Here are some resumé blunders you need to avoid at all costs.

Heavy résumé paper, elaborate design:

For years, expensive résumé paper was required by any candidate wishing to be taken seriously — but this point is now moot since human resources prefer electronic submissions. “We don’t like to get paper of any kind,” says Doreen Collins, a manager for global staffing quality initiatives at General Electric, “and if we do get hard copies we just scan them into the system.” That’s because GE, like most companies, uses an electronic résumé management system to sort through prospective hires.

Including an objective:

Bad idea says Peri Hansen, a principal with recruiting firm Korn/Ferry. “It’s the fastest way to pigeon-hole yourself,” she says. Specify ‘Asset Manager’ and you may not even be considered for ‘Financial Planner’. “The one exception may be if you’re trying to transition from one career into something very different,” says Hansen. “An objective explains why your experience doesn’t obviously apply to the opening.”

Summarising your skills:

If you need to summarise your skills at the end of your résumé, then you either have one very poorly written résumé or you are being redundant. Neither of these things appeal to employers. “Any skills or expertise you have should be addressed in the accomplishments you list at the jobs you’ve held,” says Hansen.

Functional résumé:

Functional résumés, which detail skills instead of listing positions, won’t help manipulate how prospective employers perceive you. “People use them to hide a gap in their employment,” says recruiting firm Ray & Berndtson’s Chief Executive Paul Ray Jr, “or to demonstrate their skills can be applied to many positions.” But the format makes managers suspicious and more intent on piecing together a timeline of your employment — and it’s also a tough read.

Applying for place appeal:

“A lot of time people will apply just because they see it’s GE,” says Collins, “but when they’re not appropriate, it really just frustrates us.”

Keeping résumé length to one page:

Yes, they drilled this into our heads in college, but we’re grownups now with much more experience. The acceptable length for a career spanning over six or seven years is two pages, according to Korn/Ferry’s Hansen. “As long ago as you may have held a job, or as short a period of time you may have held it, you don’t want to leave out anything that you did,” she says. “If you go to three pages you’ve either worked a very, very long time or are being verbose.”

About yourself:

“I don’t really care what kind of a person you are,” says Ray, “I want to know what you can

do for me.” There is also such a thing as too much information. Maybe the person reviewing your résumé happens

to detest cat lovers.

References available upon request:

Of course they are. “That just wastes paper,” says GE’s Collins, “and it makes you

look dumb.”

Listing only name of your employer and location:

“Don’t assume people reading your résumé know what your company does,” says Hansen. If your work for a relatively unknown firm describe the business, note its revenues and maybe how old it is. “Otherwise I have to go online and look up a company description,” says Hansen.

And wasting a recruiter’s time is not a good idea.