The Seven Deadly Sins of Writing Resume/Cover Letter

1. Embellishing Resume

In an article posted in Denver Post, it had given caution for anyone especially the fresh graduates not to embellish resumes. Although it is quite tempting to exaggerate a little or "embellish" your resume with claims you are not really qualified of. Don't linger on the idea that what the company doesn't know won't hurt them. While it is true that it will not hurt the company if you decide to embellish your resume, it will hurt you especially if the company found out. So never ever make up accomplishment you never had. Exaggerating your resume or cover letter is the biggest mistake you will ever commit. Don't ever misrepresent yourself with qualification, skill level even your salary and length of stay in your previous employers. Even if you were hired and the company runs a repeat of background check for hired employers and should they found out you were lying, it's a major ground for termination or immediate dismissal. It will even affect your future chance of employment since background check is a part of recruitment process and employment verification.

2. Grammatical Error/Wrong Spelling

Proofreading is the key to prevent you from printing out your resume and cover letter with grammatical error or wrong spelling. Even if some words are tolerable to be spelled out incorrectly still, wrong spelling words leaves a mark of inefficiency. Of all, never spell the company name incorrectly. If you are not sure about the company's name or how it is spelled, check on it by researching or by calling the company itself. Always put dear sir/madam on your salutation of your cover letter, don't assume the gender or the status, e.g. (miss or Mrs.) of the one who will receive your resume.

3. Showing off Inferiority Complex

Even if the job vacancy calls for a certain qualification or skill but those willing to learn are welcome to apply, don't ever mention in your resume that you don't have that skill or qualification. Instead, highlight the qualifications and other skills you excel. Don't mention in your application that you may not be qualified for the job because you don't possess that quality the employer is looking for. This is application suicide. Telling them your shortcomings will not interest your employer. Don't focus on the things you cannot offer but with the related skills and qualifications you have.

4. Getting Too Personal with Your Cover Letter

Would an employer read take interest if you mention in your cover letter that your girlfriend or boyfriend teaches you how to drive a car or that you love to travel around the world? The point is, you must never get too personal with your resume especially in your cover letter. Be objective as possible and your letter should focus in line with the nature of the job and what you can do to the company and not what you can do outside. Keep it professional and serious.

5. Getting Too Extra Creative By Using Non-Standard Paper

If Elle Woods of the movie Legally Blond is famous for writing over pink scented papers even for formal papers, in real world, this is not accepted. There is a protocol for most companies that resumes and cover letter should be printed out in white or cream paper with standard font and black ink.

6. More Never Always Mean Comprehensive

Keep your cover letter and resume brief unless you truly have a long list of credentials and accomplishments worthy to be written down. More often than not, employers only read scan through your application letter and if you have made it longer than what it should be, your employer would not easily get what you were trying to say. Always remember that an average cover letter should be read within 30 seconds, can you read all three pages of letter within this time? Always keep your letter concise and readable. One page cover letter should be enough.

7. Considering setting cover letter aside as it is quite hard to make.

Some disregard the importance of cover letters. They think it is just a required page before the resume but it is as important as the resume itself while others finds it hard to make or to write cover letter. If this is the case, don't be ashamed to seek for help. There are professional help out there that you could seek like resume-writing companies that will make sort of advertisement for you in cover letters and resumes.

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Comments

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 at 12:58 PM, by Speakwrite Communications
If possible get an outside set of eyes to proofread your resume . This would help you present your best face to the world as they would correct all the misspelled words and awkward phrases.

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