7 Resume Mistakes Almost Every New Grad Makes

7 Resume Mistakes Almost Every New Grad Makes You’re fresh out of college and want the world to know just how much potential you have. Creating a resume is step 1 as you begin to put yourself out there to let the world know what you can offer. Without much of a job history, this one document has to tell your story–it’s a small document but it’s all companies have to gain a first impression. The resume writing and career coaching team at ResumeSpice has put together a list of 7 of the most common resume mistakes new grads make–and what you can do to avoid them.They submit the same resume for each job.We know that job searching can be cumbersome, but trust us, it’s worth the extra time to customize your resume for each job. When a recruiter scans your resume, they’re trying to assess whether you’re a fit for the role–in the shortest time possible. If you don’t tie your skills to the specific job for which you’re applying, they’re going to pass you over.Review each job description carefully before you apply. Take note of any skills and keywords that seem to stick out or anything with which you have direct experience, and write bullet points that directly speak to those qualifications.Their resumes have typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors.Although this doesn’t only apply to new graduates, most new grads don’t realize just how sensitive hiring managers can be to seemingly innocent resume mistakes. These types of errors can make you appear careless or lazy. Sure, recruiters and hiring managers can overlook an extra space or even a missing punctuation, but there’s a limit to how much they can forgive. Remember, their credibility is hinging on the candidates they submit for consideration, so they’re selective about who they recommend. Ask a friend or trusted colleague to proof your resume. And we always advise reading your resume aloud–sometimes errors are easier to hear than they are to s ee.They have overly stylized or formatted resumes.Sometimes new grads will attempt to distract from their lack of experience by installing some formatting pizzazz. While we understand the logic, an overly-stylized resume can be difficult to follow. Recruiters need to be able to locate information quickly. If they have to decode information, they’re going to skip it entirely. We always advise to keep your format simple and easy to read. White space is your friend.They include an objective.There’s no real upside to including an objective, but there are plenty of potential downsides. An objective typically focuses on your goals and what you want out of a position. But employers want to know what you can do for them. Additionally, your resume might get tossed if your objective doesn’t align exactly with what the position calls for.Just nix this section from your resume altogether, as it usually does more harm than good. To paraphrase JFK: when it comes to resumes, i t’s not about what the employer can do for you, it’s about what you can do for them.They don’t use all their college work experience.Whether you collected internships, worked your way through college, or volunteered in the ombudsman’s office, almost any college activity can be utilized on your resume. You’re likely applying for entry-level positions.  Hiring managers understand that most new grads are not going to bring extensive full-time work experience to the table. Use the experience you have and try as best you can to translate what you’ve been doing into what you want to do.If you’re going for an entry-level accounting role, you can position your experience at a retail store by highlighting that you were accountable for processing payments, ensuring payments and cash on hand matched total sales for the day, and  depositing payments into the company’s bank account.Don’t leave something off your resume because yo u think it doesn’t apply to what you’re trying to do. Even if you can’t relate your experience to the role to which you’re applying, for new grads, almost any experience will be looked at favorably.They don’t include a cover letter with their resume.We know that cover letters aren’t always required with a resume, but we recommend that recent graduates submit one whenever possible. It can sometimes be tricky to write an attention-grabbing cover letter, but remember to always focus on the employer’s needs and specifically address how you’d be a great fit for the role. You can always hire a professional cover letter writer to help.They leave off their most important information.We chalk it up to nerves and being so focused on getting all your career information on the page that you forget about including information about how an interested recruiter or hiring manager can contact you.   That’s right–believe it or no t, many candidates (not just new grads) forget to include their contact info. Always include the following at the top of your resume: name, city, state, zip, phone number, email, and LinkedIn profile link.Writing a great resume can seem daunting when you haven’t done it before, but follow the above tips and you’ll be ahead of most entry-level candidates. We welcome you to visit ResumeSpice for more help.Savannah Ober is a resume writer and career consultant at ResumeSpice. In addition to being a resume expert, Savannah is also an experienced corporate communications professional, working with one of the world’s largest global companies. Savannah has written recruiting advertisements for trade publications, created marketing collateral, written press releases and blogs, and developed social media content. Savannah holds a BA in English, creative writing.

How to Tell Your Parents Youre Failing a College Class

How to Tell Your Parents You're Failing a College Class Although there are things you can do if youre failing a college class- or even if youve already failed it- breaking the news to your parents is an entirely different problem. Chances are, your parents are going to want to see your grades from time to time (translation: every semester), especially if theyre paying for your tuition. Consequently, bringing home a nice fat F probably wasnt on your list of things to do this semester. Given that no one is going to be happy about the situation, the best approach can be a basic one: Be honest, be positive, and be sincere. Tell Your Parents the Truth About Your Grades Be honest about the grade. What is it? A D? An F? Its better to only have this conversation once. Mom, Im going to be getting an F in Organic Chemistry is way better than Mom, I think Im not doing so well in Organic Chemistry followed a few minutes later by Well, Ive failed most of the exams followed by Yeah, Im pretty sure Im getting an F but Im not totally sure- yet. At this point in your life, you undoubtedly know that parents deal better with getting bad news that can improve later than getting kinda bad news that gets worse later. So just be honest about your grade. What is it? What part of the equation is your fault (not studying enough, spending too much time socializing, etc.)? Own up to the situation and the responsibility. Honesty may be a bit uncomfortable, but it is undoubtedly the best policy in situations like this. Tell Your Parents How You Plan to Move Forward Present the situation as real- but also as a growth and learning opportunity for you. Okay, so you failed a class. What did you learn? That you need to manage your time better? That you spent too much time just hanging out with people? That you need to take fewer units? That you need to be less involved with clubs? That you need to cut back on your work hours? Let your parents know what youre going to do differently next semester so that this wont happen again. (Because really, who wants to have this conversation again?!) Mom, I failed Organic Chemistry. Looking back, I think its because I didnt spend enough time in the lab/didnt balance my time well/was too distracted by all the fun things going on on campus, so next semester Im planning on joining a study group/using a better time management system/cutting down on my co-curricular involvement. Additionally, let your parents know what your options are in as positive a light as possible. They most likely will want to know, What does this mean? Are you on academic probation? Able to keep up with your other courses? Not able to stay in your major? Be prepared for how you can move forward. Let your parents know what your academic situation is. Talk to your adviser about what your options are. Mom, I failed Organic Chemistry, but I talked to my adviser since I knew I was struggling. Our plan is to have me try it one more time next semester  when its offered, but this time Ill join a study group and go to the tutoring center at least once a week. Be Sincere About Your Next Steps You may think youre a pretty good liar, but parents can smell dishonesty from a mile away. You know it, and they know. So be sincere about what youre saying to them. Did you just goof up and learn a lesson about how important it is to go to class? Then tell them that instead of trying to blame it on a bad professor or lab partner. Also, be sincere about where youre going from here. If you dont know, thats okay, too- as long as youre exploring your options. Conversely, be sincere when you listen to what they have to say. They arent likely to be happy about your failed class, but they probably have your best interest at heart.