4 Mistakes in a Resume That Can Cost You Your Coveted Job

You have made up your mind to join another company. And, you want to update your resume for this purpose since polishing your resume is certainly important if you are to really stand out in the crowd. Resume preparation is an art, and if practiced carefully, it can help you land up in your coveted job. A good resume should tell your story and help you sell your skills.

Many people, however, make egregious mistakes in their resume. Here are four common mistakes that you should avoid:

• Take care of grammar and typos
  When it comes to resumes, you can’t afford having a sloppy attitude. According to a 2013 CareerBuilder survey, 58% of employers termed typo errors as one of the top mistakes that led to their rejection in the screening stage only. Check your resume twice before sending it to recruiters.
• Fluffing with unnecessary stuff
  If you think that having a lengthy resume will help you in landing up in a better job, think again. HR people are extremely busy and the moment they find difficulty in getting the right information from your resume, they will throw it in the trash bin. “A good rule of thumb is one page of resume for every 10 years of work experience,” writer Career builder.” A crisp and compact resume shows your ability to synthesize, prioritize, and convey the most vital information in a succinct manner.
  A resume is more like a marketing document, which features your most relevant skills. It does not necessarily need to be a chronicle of your entire work history. Focus on only those experiences that really matter and leave out the rest.
• Creative formatting
  Substance matters more than style and this is true for resumes as well. Recruiters prefer reading a traditional and simple resume, which is formatted perfectly. Some amount of creative liberty is certainly there if you are applying for the position of a graphic designer. Spending time on sharpening your bullet points, however, is preferable to making them look great design wise.
• Don’t tell lies
  This is very important but many candidates do this. Faking about your educational qualification or experience and skills will not help you. People often tend to lie about their team size and sales results to get a job but this does not help. The Muse, a reputed career portal, advises to remain honest: "Honesty is always the best policy. If you feel like there’s part of your background that’s not quite up to snuff, your best bet is creative—but truthful—positioning."

These mistakes may seem ordinary but employers tend to spot them quickly. This is because every day, they reject a lot of applications on these grounds. So, make sure your resume does not have these mistakes. You win half the battle if your resume is immaculately clean.