5 Common Resume Mistakes That Introverts Make

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4 years ago

You are competent and overachieving, you should get an offer for every job you apply to! Though, as an introvert, are you making one of these common mistakes that introverts make on their resumes? They are all too common, as introverts have unique traits that make them exceptionally valuable in the workplace but also those traits make it difficult to communicate their value. Being an introvert myself, I know firsthand what common resume mistakes introverts can make! I’ve also mentored dozens of young professionals (many of them introverted) and I see the same 5 resume mistakes over and over!

5 Common Resume Mistakes That Introverts Make

Too Much Detail

As introverts know too well, they can overthink everything! As such, it’s easy for them to get carried away with a lot of detail and background information on their resume. In the end, their key contributions and accomplishments get buried in a barrage of words. As a result, the hiring manager does not understand the introverted candidate’s true value.

One of the most common resume tips I give introverts is to “boil up” their resumes to the most critical information about their responsibilities and contributions.

2. Formatting Errors / Typos

This one surprised me as one of the most common resume mistakes for introverts. Introverts are often — as we mentioned above — detail-oriented. While that’s true, their focus on details can result in not taking a step back and seeing errors in their resumes. I’ve often seen errors such as dates not matching up, inconsistent formatting, and erroneous contact information.

Introverts would benefit letting their resume sit overnight, and then returning to read through the entire document the next day.

3. Undersell Their Accomplishments

Introverts can overthink their accomplishments so much that it creates doubt as to whether they can really claim those achievements. Oftentimes, this results in underselling or caveating their experiences. For example, I see introverts writing that they “Helped lead” and initiative. When I probe, I realize that they had actually taken a substantial leadership role in that project. However — because it was a team effort they led — they would say they “helped” lead.

Introverts tend to set a high bar on the data or evidence required to make a declarative sentence on their resume. As such, they undersell their contributions. They simply will not brag!! In the end, introverted candidates just simply may not stand out amongst a group of qualified candidates.

4. Being Someone They Are Not

In an effort to stand out, introverts may emulate their more outgoing colleagues by using bolder language in their resumes. While that may help them stand out initially, things fall apart quickly when they need to describe those experiences in an interview. The disconnect can raise alarm bells for a hiring manager and the candidate gets rejected.

Introverted candidates would be best served to describe their experiences in the language they feel comfortable with, but that doesn’t undersell their contributions.

5. Not Showing Personality

Now, the resume is definitely not the place for a lot of flair! It’s a record of your experiences and achievements. That said, it’s pretty standard to include interesting hobbies, activities or accomplishments (such as running 15 marathons, or writing a book) at the bottom.

Adding an appropriate amount of personal information can really help you stand out to a hiring manager. He/she may pause to read an interesting detail and end up your entire resume another glance. Adding some basic personal information also helps a candidate stand out during an interview; when I’m interviewing a candidate, I’ll often recall, “Oh, you were the mountain climber!”

Introverts can struggle with sharing personal information, even the minimal amount appropriate for a resume. As a result, they lose one more opportunity to catch the attention of the manager or recruiter.

If you’re looking for some additional tips and an actual step-by-step approach to develop a resume that will ensure you stand out, our Create a Standout Resume is a great place to start.

It comes with everything an introvert needs to develop a powerful resume, including a 6-module course, resume examples, worksheets, and a resume template!