Your resume says a lot about you. For that reason, it is important to make a great impression so you can be taken seriously as a job candidate. These days, there are so many qualified applicants for available positions, recruiters can afford to be selective and less tolerant of minor errors on resumes. So while there is no perfect resume, you don’t want to risk having a recruiter dismiss yours simply because it contains a few annoying mistakes. 

A recent post on HubSpot lists 21 common resume mistakes. Here is what you need to know:

• Use an appropriate email address. Your e-mail address should be professional and reference your name in some way. It may be best to create a separate Gmail account for your job search. (FYI: AOL, Hotmail and Yahoo! are considered passé.)

• Always proofread! Too many misspellings, typos or errors show a lack of attention to detail. 

• Font and formatting should be readable and professional. Fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial are great for resumes. Also, be consistent with formatting throughout your resume (e.g., bullets, alignment, point size, italics).

• Do not list proficiency in a skill that you do not possess. For example, many say they are skilled in Microsoft Office programs such as PowerPoint and Excel when they are not. If you need to improve your skills, consider taking a course or watching a relevant tutorial on YouTube.

• Do not list irrelevant experience. Your resume should be tailored to the position you are applying for. List only those skills and experience that are relevant to the job.

• Keep it to two pages — max! Even then, it’s possible the hiring manager won’t read your entire resume. So if you need to edit for length, leave off any outdated experience. If you graduated from college more than five years ago, consider cutting your “education” section.

Most important? Take time to review your resume thoroughly before sending it off. Make sure it’s clean, concise, professional and targeted.

For additional help with your resume, read “Write Your Best Resume,” in the Looking for Work section of our website. And be sure to check out our free Resume Review Service for customized feedback on yours.

Also, consider joining us for our free upcoming Balancing Work & Cancer webinar session on Job Search, Wednesday, December 14, at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT. To register, click here.