De Leon: Fresh grads' basic hacks to avoid resume writing mistakes

AS TODAY’S job application process becomes more digital and online-driven, resumes have become the most convenient branding and personal shout-out tools to get a recruiter's attention.

They make or break your first, or maybe only shot to get your foot in a company's door. And while know-hows aren't cast in stone, lucky for you I can help you point out some don'ts that should be avoided.

Submitting a 3-5 page resume

Well, just put yourself in the position of a very busy human resource recruiter, who got piles of profiles on his desk. Hence, the trick here is to craft something short to capture attention, but informative enough to be called for an interview, not immediately a job. Okay?

You'll eventually notice that the more seasoned you become, the less important your educational experience becomes in job application (but never irrelevant of course).

But since you’re coming fresh, it will help to put details such as GPA, awards and co-curricular activities. But keep the #TMI (Too Much Information) things at the bay. It's nice to know that you've won a barangay basketball league, but that won't necessarily help you get an office desk. So, skip it. Your #PalabokTactics may have saved you in your college essays but not anymore. Save all the stories and details for interview, that's what it is for.

Let go of the “career objective” statement

We all have the same, generic goal. And that is to find a company that will maximize your skills and likewise share the pursuit of their mission-vision (Really? Well, a little cheesy.) Hence, I personally replace this with a “summary statement” smacked after my name. It's a sentence or two that will summarize your educational background, internship and other job-related experience, which is compelling enough to tell them what you can do regardless if they skip the rest of your profile:

“A graduate of AB Philosophy with relevant experience in writing, public speaking, immersions and human formation.”

Though you'll never see “Wanted Philosopher” in any job ad, this won't reduce me to a specific role without leaving room for flexibility when the company can offer multiple career paths like in advertising, training or human resource.

Leaving typographical errors unchecked

Yes. Basic tip, but this mistake has been painfully taken for granted---lost punctuations, misspelled words, and simple subject-verb agreement are the easiest way to earn a bad perspective. Remember, you have to put your best foot forward for now. There's no loss in getting a friend or a mentor to proofread your work. Moreso, apps that check and correct your use of English.

Lying about any information

For obvious reasons. (Insert a smile emoji hear)

Happy job-hunting! Stay Active until our next chat!

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rNeed more tips in life, career and beyond? Invite me to speak in your event or reach me at "Coach Pat de Leon" on Facebook.

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