Introduction
A lot of students and graduates relies on their resume to make a good first impression on potential employers. Having a well-made resume can give you an advantage, whether you apply for a part-time job, an internship, or your first full-time work. Even so, there are plenty of blunders that can let you down and hinder your progress.
At NBBT College in New Brunswick, Canada, helping students get ready for careers is highly important. That’s why we teach our students what should go on a resume and also show them the typical errors that nobody pays attention to. If you’re about to join the job market after your studies, check out the following things, and learn how to handle them well.
1. Using One Generic Resume for Every Job
It’s very common for students to use the same resume for every job they apply for. Companies can spot right away when an applicant hasn’t adapted their resume to the job on offer. It’s a sign that a person is not making an effort.
How to fix it: Examine every job posting carefully and rewrite your resume to highlight the qualifications you have that match what the company seeks. Point out your best qualifications and use similar language to what the job description says.
2. Poor Formatting and Design Choices
If your resume has many decorative fonts, uneven bullet points, or uses color very often, it may keep people away from focusing on your achievements. In addition, these designs might cause ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) to incorrectly screen job applicants in Canada.
How to fix it: You should only use professional templates with standard fonts such as Arial or Calibri. Ensure all headings are similar and put bullet points in a clear style to allow both computers and humans to look through your document easily.
3. Grammatical Errors and Typos
Any mistakes in grammar, punctuation, or spelling found in your resume can remove all your good points. Errors in your CV can show your employers if you pay close attention to the details or not.
How to fix it: Use tools like Grammarly or turn to a consultation with a peer, a mentor, or a career advisor at NBBT College prior to sending it.
4. Failing to Highlight Achievements
It’s common for students to include their duties from work or school but lack the details about what they successfully completed. This means your resume could end up similar to many others and hard to distinguish.
How to fix it: The best approach is to highlight what you achieved, instead of what you need to do. Select action words and show the results through measurable figures when you can. You can express this as “Increased Instagram followers by 40% during the period of three months” instead of “Managed social media accounts.”
5. Including Irrelevant or Outdated Information
Having a high school job or other unrelated hobbies may look insignificant, but they can take attention away from your achievements.
How to fix it: Put down only the points important for the job you seek. Make sure your resume highlights experiences and abilities that match your present goals in your career.
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6. Lack of Keywords and Industry Terminology
Most companies depend on ATS to search for required keywords in resumes. Failure to use suitable keywords may keep your resume from being read by anyone.
How to fix it: Check the job description and add in similar words in your resume naturally. When “patient care” or “data entry” is included in the posting, simply use these words to describe those duties.
7. Overuse of Buzzwords Without Proof
Even though words such as “hardworking,” “go-getter,” and “team player” sound positive, they don’t matter unless you can prove them.
How to fix it: A solution is to display the qualities instead of just talking about them. Explain how you collaborated with others in order to finish a project in a short timeframe.
8. Eliminating Soft Skills and Transferable Skills
In addition to technical skills, companies usually value on soft skills such as speaking and listening, being flexible, and problem solving when selecting entry-level roles.
How to fix it: Include skills you have that can be used in any job and tell how you’ve practiced them in classes or in jobs you’ve done. For instance, “Effectively handled customer matters during the busiest shopping days by addressing complaints properly.”
9. Inconsistent Contact Information and Social Media Links
An outdated phone number, unprofessional email, or mismatched LinkedIn profile can lead to missed opportunities.
How to fix it: You need to always ensure your contact details are correct and consistent across all platforms you use them. Set up a professional email account in which your name is part of the address, for example (janedoe@gmail.com).
10. Failing to write a Cover Letters
A few students believe resumes don’t require a cover letter and leave it out of their job materials. Still, some employers require a cover letter from you to complete your application.
How to fix it: Write a personalized cover letter for every job opening you submit to. Use the opportunity to share your interest in the position, tell them about key things you have achieved, and make it clear that your aims are in line with what the employer needs.
Conclusion
Your resume has to do more than just list your experiences—it’s a commercial showing off what you can give to the company. At NBBT college, we assist students in creating self-tailored, formal resumes that show their professional qualities and aspirations. If you want a job at a health clinic, a tech company or a bank, you should present your qualifications with confidence and appropriate detail in your resume.
Not making these errors can help you get a chance to interview. Work on improving your resume, gather suggestions, and make it better on a regular basis. Remember that your future requires your extra effort.
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