Top 10 Careless Resume Update Mistakes

Top 10 Careless Resume Update MistakesTop 10 Careless Resume Update MistakesTop 10 Careless Resume Update MistakesSince its International Update Your Resume Month, I thought Id share an oldie-but-goodie post to help you update your resume and avoid common mistakes. EnjoyWhen we get anxious about looking for a new job, we tend to overlook obvious details in our resumes. Example A man whod been working overseas had a great resume, but forgot to update his contact information when he returned to the States. That meant every befhigung employer got an overseas mailing address and phone number. Guess how many of them called him for an interview. Can you say woops?You might think youd never make such an obvious mistake, but it happens all the time, especially if you havent so much as glanced at your resume in several years. So here are the top 10 careless mistakes to avoid when you update your own resumeInactive email address. Make sure its the one you use today, not the one you disabled fi ve years ago. And triple-check the spellingOld phone numbers, or no number at allOld mailing address. Even if you just moved, sending a resume with your old mailing address is inexcusable. This is especially critical if youve made a long distance move. Lets say you moved from South Carolina to Utah but didnt update your resume. Employers in Utah could easily dismiss your resume, assuming you live on the other side of the country and might expect relocation reimbursements.Missing experience. The resume that got you a job five years ago is not going to impress todays employers if you forget to add your most recent job to the list, complete with experience and accomplishments.Confusing abbreviations and acronyms. Every company has internal lingo and acronyms, but thats exactly what they areinternal. Maybe your old boss knew what NIOSH 582 Method 7400, AOR, or IBS-CMM stood for, but the person reading your resume might have no idea. Explain and spell out anything questionable.Nondescrip t company personennames. Wow, you did some great work for SmallCo., but who are they and what do they do? Unless your employer was a household name like Dell, Amazon.com, Apple, or IBM, always include a very brief description of the schrift and size of the business.Outdated and irrelevant jobs. Dont just add new experience to your resume, subtract old positions, too That daycare job in high school might have helped get you into an entry-level retail position, but now that you have a few years of relevant experience behind you, take out the stuff that no longer matters. (While youre at it, take out anything that goes beyond the last 10-15 years.)References included. One word NO Do not include references on your resume, and dont even say References available upon request. Thats sooooo 2000.Bad filename. What you name your resume is more important than you think. Nondescript or out-of date names like MyResume2004, or names that include typos or another companys name will all put a bad taste in the employers mouth. (Get more on this topic in the links below.)Unnecessary education info. When you were looking for your first post-college job, it may have been a good idea to state your class ranking, GPA, leadership roles you held on campus, and academic honors you received. But if its been at least five years since you graduated, you should list nothing more than the name of your school the degree, diploma, or certification you received and the year of completion.Sometimes its the most obvious issues that are hardest to see. Avoiding these 10 mistakes wont guarantee youll have a perfect resume, but they will guarantee you dont get posted on the employers bulletin board as a bad example.