At the Career & Co-op Center, we tend to see some of the same common issues with resumes. Often times this happens when your writing your resume for the first time, and that is to be expected. In order to produce a strong piece of work, it is essential to go through a first draft and make necessary edits. However, editing can be a time-consuming process.

To make it easier, we’ve compiled a list of 10 common mistakes to avoid when editing your first draft or resume. This will help you streamline the process and produce a polished resume fit to apply to your next job.

1. Too long: Most students and new graduates should restrict their resumes to one page.* If you have trouble condensing, visit Career Advising drop-ins to get help from a trained Career Services team member.
   *The only exception to this rule is with federal job applications. If you are interested in learning more about this industry we highly encourage setting up a meeting with one of your designated career advisors.
   
2. Typographical, grammatical or spelling errors: These errors suggest carelessness, poor education, or weak written communication skills. Have at least two others proofread it before submitting. Don’t rely on spell-checkers or grammar-checkers on the computer.
   
3. Hard to read: A poorly typed or copied resume looks unprofessional. Use a computer. Use a plain typeface, preferably no smaller than a 11- or 12-point font. Use bullets, underlining, boldface type and italics only to make the document easier to read, not fancier. Again, ask a professional’s opinion.
   
4. Too verbose (too many words to say too little): Do not use complete sentences or paragraphs. Say as much as possible using concise bullets. Simple words like “a,” “an” and “the” can almost always be left out. Be careful in your use of jargon and avoid slang.
   
5. Too sparse: Give more than the bare essentials, especially when describing work experience, skills and accomplishments that will give employers desired information. Remember that your reader hasn’t had the experience you’ve had, so they won’t assume what relevant skills you used if you don’t tell them.
   
6. Irrelevant information: Customize your resume to the position you seek. Emphasize relevant experience, skills, activities and accomplishments. Within less related jobs, highlight relevant skills you used rather than focusing on unrelated tasks. Do not include marital status, age, sex, children, height, weight, health, church membership, etc.
   
7. Obviously generic: Too many resumes scream “I need a job — any job!” The employer needs to feel that you are interested in that position with that company.
   
8. Too snazzy: Photos, graphics, and text boxes are often superfluous for applicants outside artistic fields. More and more companies are using applicant tracking systems (ATSs) that will scan through your resume for critical information. Using a clean, simple format and submitting your resume as a PDF or Word document will allow your content to be captured more easily by the ATS.
   
9. Boring: Make your resume as dynamic as possible. Begin every statement with an action verb, describing what you accomplished on the job. Don’t write what someone else told you to do, write what you did. Take advantage of your rich vocabulary and avoid repeating words, especially the first word in a section.
   
10. Too modest: The resume showcases your qualifications in competition with the other applicants. Put your best foot forward without misrepresentation, falsification or arrogance.