After you graduate, if not before, when applying to jobs or grad schools, you need letters of recommendation from your professors. Rounding out your resume, these letters attest to what you’ve done and who you are, professionally speaking.

With people of all ages and professional levels looking for employment in today's job market, finding ways to stand out from the competition is a must. One way to accomplish this is by gaining experience through an internship. 

For most people I know, there is a great deal of dread and anxiety around creating or updating a resume. What should I include? How long should it be? What should it look like? And really, it’s not an easy answer—there is no clear-cut way to create a resume. In my experience, they’re all a little different.

But in going over hundreds of English majors’ resumes —whether it’s for Dear English Major or my writing business—I’ve noticed a few mistakes that are made over and over again.

Here are the 3 most common mistakes English majors make on resumes:

Applying for a job is a long and time-consuming process, especially if you’ve tailored your resume and crafted an original, beautiful cover letter (both of which you should be doing!).

Wouldn’t it be a shame if all that hard work went to waste?

Few applicants realize this, but if you're submitting your resume via email, your resume isn’t what gives potential employers their first impression of you. Your email will provide a first impression, and when written poorly, it could cost you a well-deserved career opportunity.