. The minute this happens, your resume is going to one place—the trash bin! Make sure your resume flows and you have no gaps in your dates. If you took a year off to go travelling, include this. When you include dates DO NOT just include years. For example, "I worked at McDonalds from 2006-2008"- what does this mean? Did you work for 3 from January 2006 to December 2008, or for a little over 1 year from December 2006 to January 2008. Long-winded Long long long long long resumes are boring!!!! If an employer sees an extremely long resume, they will immediately develop a negative frame of mind. Remember, resume readers tend to have little patience, especially when they need to read 100 resumes. You do not gain extra brownie points for writing the longest resume—enough said! Lack of achievements / highlights I never understand how people get this wrong, but so many times people fill up their resumes with irrelevant information, and they leave off the most vital part of a resume—showing off your highlights and achievements. Think about it—most people who apply for the same job can all do the standard day to day duties. So what separates the good resume from the bad resume? It's the one that includes achievements and highlights. It includes how they were an asset at their previous job. Employers want to see not that you just worked and did a good job, but that you added value to the company. Leaving off your achievements is the best way to get your resume tossed in the bin. Alternatively, including value-added achievements is the best way to get your resume put on the top of the list. Irrelevant information Everyone is proud of achievements they have accomplished throughout their life. Finishing second place in the 100 metre sprint final in my first year of high school was a great thrill, but is it relevant on my resume? Does it add value to it? Use common sense when including "extra information." Receiving your CPR certificate is relevant when you're applying for a job that requires this, such as a lifesaver or swimming instructor. It isn't so relevant if you received your CPR certificate 10 years ago, and now you're going for a job as a CEO. Grammar mistakes and typos People read this point and think, "Obviously my resume isn't going to have spelling mistakes and typos." I can tell you from experience that 1 in 5 resumes will make this vital mistake. When an employer has 100 resumes, the first 20 are eliminated because of grammar mistakes or typos. These mistakes are glaringly obvious on a resume. Make sure you use spell-check, but more importantly, re-read your resume. Even give it to someone else to read over. Trying to sound "Too Clever" You may think that using words such as "meticulous," "scrupulous" or "industrious" to describe yourself may make you sound smart, unfortunately they can have the opposite effect. Your resume is a representation of you. Don't forget this!

One of my friends recently posted an available position within her company on a major job search website, and she instantly received tens of applications in her inbox. She works for a small business - she is not exclusively a hiring manager - so filling this vacancy was just an added responsibility on top of everything she had to do already. In other words, she had very little time to waste. Her decision to read or discard a resume was made within seconds- and based simply on the length of the resume. "I simply don't have enough time to read each person's resume all the way through," she says. "In order to give everyone a chance, I need to skim, and I need to skim through only the important information - I don't have time to look for it. One resume I came across was 9 pages long, another was 7. One resume listed a retail position in 1976 as the top position under ‘work experience' and another opened with a page-long biography. Who has time to read that?" The answer is probably no one. You need to be mindful about the length of your resume - a reader can discard your resume without even looking at your name the second he or she sees that it is too long. Make it easy for them - they don't want to hunt for the most relevant facts. So how do you cut down the length? Keep some of the following in mind: Objective statement Some people tend to get a little carried away here and it adds to the length of their resume. This is not supposed to be a paragraph or, even worse, a page. A sentence or two is plenty. Professional experience This tends to be a problem for people with a lot of work experience. Make sure you provide the most information on the positions relevant to the job you are applying for. Keep dates in mind as well - unless absolutely necessary, you do not need to list positions you held 15 years ago. References Do not provide these unless asked. Sometimes this can take up a lot of resume space. While the ideal length of a resume is entirely debatable, you generally do not want to exceed 2 pages. Stick to the most important facts and try to incorporate some of my tips into cutting down the length - it will increase your chances of getting read!

Want to cause a recruiter to toss your resume instantly? When an employer is faced with several - possibly hundreds - of applications, he or she will try to narrow this list down quickly. Making one of the following mistakes can get your resume tossed in just a matter of seconds. No cover letter attached This is not a good start to any job application. Failing to include a cover letter instantly means that you have failed to put in that extra 10 minutes of effort, and this is never a good thing. A lot of recruiters delete their first round of applicants simply because they have not included a cover letter. Applying for the wrong job It happens all the time - candidates get so caught up in applying to as many jobs as possible that they accidentally send their resume sand cover letters to the wrong people. When a recruiter sees that a cover letter has been accidentally addressed to the wrong company, it will get tossed immediately. A bad picture on a resume (especially an inappropriate one) It's true that different resume standards apply to different countries. That being said, some countries are more accepting (and encouraging) of pictures on resumes than others, however please stick to professional-looking photos only - you are applying for a job after all. There is no need to include a picture of yourself posing in a tank top or drinking with friends. Better to stick to no picture at all. Providing little to no details about your work experience Employers want you to be as specific as possible with regards to your qualifications, and therefore you should provide an adequate amount of information. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people list their job titles ONLY under "work experience", and that will just not cut it. Once an employer sees that you've provided little to no detail on your experience, they will immediately delete your resume.