Hundreds of
resumes are read by the recruiters each day. This document represents
the most pertinent information of an individual in the best possible
way. With many applications for a job opening, the hiring manager
must be able to identify appropriate candidates who could turn into
employees for the company as well as recognize which resumes need to
be discarded. It is important to filter out the bad resumes, or else
it leads to recruiting of unwanted individuals. This adds to wastage
of time and money for an organization. Hence, the recruiter should
identify badly written resumes as it helps in shortlisting the
probable candidates easily and thus scheduling their interview. The
points below signify a bad resume.
- Complicated flow
The resume must
have a proper chronological order which gives information about work
history, educational background and achievements. Not having a right
sequence only adds to confusion and makes it very difficult to read.
An individual who has completed his/her studies and has previously
worked in a company, must not include educational background as the
first section of the document. Work experience which is relevant to
the field must always be mentioned at the top. Starting with
educational details even if you were previously employed in the same
field demonstrates a lack of confidence and less enthusiasm for a job
opening.
- Poor formatting
While writing a
resume, one needs to stay updated regarding the current trends in
resume writing and draft the document accordingly. A bad resume
includes lengthy paragraphs and out-of-date sections. Such type of
documents often contain different font styles in various colors and
unwanted photographs, which make it difficult to read. Hiring
managers who scrutinize the documents carefully can put the resumes
in a 'no' pile for even small mistakes such as incorrect punctuation,
poor page breaks and detailed information.
- Generic format
If a recruiter is
forced to search the entire resume to locate your important points
and relevant skills, it will create a bad impression. If you do not
understand the job requirements and simply copy points that are
available on the Internet to highlight yourself, it can reduce your
chances of being scheduled for an interview. If the document is not
tailored as per the job profile, it is unlikely that the hiring
manager will reach out to you.
- Being overconfident
Even though, the
ultimate purpose of your resume is to fix an interview with the
prospective employer,, you must not exaggerate your achievements.
Hence, while marketing yourself, it is necessary to stay grounded and
not boast immensely. You should not include lines like 'I can bring
positive changes for the company' or 'I will be an important
contributor to the team's performance' in the document. These things
are not something which you can determine in advance, but for the
employer to decide.
- Lack of interest in the job profile
Not doing thorough
research about a particular profile can lead to many errors in the
resume. While grammatical errors and spelling mistakes can be a big
let down to the recruiter, taking a job just because there is no
other opportunity available can affect your performance later. You
might be asked to fill a questionnaire before the interview.
Answering these questions in a single word or limited sentences can
depict how keen you are to take on the role.
- Avoid using multiple common phrases
As the number of
applicants for every position is increasing owing to the competition,
you need to use the right cliches in your document to stand out from
the crowd. Including common words such as 'team player' or 'hard
worker' do not convey why you are unique and best fit for the job to
the prospective employer. For example, if you want to work in a
technical field, write the key skills that are relevant to the job
profile and include its previous experience.
- Frequent job changes
If you have done
multiple job hopping and have tried different job profiles, then you
might have different experiences under your belt. While this may
demonstrate your flexibility to adapt to new role, it might also
raise a doubt in the mind of the recruiter. Several questions such as
whether the candidate was fired from previous jobs, or had to quit
can pop up in his/her mind. Changing jobs frequently can reflect an
individual as indecisive and make the recruiter question his/her
loyalty in new organization.
Including personal
information and irrelevant data can end your resume in the trash bin.
Hence, it is of utmost importance to decide what should be included
in the document. A badly written resume not only makes you lag behind
in the competition but also obstructs your chances of securing a
dream job.Thus to overcome this situation BSR plays a vital role with
all it's informative guidance in drafting the resume .
