Your résumé is often your first impression when it comes to the job search.
Unfortunately, employers spend an average of six seconds reviewing it, which means you have a limited amount of time to catch their interest.
Here are seven issues that will very likely cause employers to throw your résumé out, instead of giving you the chance you deserve:
1. Your résumé has typos.
Spelling is rough.
But when you’re applying for jobs, you have to think carefully about how you’re coming across as a candidate.
If your résumé is riddled with typos, it’s a direct signal you don’t pay close attention to your work.
We recommend reading your résumé over multiple times, and then sending it to a friend or family member to review.
Trust us; the extra care you put in will pay off when an employer reaches out to schedule an interview.
2. Your résumé is multiple pages long.
Just like the 500-page textbook in your government class, no one is going to read it.
Efficiency and succinctness are of high value in the workplace, so you can show this off by being concise in your résumé.
Keep it short and sweet, explaining everything you’ve accomplished on one page.
3. Your résumé includes company-specific or school-specific jargon.
You started the XYRMK club on campus?
That’s impressive.
But what is it?
Employers should never be confused when looking over your résumé, especially when it comes to the items that set you apart from other candidates.
Make sure everything from acronyms to jargon are well-explained, so employers can focus on your incredible experience instead of trying to decode it.
One line or bullet point should do the trick.
4. You had lots of responsibilities, but no results.
Employers love that you handled a lot of different tasks at previous internships or in student groups on campus.
It shows you were trusted and viewed as someone who could handle high-priority demands.
However, anyone can be given a lot of responsibilities.
The differentiator is the people who go above and beyond, turning ordinary tasks into impressive results.
Whether you helped to increase your fraternity or sorority’s membership or brought in hundreds of signups by marketing a brand on your campus, those are the results that should be listed.
This way, employers have an idea of what you can do for their companies.
We suggest listing results in percentage form.
5. You included an all-too-personal personal email.
Your primary contact info reads iluvcatz4eva@gmail.com? Hard pass.
If employers can’t take you seriously, they won’t hire you.
It’s as simple as that.
Be sure to create a new personal email with your first and last name to play it safe.
(You can also use your .edu email address.)
6. Your résumé is poorly formatted.
Your section headers are all over the place: left-aligned, centered and right-aligned.
Your experience section looks like a novel with heavy blocks of text, and with all the different fonts and font sizes, your résumé looks like an experiment gone horribly wrong.
Go back through your résumé and make sure the layout is consistent, from your experience to your skills and interests.
Use one standard font (like Arial or Times New Roman). Avoid fonts like Comic Sans at all costs.
Always, always include bullet points when explaining your job responsibilities and accomplishments.
No more than three or four for each job is typically a good rule of thumb.
7. Your GPA is below a 3.0.
You should absolutely be proud of the work and grades you’ve gotten in college.
College an incredibly tough and challenging environment.
Unfortunately, hiring companies don’t know you or your backstory.
For many employers, a GPA below a 3.0 is reason enough to move on to the next résumé without reading any of your awesome accomplishments.
The solution? You’re better off not listing it, so the employer can focus on your many other accomplishments.
(But if an employer specifically asks, be honest.)
Remember: When an employer comes across your résumé, you want him or her to realize you’re detail-oriented, diligent, ambitious and accomplished.
So, if you found any of these mistakes in your résumé, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and make some edits.
This article was written by Kema Christian-Taylor for WayUp.
