5 most common resume mistakes

A 2013 CareerBuilder survey found that 58% of resumes have typos. Typos are deadly, says Block, because employers interpret them as a lack of detail-orientation, and as a failure to care about quality. The fix? Read your resume from bottom to top: reversing the normal order helps you focus on each line in isolation, Block says. Or have someone else proofread closely for you.

A good rule of thumb is one page of resume for every 10 years of work experience. Still, Block says many candidates have difficulty condensing their experience to meet these parameters. A crisp, focused resume demonstrates an ability to synthesize, prioritize and convey the most important information about you, he says. The purpose of a resume is to get you an interview, not to convince a hiring manager to say “yes” to you. That’s what the interview is for.