We could talk about resumes all day, and what you should and should not include in them. However, there are some commonly missed and more unusual mistakes you may not have thought of before, and how they can be impactful during your job search. What are they you ask?
Read on to find out these 3 unusual resume mistakes that we recommend checking prior to submitting your resume to a new job opportunity.
Bad or weird file names
Many times, we edit our resumes many times, and can easily end up with versions one, two, three, four….and so on. It’s also common nature to label your resumes for various employers you may be applying to or, to utilize quick names that only may make sense to yourself, and not someone else receiving the file.
It is important that before you send your resume off to a recruiter, job opportunity, or employer, you check the file name, and make sure to label it properly. We suggest labeling your final resume with a naming system that involves your name, the position, and the year in which you are applying. It could look like one of the following:
- “[LAST NAME] Resume 2022”
- “[FIRST AND LAST NAME] Marketing Manager Resume 2022”
- “[LAST NAME] Resume [Employer Name] 2022”
Taking the time and consideration to properly label your resume shows the care and professionality you come with if someone were to hire you.
Salary Expectations
Discussing salary during an interview or with a recruiter is recommended to do but putting it in your resume is not recommended. You want to get the most out of your job offer! Including a salary or salary history from previous jobs can only harm your negotiation power later down the line. It can also put you in a position where you are short-selling yourself. It may even end up allowing someone to put you into a rejection pile without even a conversation to start because you are out of their salary range.
Unless you’re specifically told to include salary expectations for a new job on your resume, leave them off. You don’t want to imply you’re only interested in a job for the money, and it could rub your future interviewers the wrong way.
Unprofessional email address
Your email address is way more important than you think, especially upon first impressions. It’s the piece of contact information that many employers will contact you first and gives an inside glimpse at who you are.
For security reasons, many people have email addresses that may be a pet’s name, a series of abbreviations and numbers, or maybe contain an interest of yours like a sports team, music artist, or state you enjoy. When applying for new job opportunities, look at your email address and ask yourself (and others) if this is a good reflection of you, and is considered professional. If the answer is no, it’s free to sign up for a new email address, and some email providers will let you change your email address name without having to create a separate account. When picking an email address name, try utilizing your last name, or maybe your first name with the industry you’re applying in.
Conclusion
These unusual mistakes can be just as detrimental as large resume mistakes. We recommend creating a checklist to refer back to while updating your resume so you can make sure you’ve covered all areas. And remember, check your resume thoroughly before hitting “send” so you have the best resume you can in front of potential employers.