Emily Levine, a seasoned executive at Career Group Companies, has interviewed countless candidates over her 15-year career. Her client base includes high-profile individuals who rely on her to find top personnel. Ms. Levine emphasizes the importance of a well-presented resume, free of typographical errors and inaccuracies. She warns that even small mistakes can significantly affect a candidate's chances because they reflect a lack of attention to detail.
“I've certainly interviewed thousands and thousands of people over my 15-year career,” she says. She said that every interview process starts with a resume, and she needs to be convinced why she should move forward with that candidate.
“If the resume isn't representative,” she says, that could deter her from passing it on. Here are two of her biggest red flags.
Typos raise eyebrows. “I've seen someone misspell their name,” Levine says. “I saw someone misspell the name of their university or the company they worked for.” Ms. Levine says the typos indicate a lack of attention to detail, which reflects poorly on the candidate.
She said a single spelling mistake on a CV can be ignored, but more than that “doesn't look good”, adding: “It would deter a company from meeting a candidate.”
Ms. Levine says she sometimes helps candidates and provides feedback on typos. She advises every job seeker to “go back and double-check all the information to make sure it's correct” before submitting anything.
Second, a resume must be accurate.
'Don't try to fudge the dates [to] makes the gap between jobs appear smaller,” says Ms. Levine.
Don't lie on your resume. Ms. Levine gave an example: Don't say you have a degree if you left school a few credits shy of graduation, or if you never attended at all. Some people are ashamed to say they don't have a degree, she says, so they lie and say they do.
She emphasized that the truth will come out during a background check, she says, and it will be very difficult for that potential employer to trust you in the future.
“I've seen countless offers from candidates who lie,” she says.