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****Note:  This is a post done by Guest blogger Debra Wheatman of Careers Done Write.  See the very bottom of this post for more information about her and Careers Done Write.

Job seekers are often victims of misinformation, particularly when it comes to résumé writing.  These résumé myths can cost you a job opportunity.  Today, commit to dispelling these four résumé myths that may be holding you back.  Some of these concepts may seem counterintuitive, but read on and you will see the logic.

My résumé just needs a quick update to show my new skills and jobs.

False!

One of the biggest mistakes you can make on a résumé is to simply add new skills and job details over time.  You are not the same person you were eight years ago, so why would you use the same résumé?  You have grown professionally and you have new goals.  Every year, modify your résumé to reflect your current career focus.  This requires more than adding new skills, expertise, and accomplishments. It is also a time to update your profile, trim the early history, and remove aspects of your history that do not support your current goal.

The more skills I show on my résumé, the better.

False! 

If you include every technology that you ever touched on your résumé, the result will be a long résumé full of outdated and extraneous skills.  Long résumés with tedious lists do not get read.  Furthermore, those weak skills take the focus off the top skills the hiring manager is seeking. (Yes, it is time to take dBase and Quattro off your résumé!)  Quality trumps quantity.  Take a moment to study each job posting to determine the technical requirements. Those are the skills to show in the “Technical Expertise” section of your résumé.

You must limit yourself to one career path when job searching.

False!

Most candidates, especially technologists, possess a wide range of skills.  This often means a candidate may be suited for many different career opportunities. However, don’t be tempted to create one résumé for multiple job types.  If you try to be a Jack of All Trades, you will have a résumé that lacks focus. The reader will not see you as the perfect candidate if they cannot easily identify the role in which you will fit. You don’t have to limit yourself to one career path. The solution is to tweak your résumé for each potential career path.

Employers are most interested in your daily job functions and technologies used for every task.

False!

For the most part, a hiring manager can surmise you basic job functions when they see your title.  A short summary of your major functions and the scope of your responsibilities are appropriate. Readers really want to see your accomplishments.  What did you do beyond the job description?  Did the effort you led increase efficiency, reduce expenses, or improve quality scores?  Whenever possible, quantify the results. Also, there is no need to list the technologies used in every task.  The “Technical Expertise” section is the place to list the skills you possess relevant to your goal.

Let go of the résumé myths that hinder your job search success!   Create a concise, tightly-crafted résumé focused on each particular career path.  Omit the less important details of experience and the skills that create clutter.  This new résumé strategy will lead to the interview of your dreams.

Debra Wheatman, an experienced human capital management strategist, will help you take the next step up your career ladder. She is the president of Careers Done Write, a leading career development service. Debra possesses both Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) designations and is globally recognized as an expert in advanced career search techniques.

About Debra: Debra is a featured blogger on numerous sites where she covers career planning topics. She posts regularly on her own site at  careersdonewrite.com/blog and has been featured on Fox Business News, WNYW with Brian Lehrer, and quoted in leading online, print, and trade publications, including Forbes.com, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and CNBC.