Six Big Resume Mistakes

Your Resume - it's a thing of beauty and a sight to behold. You've worked countless hours perfecting your resume. You've researched all the keywords that must be included. You've made sure your achievements are quantified, all the relevant details are there, and your resume is perfect. You've carefully proofread the resume, you've asked everyone you know to proofread it, and you've proofed it again. Your resume is perfect.

Or is it?

Every hiring manager is looking for reasons to EXCLUDE you from that gigantic file of resumes in their database. They're looking for the cream-of-the-crop, top-tier, best-of-the-best candidates to bring in for the interview. Knowing what NOT to include in your resume can be just as important as knowing what skills, talents and achievements to highlight.

Here are just a few things that should NEVER be included in your resume.

1) An Objective. It's lame and it serves no purpose. Employers aren't interested in what you want from them. Potential employers want to know what professional strengths and skills you bring to the table. They want to know how you can contribute to their success. Employers want to know who you are, what you can do, and they want you to prove it. An objective just takes up valuable real estate on a resume and hiring managers don’t' read them.

2) Jokes. Your resume is not the place to kid around. I recently got a resume that said "I only fell off the truck one time." The candidate said he was trying to be funny, and while it did catch my eye, levity is not a requirement for most jobs. Unless you're applying for a job with Saturday Night Live, leave the sarcasm and comedy off your resume.

3) Negative statements. Don't tell your potential employer the things you can't do, hate to do, or simply won't do. Your resume is your first impression - make sure you bring out the positive attributes you bring to the job. Back it up with achievements and contributions from past positions. Emphasize your skills and accomplishments. Sell yourself - don't sell yourself short.

4) References Available Upon Request. Really? Believe me; potential employers know that if they request references, you'll probably provide them. And if you can't, well …

5) Religious/Political Affiliations or Sexual Orientation. If your work on a political campaign, church committee, or for the GLBT Alliance is relevant to the job you're seeking, then include the details of the experience in general terms without specifics regarding your particular beliefs or sexual orientation.

6) Goofy E-mail Address. Open a hotmail, gmail or yahoo email account for free and use it just for your job search. Create a professional-sounding email identity (firstname.lastname@gmail.com). The advantages are that a) you won't accidentally miss email responses from potential employers and b) you can keep funkydrunkywildchild@hotmail.com between you and your closest friends.

Getting your resume right is tough, but if you do, you just might get the interview. Get it wrong, and you'll never get in the door.