You are applying for a lot of jobs, but all your efforts seem worthless. You wonder why other software engineers with the same educational background are being noticed, but you aren’t. As a result, you are gradually losing confidence and hope. The problem is common resume mistakes that are causing a tragic impact on recruiters. Employers spend as little as six seconds looking at your resume; in this short glance, they will look for the skill set required for a particular role.
A faulty and pointless resume can cause a rejection; on the other hand, a crisp and impactful resume can enhance your chances of selection.
A resume is the first point of contact you make with a recruiter, and you need to ensure that it must be just perfect for manifesting how fantastic you are!
We will discuss the 10 common resume mistakes you should avoid as a Software Engineers Fresher:
1. Not Tailoring the Resume as Per Job Requirements
This is one of the biggest and most common resume mistakes that software engineer freshers make. The best way to get noticed is to ensure that your resume is specific to the job requirements. When you are working in the technology sector, there are a lot of domains. For example, you can be a full-stack developer, frontend developer, backend developer, and the list goes on.
You will be applying for multiple jobs in different domains. Creating a single resume that covers all your information makes everything perplexing, rather create different versions of your resume highlighting different details.
For example, suppose you are applying for a python developer job. In that case, your resume must emphasize your python skills and projects instead of other stuff that are just irrelevant as per the job description. A tailored resume justifies how well you fit for job requirements, proves your enthusiasm for the job, and enhances your chances of selection.
Want to know what DOs and DON’Ts you should be following while creating a perfect resume? Check out 12 Best Resume Do’s and Don’ts Tips in 2022.
2. Not Highlighting Your Technical Skills
Technical skills are one of the most important assets of a software engineer. Recruiters often get thousands of resumes for a single job which means that they will just quickly scan to find the most relevant details. If you don’t mention your technical skills properly, then you may never get a chance to amaze the interviewer with your brilliant performance.
Your resume must effortlessly reflect your technical skills in a highly informative way. Mentioned below are a few tips that can help you display your technical skills in a highly readable format:
- Always create a separate technical skill section in your resume. This will make it easy for the recruiter to analyze them.
- Ensure that you mention your skills in perfect order from most expertise to least.
- Your technical skills must be highlighted appropriately in a concise format. This will enhance the readability of your resume.
3. Not Using Appropriate Keywords
Hiring managers often get hundreds and thousands of resumes for a single job profile, and reviewing each of them is really exhausting and time-consuming. So many organizations have switched to an automated applicant tracking system for the initial resume selection process.
ATS scan a resume for a desired set of keywords for initial-level filtering. Hence, keyword selection plays an integral role to determine whether you will be shortlisted or not. And this is one of the common resume mistakes job-seekers make by not putting apt keywords where it’s needed.
By putting appropriate keywords, you can easily prove that you fit a particular position. While writing keywords in your resume, ensure that you use the keywords which are closely related to that specific job profile and maximize their usage. Also, try spreading keywords throughout your resume to ensure that they are visible at a quick glance. By using this keyword strategy, you will be able to convince recruiters to give serious attention to your resume compared to others.
4. Not Keeping It to the Point
You need to understand that your resume is not a comprehensive list of your success summary; it is a document crafted to market your skills for a particular role. Again, recruiters don’t have a lot of time to spend on irreverent skills.
So, try to keep your best accomplishments above the fold; it will serve as a hook for recruiters to keep reading. Also, ensure that your resume is concise; it must not run longer than 1 page or a maximum of 2 pages (if only you’ve vast work experience).
5. Not Highlighting Your Project Details
It simply means going to a party when you are on a diet. You may get some options to fulfill your appetite, but you will surely not get the best ones. Top technical giants are looking for innovative projects in your resume. This is what sets you apart from the crowd. Listing your independent projects will help you showcase your passion which good companies are looking for.
Understand the job requirements and determine the project that can be more relevant. If you don’t have any such projects, start working on them and innovate some that are worth mentioning in your resume.
6. Not Making It Visually Appealing
Did you know that 50% of the impact of your resume derives from design? A sub-standard design is enough for your resume rejection and this is one of the common resume mistakes people make while designing their resume. It is your first impact on a recruiter, so always ensure that it’s visually appealing to attract their attention. Here are some tips that you need to keep in mind to make your resume visually appealing:
- Use consistent fonts
- Ensure proper usage of wide spaces
- Highlight Important information
If you’re not sure how to design and format your resume, use neveropen Resume Builder to create a professional resume that will catch the recruiter’s attention right away.
7. Not Emphasizing your Online Presence
Highlighting your online presence like blogs, websites, and profiles on technical sites can set you apart from the crowd. These links can manifest your skills and make it easy for a recruiter to evaluate you. If you don’t have an online presence, start making it today. You can start blogging about your technical skills and knowledge. Consider this as making your technical notes, and it will enhance your resume as well. Further, you can also add your technical profile link, which will effortlessly prove your practical knowledge.
8. Not Focusing on Duties Alike Accomplishments
While creating a resume it is important that you always mention the responsibility or duties which you have performed throughout your career and not just your accomplishment. For instance, you can add about the meeting that you attended or the projects you completed as it creates a very good impact on the person reading your resume. On the other hand, these all things are already there in your resume but a particular point or paragraph garbs more attention.
Always make sure that as a fresher you need to show your specific points which are needed for that particular job or position. Show your importance to the company in order to get the job you like.
9. Not Using a Professional Email Address
As fresher, we do not give importance to the email address we are using and end up using an unprofessional email address. This creates a bad first impression, therefore, it is vital that you use a proper email address that sounds a bit professional. So before starting your professional career always make sure that the email id that you are going to use should be good and your name must be clear so that there is no confusion. Also, when you contact anyone with the proper email address or send it to someone, you will create a professional impression and creates positive chances of getting the job.
10. Listing Irrelevant Hobbies & Interests
One of the biggest reasons why resumes get rejected is not listing the hobbies related to the job which they are opting for. Therefore, your hobbies should be related to the job role such as participating in reading technical content or coding. You must avoid listing non-relevant hobbies like, listening to songs or playing football as they have no use for the role that you are going to apply. Employees who are looking for a person for their company will definitely take a look at your hobbies and evaluate accordingly.
Conclusion:
Your resume acts as a link between you and your glorious future. A crisp, clean and concise resume enhances your possibility of getting shortlisted. By avoiding these ten common resume mistakes, you can convince recruiters to give serious attention to your resume and escalate your chances of landing your dream job.
