5 Resume Mistakes You MUST Avoid (with real examples)!
TLDRIn this video, Jeff shares his journey from sending out cold emails to landing multiple job offers, highlighting the five major resume mistakes he made initially. He advises on the importance of work experience, showing impact, including meaningful metrics, tailoring resumes for each job application, and paying attention to small formatting details.
Takeaways
- 📚 Start with work experience, not education, to showcase job readiness.
- 🔍 Show impact by detailing the results of your actions in your resume.
- 📈 Include meaningful metrics to quantify your contributions and achievements.
- 🔧 Tailor your resume for each job application by focusing on relevant skills and keywords.
- 👀 Pay attention to small details like formatting to make a strong first impression.
- 💼 Networking is crucial for getting interviews; connect with alumni, recruiters, and hiring managers.
- 📈 Use bullet points to help hiring managers visualize your ability to do the job.
- 📚 Even if you have limited work experience, highlight any relevant skills or internships.
- 📈 Benchmark your performance against peers or industry standards to show your value.
- 📚 Tailoring your resume involves focusing on a few roles and using job descriptions to identify relevant skills.
- 📚 Use tools like Grammarly or Google Docs' auto correct to catch spelling and grammar issues.
Q & A
What was the total number of cold emails Jeff sent out during his job application process?
-Jeff sent out a total of 367 cold emails during his job application process.
How many first round interviews did Jeff receive as a result of his job application efforts?
-Jeff received 21 first round interviews.
What were the two key actions Jeff took that significantly improved his interview invitations?
-The two key actions Jeff took were networking extensively with alumni, recruiters, and hiring managers, and editing his resume based on their feedback.
Why is it a mistake to put the education section above the work experience section on a resume?
-It's a mistake because recruiters and hiring managers value work experience more as it translates better to on-the-job performance, and helps them visualize the candidate's ability to do the job they're hiring for.
What is the importance of showing impact in the bullet points of a resume?
-Showing impact is important because it allows the hiring manager to understand the implications of the candidate's actions and contributions, rather than just seeing a list of tasks or buzzwords.
Can you provide an example of how Jeff improved the bullet points on his resume to show impact?
-In the original resume, Jeff mentioned 'assisted with project governance,' but in the updated version, he clarified the impact by stating 'the banking client successfully opened a branch in the local market.'
Why is it crucial to include meaningful metrics in a resume?
-Including meaningful metrics is crucial because it quantifies the candidate's impact and effort, showing recruiters and hiring managers the tangible results of their work.
How did Jeff demonstrate the importance of quantifying impact even with small achievements?
-Jeff used the example of his first internship where he wrote 'my presentation scored 23% higher than the class average,' demonstrating that he knew the success metric and benchmarked his performance against peers.
What is the significance of tailoring a resume for each job application?
-Tailoring a resume for each job application is significant because it allows the candidate to align their skills and experiences with the specific job requirements, making their application more relevant and appealing to the recruiter.
What is the mistake Jeff admits to making regarding the small details on his resume?
-Jeff admits to overlooking small details such as inconsistent formatting, which can create a negative first impression and may be seen as a red flag by recruiters and hiring managers.
What is Jeff's advice for catching small mistakes on a resume?
-Jeff suggests sending the resume to multiple people for feedback or using tools like Grammarly or Google Docs' auto correct to catch and correct small mistakes.
Outlines
📈 Overcoming Job Application Challenges
In this paragraph, the speaker shares their personal experience with job applications, highlighting the importance of networking and resume editing based on feedback. They reveal that despite sending out 367 cold emails, it was only after networking and refining their resume that they secured 21 interviews and 5 job offers. The speaker then introduces the video's agenda, which includes discussing common resume mistakes and the changes that led to their successful interviews. The speaker, Jeff, also provides a humorous touch by inviting viewers to stay for job search memes, setting a friendly and engaging tone for the video.
📝 Common Resume Mistakes and Solutions
This paragraph delves into the five major resume mistakes that the speaker made during their initial job search and the subsequent improvements that led to success. The first mistake discussed is prioritizing the education section over work experience, which is deemed less relevant by recruiters. The speaker emphasizes the importance of showcasing work experience to demonstrate job-related skills. The second mistake is the lack of impact in the resume's bullet points, which are improved by including tangible results. The third mistake involves the absence of meaningful metrics, which can be addressed by quantifying contributions, even if the numbers are small. The fourth mistake is not tailoring the resume for each job application, which the speaker advises against by recommending a focus on a few roles and using job descriptions to identify relevant skills. The final mistake is overlooking small formatting errors, which can negatively impact first impressions. The speaker suggests seeking feedback from others or using tools like Grammarly to catch such errors.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Resume Mistakes
💡Networking
💡Work Experience
💡Impact
💡Metrics
💡Tailoring Resume
💡First Round Interviews
💡Bullet Points
💡Formatting
💡Feedback
💡Cover Letter
Highlights
The importance of networking and editing your resume based on feedback to secure interviews and job offers.
Avoid placing the education section above work experience on your resume to better convey job-relevant skills.
The significance of work experience over academic achievements in demonstrating on-the-job performance.
How bullet points on a resume can help visualize a candidate's ability to perform the job.
The mistake of not showing impact in your resume and how it can lead to a missed opportunity.
Revealing the result of your contributions in your resume to differentiate between buzzwords and actual accomplishments.
The value of including meaningful metrics in your resume to quantify your impact.
How to show metrics even when you're new or lack impressive data points from your experience.
The effort in quantifying impact is more important than the actual numbers to recruiters and hiring managers.
Tailoring your resume for each job application to increase the chances of standing out.
The misconception of applying to many jobs with a single resume and the benefits of focusing on quality over quantity.
Using job descriptions and a word cloud generator to identify relevant skills for tailoring your resume.
The difference between maintaining a general LinkedIn profile and a hyper-targeted resume for each application.
Overlooking small formatting errors can negatively impact the first impression of your resume.
The importance of first impressions and how easily avoidable errors can be a red flag for employers.
Utilizing tools like Grammarly or Google Docs' auto correct to catch and correct small mistakes.
The suggestion to seek feedback from others on your resume to ensure it is polished and error-free.
A reminder to watch a follow-up video on writing an effective cover letter to maximize interview opportunities.
