Top Ten Resume-Writing No-Nos for Job Seekers

Professional Resume Don'ts

Job applicants, beware. In today's highly competitive job marketplace, candidates must devise ways to gain appropriate attention from prospective employers, if they are to land the much-coveted first interview. For most job openings, a well-written professional  resume is the first step.

Unfortunately, many job applicants seem somewhat ill informed, when it comes to producing acceptable professional resumes to showcase their talents and experience. Several key errors should be avoided at all costs.

What are the top ten biggest boo-boos job applicants might make on their professional resumes?

A professional resume must never employ cutesy quaintness.

Pretty papers are wonderful for thank-you notes, wedding invitations and other social purposes. However, fancy stationary is utterly inappropriate for a professional resume. The most successful job applicants allow their credentials to speak for themselves, rather than drawing attention through frilly or ornate papers.

A professional resume must never overlook basic neatness.

Usually, a job applicant's professional resume represents his or her first point of contact with a prospective employer. Unless he or she is currently working for that organization as a professional intern or employee, the employment candidate will likely be seeking a primary introduction.

Just as a savvy job applicant would dress for success for an in-person meeting, he or she will want to present the professional resume in its best possible appearance. Clean, crisp paper, printed in a clear font, can make a solid impression. A neatly presented resume is like a sturdy handshake. It offers no offense.

A professional resume must never contain sloppy spelling.

On a professional resume, a misspelled word or two can quickly destroy an employment candidate's credibility with a potential employer. Proofreading can make a world of difference, when it comes to creating a presentable professional resume.