While many people are not aware of it most employers do not spend a lot of time looking at a resume. In fact, most resumes are only glanced over for a few seconds of time. This means that you have a very small timeframe to demonstrate you are the best person for the job in order to land an interview. It is little wonder that so many people are concerned about resume writing when so much is riding on creating the perfect resume. Knowing about the most common mistakes made when writing a resume will help you to avoid them and create a resume to land you an interview.

Resume Writing Mistake #1: Focusing on Duties instead of Accomplishments

In resume writing, it is critical that you make sure that you focus on your accomplishments rather than duties or responsibilities. You must demonstrate the contributions that you have made to previous employers. For example, did you solve any problems, improve any processes or help the company to save money? If so, these are things that you need to point out on your resume. Create interest in them through the use of bullet points.

Resume Writing Mistake #2: Ignoring the Needs of the Employer and Concentrating on your Own Needs

Avoid the mistake of solely concentrating on your needs when you are in the process of writing a resume. The employer is looking to fill a position for a reason and you need to make sure that you show him you are the perfect candidate to fill that role. Focus on what the potential employer needs and is looking for when writing your resume to get the best results.

Resume Writing Mistake # 3: Failing to Use Key Words

Writing a resume today is much different than it was even five or ten years ago. It is very common these days to submit your resume online to reach a higher number of employers. If you are going to submit your resume online, you need to make sure you utilize keywords correctly. Search through existing job listings and postings to get a good idea of what keywords you should use.

Making sure that you avoid these mistakes in your resume writing can help you to create a well crafted resume that will be certain to grab an employer’s attention and survive that critical 30-second test scan so that you can move on through the next phase of the process.