Finding a new job can be extremely challenging. From perfecting your resume and writing countless cover letters to finding and applying for multiple jobs, looking for a new job takes a lot of time and effort. So when your application gets rejected, or worse, you hear nothing back at all, it can be frustrating. 

If you have the experience necessary for the job, but you’re not making any progress in your job search, it may be that your resume isn’t up to par. 

Here are 5 common resume mistakes people make that cause their applications to get rejected.

No keywords from the job descriptions

In today’s modern job market, most employers use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) in the beginning stages of their hiring process to weed out any resumes that don’t contain the right skills or experience. To ensure your resume doesn’t get passed over by the ATS software, you should include keywords from the job description in your resume.

Keywords include skills, certifications, degrees, software, and systems experience needed for the position. If your resume doesn’t include any keywords from the job listing, your resume will get rejected quickly.

Unprofessional email address

FootballGuy22@email.com may have been a cool email handle when you were younger, but you can count on it costing you an interview if it’s on your resume. Since most pre-interview communication happens through email, your email address will be one of the first things an employer or recruiter sees. You could be very professional in person, but if your email address is unprofessional, you can count on not getting an interview.

They didn’t like what they saw on social media

According to a recent study by CareerBuilder, 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring. Employers and recruiters almost always search for candidates on social media to see how they portray themselves online. And if they find something extremely unprofessional, there’s a good chance you won’t get called for an interview. Before you start submitting applications, take a look at your social profiles. Be sure and remove anything you wouldn’t want a potential employer seeing. You can also adjust your privacy settings to make sure no one you are not friends with can access your profiles.

The font is too small

A lot of people think their resume can only be one page. This is a common misconception, especially if you’ve been in the workforce for a while. So if your resume is running past one page, don’t try to cram everything in by making the font super small. After all, if the font is too small, no one will be able to read it. 

It really depends on what font you’re using, but a good rule of thumb is to go no smaller than 10 point font. Bonus tip: choose a font that’s easy to read. You can’t go wrong with Arial or Times New Roman.

Errors on your resume

Grammar and spelling errors are perhaps the biggest mistakes you can make on your resume. If you can’t even turn in a resume without making mistakes like these, then how can an employer trust that you won’t make easily avoidable mistakes at work? 

Unfortunately, it can be easy to make grammar and spelling mistakes. You could read something over and over again and still miss a misplaced word or missing punctuation. That’s why your best bet is to ask someone you trust to proofread your resume for you. Getting a fresh pair of eyes on your resume can help find mistakes you missed and get your resume in tiptop shape.

Your resume is ready. Now what?

Now that you’ve perfected your resume, it’s time to start applying for jobs. Start your job search with Burchard & Associates. We help people like you find accounting and finance jobs in the St. Louis area. Check out our available jobs or contact us today to learn more.