A resume is the first means through which you get a chance to impress a potential employer. When you can effectively manage to do that by writing a highly impactful resume, you quickly boost your chances of grabbing a suitable job.
Elaborate and Irrelevant: Despite the basket of talents and skills you are gifted with, you don’t have to mention each and every minor detail, which will not impress the employers but will only serve to peeve them. The cost of hiring is huge, and so the HR and the management of a company only spend few seconds to a minute to go through your resume. So, keep it concise.
Do not mention things in your resume that have no relevance to the job profile you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for an IT job, things like undertaking a computer course or possessing additional computer application skills is relevant, but making a mention of being a beauty contest winner in your locality is off-track and will make you come across as ‘not serious’.
Don’t Wash Your Dirty Linen (about previous employment) in Public: If you had a bad experience working with your previous employer, do not mention that in your resume. It’s more likely that you will be rejected as the interviewer may think you are a problem-maker. Employers look out for problem-solvers and not problem-makers for the obvious reason that the former are more productive whereas the latter waste a lot of time.
Putting down Degrees, Diplomas, Courses, or Achievements You Never Garnered: If you haven’t completed your post-graduate course or are still undergoing one, exactly state that in your resume. If you lie about completing degrees, drawing a larger salary previously than the actual, or exaggerate your previous achievements, you will certainly be rejected. Companies carry out a background research, and your lies will be found out soon. So, it is better to be honest rather than being labeled as a liar and blacklisted by companies. This will ruin your chances of getting a job elsewhere too and can ruin your career completely.
Political/Religious Preferences/Beliefs: Mentioning about the religion you follow or the political party you support is a complete no-no. These things have no place in your resume and are in no way related to your talents and skills. In fact, these things can create bias in the minds of an employer who may then reject your resume.
Weaknesses: Every employee, no matter how talented he is, is bound to possess certain weaknesses. However, unless asked explicitly by the interviewer, do not mention those in your resume. It is understood that no one is perfect. For instance, if you are good with MS Word but are not very good at MS Excel skills, you don’t need to mention that. Rather than stressing on the negative part of you not knowing something, focus on the positive aspect of your personality like ‘You like to learn new things’.
No matter how simple it may seem, resume-writing is truly an art. If you’ve mastered the tact of writing a resume that never misses to catch a potential employer’s eye, you are most likely to land the job you have been aspiring for.
