Getting a call for interview in one of your dream organizations for internship or job may be easy, but as a fresh graduate there are some things that you should need to be perfect about to actually get a chance. If you are a fresh graduate it is understandable that you will have a lot of difficulty while making your first resume for the professional world. It will be easier for you to write a resume if you note down all the information that you have and then start making it. Make a list of all your certificates, extracurricular activities and achievements. This will help you to form an idea of the resume.
Most of the times fresh graduates take it lightly while making their resume and it turns out to be substandard ones which hinders the applicant’s interview process. Here are seven common mistakes that graduates make in their resume and should avoid it.
- Unprofessional e-mail address
If your e-mail address is unprofessional it may send wrong messages to the employer. It might have been a great idea to use a cool e-mail address during your college years but addresses like “coolguy@xyz.com” are no longer the right ones to add in your resume. Try to create a fresh e-mail address that you will be using it specifically for all your professional networking and job searches. Mention this e-mail address in your resume.
- Including your house address
It is no longer mandatory and professional to use your full mailing address. Interviewers do not need your home address and it also makes you susceptible to identity thefts. Avoid using it in your resume
- Being too generic on your objectives
Do not write general objectives using common phrases in your resume. It will show that you have a lack of perspective about your career objective. It does not give a clear idea about what you want to achieve in your professional life. Make sure to be clear about what you want to be from following that professional career path and what you see yourself in the future. This will help the employer identify that you are fit for the role they are hiring for.
- Too much information about your education
You do not need to add every little detail about your education right from high school to graduation. No employer wants to know what you studied in your high school. Just give a brief outlook about your education and mention only those subjects that you think are associated with the job profile. Leave out your marks if you want as most employers are not interested in your marks but the skills that you have for the job.
- Inconsistency in formatting and grammatical mistakes
This is a dreadful mistake that often pops up in most resumes of graduates. It shows a lack of discipline on the candidate’s part. Always remember to use a single date format and properly format your text. Maintain the format of dates and addresses that you use throughout the document.
Grammatical mistakes give a very bad impression and it does not matter if you are from a technical background or not. If you are not that great in grammar and language you should try to get it checked from someone who is good at it. There are also professional resume services which will help you in making your resume flawless.
- Stress on the lack of experience
Never highlight in your resume the lack of your professional experience. It is understood that as a fresh graduate you are not expected to have much professional experience. Mention any summer jobs or internships that you did. Though it may not be directly connected to the job profile, it will show the skills that you have got in those jobs.
- Not showing information in order of interests
The hiring manages generally do not get enough time to scrutinise every resume in detail. So if you do not show your information in the order that will interest the hiring manager there is a great chance that he will not find any relevant information at the first glance and put your resume aside. So it is highly important to format your resume in such a way that it presents the right information at a glance.
So the next time you are on a job search, remember the above points in mind while making your resume. If you create a perfect resume you already have one foot on the job. And above all, wish you good luck!