You may be surprised to hear that all the effort you put into your resume gets glossed over in around 6-8 seconds. That’s right! It’s how long the average HR recruiter spends analysing your resume.
I understand if that sounds a little discouraging, especially if you worked very hard to craft each line, word, and element. But the reality is most resumes are never even seen. Many make it far enough to reach the recruiter’s desk and are simply tossed away a few seconds later.
However, you shouldn’t feel bad about it. It’s just a mere consequence of the daily applicant volume. Let’s take Google as an example. They receive over 3 million resumes a year. So, that means recruiters analyse over 8000 of them a day!
Wow! I don’t think even I could read that much. But let’s not forget it also means there’s a lot of competition for students to handle. So, what do you do when all you have is 6-8 seconds to shine in a sea of applicants? And how can students survive or secure their next job?
The fact is most students are not very good at writing. So, we can expect to make a lot of errors with our resumes too. That’s why many students often reach out and hire law coursework writers or writing instructors to get through their semesters.
Thankfully, the resume mistakes are something we can target to make the most of those 6-8 seconds. So, let’s analyse your errors and how to avoid them. That way, you’ll always have a chance to secure your next job.
The Mistakes Students Make with Their Resumes
Understanding where you go wrong with your resume can help you see how to improve it. This is why we’ve put together the five most common mistakes students make when creating one. We’ll analyse each of them in detail while also providing alternatives to correct the issues. So, let’s begin with the first:
Listing What You Did Instead of Accomplishments – Mistake 1
Employers do not care about what you are required to do at your previous job. Instead, they care about what you accomplished. But you also need to be specific due to the space limits. Here’s an example we can follow by first quantifying the things we did and then focusing on the accomplishments. We’ll use a random resume as a template.
Subtitling – Team Lead.
- Managing a team of 5 editors.
- Editing and submitting team files.
- Providing team feedback for employee growth.
The above is an example of a role and the responsibilities an individual has. But note that it adds no achievements. Here’s how we can fix that.
Subtitling – Team Lead.
- Managed a team of 5 editors working on English language subtitles for popular streaming platforms.
- Edited and submitted team files with an error rate of under 2%.
- Provided team feedback stimulating employee growth and independence.
Notice how adding simple achievements to your resume impact the way it sounds to a recruiter. These achievements shape perception. They say, “This is what I have delivered, and I can achieve similar results with your company.”
So, try adding this proof to your resume!
Including Basic Mistakes like Typos, Grammar, and Punctuation – Mistake 2
If you’ve ever tried to search “law dissertation writing services UK” to find the best solution to your typos, I’m sure you know how frustrating editing can be. It may look perfect on screen, but when you have to hand it in, you’ll notcie a few spelling msitakes. (Yes, that was on purpose).
The same goes for your resume. You’re likely to end up with a number of similar mistakes and errors when creating one. Therefore, you can’t rely solely on your eyes and reading/editing skills. Just like students need the best commercial law essay service, you need to find a solution to minimising errors.
One option is obviously getting a tool like Grammarly. It helps fix up most of the tiny errors that normally slip through. And it’s the perfect tool to help you work through both your resume and your coursework. But it isn’t perfect. Therefore, we also recommend printing out your resume and having someone else read it. Perhaps try a career counsellor? Or simply analyse it yourself in person, away from screens! Chances are it’ll help you see and catch the flaws faster.
Adding Irrelevant Information – Mistake 3
Every word, entry, and job on your resume needs to have a purpose or a reason behind it. This is because it needs to display specific skills and qualities your job application calls for.
For example, if you apply for the position of project coordinator, you need to ensure every achievement highlights and focuses on how you get tasks done on time. And even if a specific position isn’t relevant to the current job, you can work towards putting your best strengths forward. As a result, ensure the company sees how you’re the best fit for the role.
However, what you do not need is irrelevant information clogging up the resume. After all, it will simply waste the recruiter’s time. So, try the following, depending on the job you’re applying for.
- Focus your resume on the skills and strengths that would secure you the job.
- Try to highlight what the recruiters are looking for in applicants.
These two techniques will help you show recruiters why you’re the best candidate for the role.
Excluding All Unpaid Work – Mistake 4
Now, this brings us to the fourth and most common error students make: excluding unpaid work. You must avoid this at all costs, especially if it takes away from your relevant skills. For example, student leadership, volunteering, or clubs. Participation in these shows recruiters the various skills you’ve picked up over the course of your education. Therefore, students should always add relevant unpaid work or activities.
Ultimately, recruiters do not care about the money students make in their extracurriculars. Instead, they’re only focused on understanding whether or not you have the skills for the job. So, put unpaid work in the experience portion of your resume! And try using them to help you stand out. And lastly, don’t worry about seeming overconfident. Instead, focus on detailing the right skills you gained for the job!
Following a Basic Format – Mistake 5
Every student will undoubtedly find themselves in a class or reading a blog that teaches them how to write resumes. And you’ll most likely learn all the details and formats that the average person should use to create the perfect one.
You’ll find that the font needs to be size 11, to always use Times New Roman, or to list your education using a specific structure. But doing all of that will surely lead you to success, right?
Wrong!
While these guides and classes teach you good, valuable details about building a resume, they can also lead students to create similar ones instead of standing out. Therefore, we recommend going outside the boring constraints set by resume norms. And thus, intriguing recruiters and employers alike with your own spin.
For example, you could design a CV or resume using apps like Canva. It allows you to pick and customise the visual elements or flow freely. In addition, you can add colour, images, illustrations, and even personal designs that add personality to your application.
Remember, don’t be scared to stand out! Instead, try creating a resume that looks different from the rest and show recruiters how you’re unique.
you want to Know more about read more here: 5 key steps you need to write for writing a good law essay
Conclusion
That brings you to the end of our resume help blog. We hope you learned a couple of insights about the mistakes students make and what you can try to avoid them. You need to remember resumes are not complex. Yes, they are challenging as you need to cover many facets, like your education, skills, and qualities. They’re also difficult to write and edit. But with the right techniques, you can secure the job you want and achieve success.
So, try using our tips above. Focus on avoiding mistakes, including relevant data, and highlighting your achievements. Or try designing a resume to help you stand out by using apps and alternative methods. But whatever you do, always ensure your resume is a reflection of the skills you need for the job. After all, if you don’t bring what a recruiter needs, they’re going to reject your application.
To learn more helpful solutions, head to our website. We have more student guides and resources to teach you and help you score better grades.
