When it comes to job-hunting, a good resume can determine whether or not you can land a job. If you’ve been struggling to get past the interview stage, the problem might just lie in your resume. To help you out, we’ve listed out some very common resume mistakes that you need to avoid. Just read on to find out more!
1. Using unprofessional emails
If you’ve been applying for jobs using the same ‘bieber_wifey_2001@gmail.com‘ email address that you made in high school, then it’s time to ditch this email and create a new one. These emails are considered unprofessional and no matter how good your resume is, there’s a chance most employers won’t even look at it due to the inappropriate email address.
So, make sure to create a separate email address for work purposes. Not only will it appear more professional, but it’d also be easier for you to keep track of when any company gets back to you.
2. Including unnecessary information
Unnecessary information in your resume may include:
- High school education (if you’ve already included your tertiary education)
- Soft skills in your skills section
- Your photo
- Home address
This kind of information is most likely not relevant to the job you’re applying for so it will only make the resume seem unnecessarily lengthy. The ideal resume should be one page long. If you can’t fit everything into one page, make sure the first page contains your top achievements that can hook the attention of the interviewer straight away.
3. Having spelling & grammatical mistakes
Making a spelling or grammatical mistake in your resume may seem like a minor issue but unfortunately, it can leave an unfavourable first impression and make you seem careless, which is something that employers would not want in a future employee. Before you finalise your resume, make sure to get a second (or third or fourth!) pair of eyes to help go through your resume and catch any mistakes you might have missed.
4. Stating your expected salary
It’s important to know your worth when it comes to salary. But no matter how particular you are about the pay, you should never state the expected salary in your resume.
Salary is considered private and confidential so if you include it in your resume, it could seem unprofessional for future employers. It could also put them off from offering you an interview if the salary you stated is out of their budget (even though you might be open to negotiations).
5. Not tailoring your resume to specific roles
We get that it might be easier to create a more generic resume that you can send to more companies. But the truth is, if the resume feels too generic, it won’t attract future employers to offer you an interview.
Ideally, you should try to personalise the resume by including relevant skill sets, updated job descriptions and past experiences that could be applicable to the job you’re applying for to show more credibility to the interviewers.
Did you spot any mistakes that you’ve made in your resume? If you did, we hope this list can guide you to improve your resume and help you with your job search.
If you’re a university student who has never created your own resume before, we understand that it can be quite tricky. To get started, we’d recommend checking out this platform that is super helpful for Malaysian students…
Introducing mynext, a platform where Malaysians can find paid internship opportunities at top companies, create a resume directly on the website and explore the profiling assessment tools available.
If you’re currently struggling to land an internship role, then this website’s for you! From connecting you with top companies to a built-in CV system, this one-stop platform will help you achieve a meaningful internship experience that will be helpful for your work experience later on.
Here are some of the benefits that you can gain with mynext:
- Wide range of opportunities: The website offers a diverse selection of internship roles from various industries and backgrounds, giving students a chance to find a role that suits their interests and studies.
- Quality assurance: All of the roles advertised on mynext undergo a meticulous screening process to ensure that they are verified and meet the quality standard that can offer students a valuable internship experience.
- Enhanced learning experience: The internship roles on mynext are designed to expose students to working life and provide them with hands-on experience and practical skills that are relevant to their studies.
- Networking opportunities: Through the platform, students are able to get connected with top companies in Malaysia which provides a valuable networking opportunity for them to establish connections with professionals in the industry.
One thing that we love most about the platform is that all of the internship roles offered on the website are verified and paid roles. This means that if you land an internship through mynext, you won’t need to worry about financial aspects and you can focus on making the most out of your internship experience!
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In addition to promoting internship positions, mynext also offers a feature for students to enhance their profiles through psychometric assessments which include these cool features:
- Strength Assessment: Include results from recognised psychometric assessments to demonstrate your strengths in particular areas, such as logical reasoning, problem-solving, or interpersonal skills.
- Personality & Culture Fit Test: Many organisations value the cultural fit of an employee. These tests will assess your personality traits to provide insights into how well you might mesh with a company’s culture or a specific team.
- English Proficiency Test: Hone your linguistic skills with this free test that includes Grammar and Comprehension tests.
- Built-in CV System: Create an industry-standard CV when you apply through the mynext system where you can build your resume directly on the website.
Excited to check out mynext to kickstart your internship journey? You can sign up for free now via their website and start exploring opportunities for your future!
For more information, you can visit their website or you can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram where they regularly post about new internship roles, tips and tricks for students, career workshops and more.
