Common Resume Mistakes Women Make and How to Avoid Them

If you’re a woman, it’s important to be aware of the most common resume mistakes you might make — and how to avoid them. Unfortunately, many women fall into the trap of believing that their unique skills and experiences are not relevant in the job market. That’s just not true. In this post, we discuss six of the most common resume mistakes women make and how to avoid them.

Don’t sell yourself

Women have come a long way in the business world, but there is one area where they still lag behind their male counterparts: selling yourself on your resume. Whether out of self-doubt or humble boasting, many women fail to highlight their achievements and showcase their unique skills. As a result, their resumes often read more like laundry lists of job responsibilities and education than compelling documents selling their skills and experience.

Keeping a convincing document is far superior to offering the dry laundry list, which can be a costly mistake – as it doesn’t show what makes you the best candidate for the job.

The good news is that this error is easy to fix. If you want your resume to stand out from the rest, take the time to sell yourself. Don’t downplay your achievements, present them with humility and confidence. Don’t forget to include relevant keywords and show why you are the best person for the job. With a little effort, you can ensure that your resume will help you land the position you deserve.

Contains too much personal information

Women have a lot of experience juggling many tasks at once and making sure everything is in its right place. However, when it comes to creating a resume, that wealth of experience can actually work against them. One of the most common resume mistakes women make is putting too much personal information on their resume.

While it’s important to include your contact information, such as your email address and phone number, your home address or date of birth are often irrelevant. As another example, listing the ages of your children or mentioning that you plan to start a family can deter employers from considering you for the position. In addition, personal interests and hobbies should be omitted from the resume unless they are directly related to the position you are applying for.

In general, try to strike a balance of giving the reader enough information to form a picture of who you are without cluttering up your resume with excessive detail. After all, you don’t want to give potential employers any reason to doubt your ability to perform.

Dealing with gender-specific language

In today’s job market, already hit hard by Covid-19, you need to make sure your resume is as strong as possible. Unfortunately, this can be difficult for women as they are often discriminated against when applying for jobs. A common mistake women make on their resumes is using “gender” language.

Language is often unconsciously gendered, and in today’s world, words like “reliable” or “aggressive” are more associated with men than women. On the other hand, expressions such as “supervised” or “supervised” (a team or a project) refer more often to women than to men. Even our elites perpetuate these kinds of stereotypes.

Using gendered language on your resume can send out subtle signals that you’re not the right person for the job. Some women feel they need to exude strong feminine aura and incorporate that into gendered language conversations.

Don’t sabbatize a position before you’ve even started. Instead, opt for gender-neutral language so your qualifications speak for themselves. With a little effort, you can ensure that your resume isn’t unknowingly devalued by hiring managers.

Failure to proofread their resumes

In addition to the usual problems of creating an attractive summary and highlighting relevant skills, women also struggle with gender bias. Studies have shown that recruiters are more likely to penalize women for mistakes seen on their resumes.

I’ve seen male and female managers treat as forgivable the same mistakes in men’s resumes that are problematic in women’s resumes.

Because of this, women need to take the time to proofread (and reread) their resumes before submitting them. Grammar mistakes and typos are a surefire way to give potential employers the impression that you’re sloppy and careless — or worse — that you don’t know what you’re doing. Please don’t shed light on your resume before you’ve even started.

While everyone occasionally makes mistakes, common mistakes demonstrate a lack of attention to detail, which is not a trait most employers look for. So before you click submit on your next application, take the time to review your resume carefully. A few minutes of proofreading can make all the difference in landing your dream job.

Using a generic resume template

Anyone who has spent time on the internet knows that there are a million and one different resume templates out there. And of course everyone claims to be the perfect fit for job seekers. Unfortunately, when it comes to CVs, one size does not fit all.

A generic resume template might work well for some people — but it’s often a mistake for women. This is because generic templates tend to emphasize work experience over other qualifications like education and skills.

The generic resume template can be a problem for women who often put their careers on hold to start families or pursue other interests. As a result, they may have gaps in their professional history that they need to explain.

By customizing their resumes to highlight their unique qualifications, women can ensure they present themselves in the best possible light to potential employers.

Writing a goal unrelated to the position they are applying for

One of the most common pieces of advice is to write a resume objectively. But what if your goal is irrelevant to the job you’re applying for? Unfortunately, this is a mistake many women make. Whether they’re trying to be too general or unsure of their career goals, an unrelated goal can be a major deterrent to potential employers — especially for a man who might be the resume review person.

An irrelevant target is not only a waste of valuable space that could be used to highlight qualifications, but also shows a lack of understanding of what the employer is looking for. Instead, it would be better to use this space to list three or four qualifications relevant to the position.

Suppose you are applying for a job as a marketing manager. In this case, you might list qualifications such as “strong communication and presentation skills,” “experience in developing and executing marketing campaigns,” and “demonstrated ability to manage budgets and meet goals.”

Writing down your goals in this way will give the potential employer a better idea of ​​whether you’re a good fit for the job.

Conclusion

So there you have it. Six common resume mistakes women make (that men don’t usually make) and six tips on how to avoid them. Of course, these are just general guidelines; Every resume will be different, and what works for one person may not work for another. But hopefully this article has given you a good starting point for creating or updating your resume.

As I said before, your resume is your first chance to make a good impression. So take the time to make sure it’s serving you well. Avoid common resume mistakes if you want the best chance of landing that job.

If you need help getting started, don’t hesitate to seek help from friends or professionals who have gone before you. Thanks for reading and good luck with your job search.

Credit for selected images: Anna Shvets; Pixel; Thanks very much!