So, you’ve found the perfect job, and you’re super eager to apply. But before you upload your resume and hit send, check out these five common mistakes that students make on resumés and ensure that your resume makes the final shortlist!
1. Not proofreading
You know those funny red lines that sometimes appear under words when you’re typing? It means that your spell checker has picked up something that’s wrong – go back over your resume twice or even three times and make sure everything is 100% correct. Get someone else to look over it if you’re not sure.
2. Using an unprofessional email address
If you are still using your email address from high school, like lazybum92@hotmail.com, it’s probably time to change it to something more professional. Set one up with your full name, or as close to your full name as is available, and show prospective employees that you can be taken seriously.
3. Including too much or too little information
You may be a uni student, but writing a resumé is not like writing an academic essay. Decisions can be made after a quick look over the first page. So stick to 1-2 pages and make sure to keep all information relevant to the job you’re applying for. If the employer thinks you may be a potential candidate, you will get to elaborate on your skills and experience in the interview. But leaving important information out of your resume can be just as damaging.
4. Not tailoring the resume to the job
A resume is not a one size fits all document. Employers can spot a generic resume a mile off! You can definitely use a template for your resumes, but when you’re writing it, ask yourself “how do my skills, education and work experience make me the right person for this job?”.
5. Using too much colour, different fonts and not keeping the formatting consistent
Unless you’re applying for a creative role and a super funky, colourful and fun resumé is appropriate, keep it simple! Use black text on white paper and no funny fonts, please! Keep your formatting consistent, make use of headings and subheadings, dot points, tab spacing and let the words speak for themselves.
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