Are You Making This Mistake With Your Resume?

The biggest resume mistake you don’t realize you’re making

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of articles on resume do’s and don’ts.

Make sure there are no misspelled words or typos, Take out the Objective Statement. Put in a Summary Statement. Don’t forget to include complete contact information.

I’ve probably written over a dozen myself.

However, there is one resume mistake that many job seekers make without realizing. It’s one that can raise questions with a potential employer. People don’t write about it as often. Although it’s easy to avoid.

The resume mistake is inconsistency.

Your first introduction to 99% of recruiters and potential employers is either your resume or LinkedIn profile. If a recruiter sourcing you LinkedIn likes what he or she sees they will contact you and ask for your resume. If you send in a resume, an interested recruiter or potential employer will check out your LinkedIn profile.

They are looking for a lot of things. Additional information. Some insight into your personality. Maybe how you like to spend your free time.

What they are not hoping to find are inconsistencies.

While it’s true that your resume and LinkedIn profiles should not be mirror images of each other. Everything lifted word for word from one document to another. However, current and previous employers, job titles, and dates of employment should be the same.

Many people keep a running record of their work history on LinkedIn. If they start at ABC Company as a webmaster, move to marketing associate, and get promoted to marketing manager it’s all documented on their LinkedIn profile.

Unfortunately, when it comes to writing their resume they “lump” all the jobs with ABC Company under their current, and likely most prestigious title. This is bad for a number of reasons.

First, it makes employers wonder if this is an honest mistake or if you are trying to hide something. Not a good thing. Second, indicating that you held one position at ABC Company, even if it may be the highest position, shows lack of career advancement. That doesn’t look good either.

Finally, it doesn’t show that you’ve grown over the years, taken on additional responsibilities, and met, or exceeded, expectations during your tenure. It doesn’t tell a career story.

So if you’re thinking that an employer will be more impressed by eight years as marketing manager instead of how your rose through the ranks think again. Also, if employers spot inconsistencies they may wonder what else they will find. Raising suspicions isn’t the ideal way to begin any relationship. Why would it be different with a potential employer?

If you’d like to work with Annette Richmond, a 3X Certified, Executive Resume Writer, LinkedIn Profile Writer, and former recruiter, please visit career-intelligence Resume Writing & Career Services to schedule an introductory call to discuss your needs.  

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