[caption id="attachment_4902" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="http://www.danamanciagli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Top-3-resume-bloopers-that-people-make.jpg"><img src="http://www.danamanciagli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Top-3-resume-bloopers-that-people-make-300x285.jpg" alt="The Top 3 résumé bloopers that people make" width="300" height="285" class="size-medium wp-image-4902" /></a> The Top 3 résumé bloopers that people make[/caption]<p><strong>Question</strong></p>

<p><em>I'm in my final year of my master's degree and will be re-doing my résumé. What are the top résumé bloopers that people make? What are your suggestions to fix — or avoid — them?</em></p>

<p><strong>Answer</strong></p>

<p><strong>Error No. 1: Misunderstanding the purpose of a résumé</strong></p>

<p>It is simply a neat, easy-to-read chronological summary of your skills, experiences and successes — nothing more.</p>

<p>Job candidates include too much unnecessary information, like company details or day-to-day tasks. Yet they miss highlighting the key skills that a hiring manager or recruiter is looking for.</p>

<p>Read the job description for which you are applying and ensure the key words used there are also found in your résumé.</p>

<p><strong>Error No. 2: Poor format or layout makes résumés hard to read</strong></p>

<p>While there is no ONE right template, find an easy-to-read layout online and follow it.</p>

<p>There are millions of articles about what to do and not to do with fonts, justification, date formats, etc. — don't let them confuse you! Get input from others before sending your résumé to hiring managers — grammatical errors, typos and misspelled words are completely unacceptable.</p>

<p><strong>Error No. 3: Assuming that your résumé tells your story to a hiring manager</strong></p>

<p>It doesn't. You will stand out when you make your great cover letter page one of your résumé, and use it to communicate with the hiring manager.</p>

<p>Do NOT regurgitate your résumé in your cover letter. Give three reasons why you are a fit for the job based on the job description, and ask for the interview. Please, stop papering the planet with résumés for jobs you are not a fit for.</p>

<p>In summary, it's a new era of job search, and you need to change your game to stand out in this highly competitive and semi-automated employment market.</p>