10 Signs Your Resume Or Cover Letter Won’t Get You The Job

Ambiguity

Hiring managers look at resumes for mere seconds. If your skills are so ambiguous they can’t understand what value you’ll bring to their team they’ll just toss it. Be as specific as possible. For example, instead of writing “proficiency in computers” list some programs that you know how to use. Being vague doesn’t pay.

Light on explanations

There will likely be instances in your professional career where you have a gap in employment or you need to relocate. If you don’t explain briefly on your cover letter what’s going on a hiring manager will be left guessing.

Your cover letter is a chance to share your background and intentions. Use a few short sentences to explain why you were away or why you plan to relocate to a new area.

YOU focus on YOU

Telling an employer you want to take a job for the growth and learning experience is a benefit to you and not the company.

The hiring manager wants to hear about how employing you will benefit them. So make sure you’re focusing on what you’ll bring to the company rather than your professional growth.

It’s not perfect

This should go without saying. If you don’t go the extra mile to make sure your spelling and grammar is correct for your resume, hiring managers assume you’ll put the same effort into the job.

Have someone else check your work because it’s hard to pick up on errors in your own writing. If you don’t have anyone to review it put it away for a day. Then when you come back to it, you’ll have fresh eyes to catch mistakes that you missed.

It lacks specificity

Do you use the same resume and cover letter for each job that you apply to? That’s a mistake. Sure, redrafting documents for each job is a lot of work, but unless each job description is the exact same you should probably be making adjustments to focus on specific requirements. One way to save yourself some time is to create two or three different documents for similar jobs. Then when you apply you’ll only have to make small changes.

The design is boring

I’ve always thought the good old fashioned Word templates were good enough to apply to jobs. Not anymore. There’s a whole new school of people using vibrant designs that stand out and it’s one of the easiest ways to differentiate your resume from the other ones in a large stack. You don’t have to be a design expert to up your template game. There are free and affordable resume template designs online that you can use.

No actions and results

Job task descriptions are great, but managers also want to see results. Put in some actions within your descriptions to show you made things happen at your last job. Including how you improved a system, the number of sales you achieved, or how you led a team.

Bad keywords

Are you using the right keywords in your resume? CareerBuilder asked HR managers and hiring staff what words turn them off. The results were pretty surprising since many of them are considered resume staples.

Some detracting words include detail oriented, proactively, track record, self-motivate, and results-driven. Consider dumping these words for other ones. Try using words hiring managers said they like to see including achieved, improved, trained, managed, launched, and resolved.

Over exaggeration

Hiring managers are typically smart enough to see through embellishment. If your past job was as a store clerk and you’ve put revenue management down as a skill they may question it. Be honest with yourself and on your resume.

Lacking personality

It’s always important to remain professional. However, you’re allowed to be a little interesting. Think about it: after you’re hired these people have to work alongside you. Do you think they want to work with a robot?

Don’t be stiff on your cover letter. Introduce yourself in a way that sparks interest in your personality and what you bring to the table.