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• Picture yourself enjoying the first week of your new exciting job, meeting your new colleagues and collecting a pay cheque at the end of your first month.
• You can finally brag to your friends about your new terrific job, pay of some bills, and above all raise your self- esteem.
• You can stop being a `Job Search Victim` and get the job you deserve which you have long waited for.
• You could be flooded with interview offers. Be able to pick and choose your job.
• The Secret of being in this enviable position is to have a powerful Resume and an effective cover letter.

Here are few common Mistakes which you may make while preparing your Resume:

Mistake no 1:Failure to state your objective clearly and succinctly.

A statement giving a brief overview of your experience immediately generates interest from the recruiter/employer.
Failure to create a strong but concise objective will ensure that your application is relegated to the bottom of the pile.

Mistake no 2: Focusing on duties and responsibilities rather than achievements and successes

Employers want to see what you can do for them quickly and effectively. An effective resume should focus on successes and achievements.

Mistake no 3: Resume length and use of big words!

Candidates fail to understand that a three and four page resume holds no attraction for a recruiter/hiring manager. Resumes should ideally be a one to two page document depending entirely on each candidates level of experience, expertise and their profession. A professional resume should be long on facts but short on words!

Mistake no 4:Poor Resume formatting and visual layout

Stick to the popularly used resume formats :

• The Chronological Resume

• The Functional Resume

Visual Impact

A resume should be where possible uniform with bullet points used to highlight specific accomplishments or achievements and not every sentence or they lose their effectiveness. Create a professional resume by choosing the format that suits you, keeping the layout clear and easy to read and using white space effectively.

Mistake no 5:Spelling and Punctuation

It really goes without saying that this is the faux pas of all faux pas! Even if you you have created the perfect layout, written the most effective text and used the format that suits your career perfectly, if you submit a resume that contains poor punctuation or spelling mistakes ,the employer will immediately lose interest.

Poor Punctuation or spelling mistakes show that the candidate is careless and lacks attention in detail. To avoid such errors, get your resume proofread by several people both friends and colleagues.

Sentence structure should be easy to read and professional in manner.
Dont create an otherwise well-written resume only to have it discarded because you failed to cross your Ts and dot your I s!

Take time to write your resume, keep rewriting it until you are happy with the final draft.