5 common resume mistakes and how to fix them

October 23, 2023 1:05 PM

Between resumes, cover letters and a relatively dry labor market compared to two years ago, job seekers have their work cut out for them — so it's crucial they have the basics down.

Career experts at remote jobs search site Flexjobs polled their webinar attendees and put together a list of five common questions job seekers have when preparing their resumes. While many professionals may think they know what a resume should look like, they may have outdated rules for themselves, notes Toni Frana, career expert at Flexjobs.

"Things like listing an objective statement is dated," she says. "The same holds true for somebody listing their resume references as available on request, or even lists references with name and contact information. You don't want to do that."

The number of job openings increased to 9.6 million last month, but overall job growth has slowed this year, adding to a sense of anxiety for job seekers who may miss the robust job market created by the Great Resignation. Still, that doesn't mean writing and revising one's resume has to be a herculean task, says Frana.

Here are five of your resume questions answered.

Can a resume be more than one page?

This may come as a surprise, but according to Frana, job seekers can have a two-page resume. However, she warns that there should never be a reason to go beyond two pages.

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"A one-page resume is not really a hard and fast rule anymore," says Frana. "You still want to make sure that you're sharing the most relevant and targeted information possible, in a concise way. But if you had an extensive career with many accomplishments, you may need two pages."

How much career experience is too much to list?

Frana advises job seekers to try to stick to their work history from the last 10 to 15 years. If you have experience from earlier in your career that is relevant to the new role, then list those in an "Additional Related Experience" section with brief descriptions but without dates.

Job seekers should also list just three to seven bullet points per job experience. The descriptions of duties and accomplishments that accompany past roles should reflect the job posting description as much as possible, says Frana.

Should employment gaps be acknowledged?

If a job seeker has a break in employment in the last 10 to 15 years, then it's best if they address it, explains Frana. The applicant can include a "career break" title under their professional experience section, sharing why there's a gap — like caregiving responsibilities or layoffs — and how they have used that time to grow relevant skills or voluntary experience.

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"You should maintain control of your career story," she says. "If you just leave the gap of time on your resume without any information, that opens the door for people reading it to fill in the blanks themselves."

What skills should be listed on a resume?

Frana advises job seekers to include "hard" or technical skills as well as "soft" or transferable skills. Soft skills can be listed as "key skills" or "core competencies," following the professional experience section. Technical skills should be listed below as "technology skills." The skills themselves depend on the job posting, underlines Frana.

"The job description is the key tool somebody should use to determine what skills are important to list on that particular resume," she says. "That job description says what the employers want — you want to take the desires of the employer and match whatever skills you have."

What makes a resume stand out?

Frana encourages job seekers to keep it simple. If the resume reflects the job postings to the best of the applicant's ability, then the resume may just stand out.

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"You don't want pictures, graphics, fancy fonts. You don't want to put together a fancy, colorful resume," says Frana. "Tailoring the resume content to the job description is the best way to grab somebody's attention."