Blogging for Change

Biggest money mistake may be on your resume

by Kim McGrigg on
7/20/2009
in Personal Finance

When asked about their biggest money mistakes, most people talk about mistakes made with the money they've already earned. Generally, the mistakes are along the lines of "I should have starting saving sooner," "I should'nt have cosigned for my boyfriend," and "I didn't diversify." However, I think the biggest money mistakes happen before you earn your first paycheck.

There is no doubt that resume mistakes can cost you a job. In fact, according to Accountemps, three out of four executives interviewed said just one or two typos in a resume would remove applicants from consideration for a job. (See some real life resume mistakes at Resumania.com.)

While typos, spelling errors, and word misuse rank high on most recruiters' list of top mistakes, there are many other resume mistakes that can decrease your chances of getting a job. Here is a list of the top 10 resume mistakes from Monster.com.

1. Typos and grammatical errors
2. Lack of specifics
3. Attempting one size fits all
4. Highlighting duties instead of accomplishments
5. Going on too long or cutting things too short
6. A bad objective
7. No action verbs
8. Leaving off important information
9. Visually too busy
10. Incorrect contact information

Even if your resume is perfect, there are also some resume delivery mistakes to avoid. For example, NPR reports that it is not a good idea to have a husband-and-wife email address.

One way to prevent common resume mistakes is to have several friends or family members edit your resume before sending. Even better, consider finding a mentor to guide your job hunt. The bottom line is that an error-free resume is well worth the time and effort. After all, you can't make money mistakes if you don't have any money.

 

Kim McGrigg is the former Manager of Community and Media Relations for MMI.

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