Most Common Resume Mistakes â and How to Fix Them!
By Claire J. Lenz (QSTÂ â18)
As a reviewer for the Center for Career Development, I see a lot of resumes come through the center on a weekly basis. In this weekâs post Iâll run through some common mistakes Iâve seen in my appointments to help you put the finishing touches on your resume! Iâve categorized these suggestions into five categories: Section Order, Date Ranges, High School, Action Verb Tense, and Contact Information.
Keep in mind this advice is by no means law, but is more meant to give you a sense of what to look out for in your resume. That said, itâs always a good idea to get personalized help with a trained reviewer if youâre not sure where to begin or need a second pair of eyes, so feel free to make an appointment at the CCD through Handshake and weâd be happy to help!
1.    Section Order: The structure of your resume is determined by how you organize your resume sections (headers such as: work experience, skills, and education) so it is important to be thoughtful about the order in which you present your experiences.
·      As a student, your primary identifier is your university as it provides context for the rest of your experiences and activities on your resume. Make sure you put your education first!
·      Follow your education section with your experiences, which can be segmented further into âleadership,â âvolunteer,â âwork,â or my personal preference: ârelevantâ and âadditional.â
·      Some occupations prefer to list skills directly after education, especially if the field is particularly technical.
·      Consider including other resume sections, such as projects, awards, or certifications depending on what applies to you.
·      Any occupation where you gained skills or learned something relevant to your personal growth â paid or unpaid â is fair game for classification as an experience.
 2.    Date Ranges: I tend to get really picky about this, but itâs important! Each experience you list should include dates to contextualize the timeline of your resume.
·      Make sure the way you write your dates is consistent throughout the resume. If you abbreviate September to Sept once, make sure you keep it that way.
·      If a date range falls within the same year, you do not need to list the year twice. For example, you can say July â October 2017 instead of July 2017 â October 2017
·      If a date range falls across multiple years, list the year next to both months. For example: September 2016 â May 2017
·      If you are currently working in a position, list the second date as âPresent.â For example: July 2017 â Present
·      Your experiences within each section should be listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent position at the top.
·      Finally, ensure the dash between the dates is consistent throughout the page. This is one of the most common mistakes Iâve seen and comes off as super sloppy!
 3.    High School: Once you reach your sophomore year of college, itâs time to remove your high school and any related activities you did before college. The only exceptions to this rule are:
·      If you are still currently participating in an activity from high school
·      If you are interviewing with an alum from your high school
·      If you are applying to a job that may recognize your school (whether itâs in the area or is prestigious)
 4.    Action Verb Tense: For each of your position descriptions, ensure the verb tense lines up with the date range of the activity.
·      Experiences from the past should be written in past tense.
·      Current positions should be written in the present verb tense.
 5.    Contact Information: This may be a small section on your resume, but it is important your contact information is accurate and conveyed in a professional manner.
·      Make sure your email address is professional â generally I suggest students use their university email address.
·      Include any LinkedIn or personal portfolio pages, as long as they are professional!
·      Use your school address unless you are applying to a job at home; in that case, you can use your home address.
 Resume Resources at the Center for Career Development:
·      Make an appointment during our Resume + Cover Letter Review Hours.
·      Check our calendar for workshops on writing effective resumes and cover letters.
·      Resumes 101: Learn the difference between functional and chronological resumes, and how best to get started.
·      Anatomy of a Resume: Explore our interactive resumes and learn what sections to include.