You might have carefully chosen your undergraduate college, wishing to attend an institution that was highly-respected in your chosen field. If you went on to receive an advanced degree, you were probably quite careful to take those courses that would best prepare you for your professional life. Over the years, youve given careful thought to cultivating mentors, gaining networking skills, and amassing an impressive work record.

And yet, your entire career could easily be sabotagedif you fail to come up with a winning resume. At first, you might be quite skeptical of the notion that your resume could carry such weight. After all, its just a piece of paper or two. However, in actuality, a poorly-constructed resume could set you back for a number of reasons:

It Makes an Employer Question Your Professionalism

If your resume is filled with spelling errors, an employer is likely to characterize you as careless. If the document appears to have some key words missing, the hiring manager might think that you are not detail-oriented. Any grammatical mistake could cause a human resources executive to think that you are poorly-educatedor that you were slacking off in school when you should have been studying.

If your resume lacks structure, the prospective employer might believe that you have difficulty with problem-solving tasks. Similarly, if your resume is not in a standard format, an employer might think that you are unfamiliar with standard business procedures. When you produce a professional resume, an employer will consider you to be a professional. By the same token, if you create a substandard resume, a recruiter will think that you are not up to the job.

It Makes an Employer Question Your Commitment

Individuals who are truly committed to their careers put forth their best effort each day in every circumstance. They realize that each task that they are assigned, no matter how small it may be, is important. Theres an old workplace adage which goes, If you want something done, give it to a busy person. What this means is that busy people tend to be conscientious peopleand conscientious people are more likely to produce superior work.

A sloppy resume tells an employer that you dont care enough to do your best. If you cannot be trusted to compose a simple resume, how can you be trusted to serve in a sensitive, high-ranking position within a business? When your resume is below par, it tells an employer that you really dont want the joband you are not all that interested in advancing your career.

It Leaves an Unflattering Impression

Not only will a poor resume ruin your chances of securing a given jobit may also prevent you from getting future jobs. Heres the reason: Even though you may not be particularly well-suited for an advertised position, you may be an appropriate candidate for another position within the company. However, you might never be considered for that future postif youve left a poor impression with one company manager.

It Could Jeopardize Your Networking Opportunities

You might be surprised at how small the business world can be. A manager at one company could jump ship tomorrow, ending up with his former employers chief competitor. Therefore, you need to realize that you could meet a hiring manager again at a different company sometime in the future. If your first introduction to the manager is in the form of a poorly-crafted resume, he may remember you down the lineand recall that you made a poor showing. As a result, youve turned a potential ally into a critica person who may not be willing to give you a second chance.

It Will Cost You Interviews

If you e-mail a resume that is unprofessional in every sense of the word, it is unlikely that you will be interviewed. There is just too much competition nowadays for every available position. Some Fortune 500 companies receive more than 1,000 resumes every week. Since manyif not mostof those resumes will be letter-perfect, what hope do you possibly have of being called in for an interview if your resume is perceived to be poor?

Remember, you simply cannot rely on your networking skills alone to secure job interviews. While a winning personality can help you to make valuable contacts, it cannot overcome a lackluster resume. Like it or not, you will be judged on the quality of your resume. A hiring manager would have serious difficulty justifying granting you an interview if you failed to submit a high-caliber resume.

It Could be a Serious Blow to Your Ego

If you submit a poor resume and a hiring manager calls attention to the fact, it could cause you to lose self-confidence. You may be reluctant to take risks in your career, fearing that your attempts will end in failure. You may even be hesitant to apply for other jobs, thinking that you could not possibly produce a resume that will make a favorable impression on an employer.

It Could Make it Difficult for You to Recover Lost Ground

While opportunities can spring up at anytime, there are certain opportunities that are, quite simply, once-in-a-lifetime events. If you submit a poor resume for a job at a critical stage in your career, it may be monthseven yearsbefore a job with similar potential comes your way. In essence, each opportunity is precious and should be treated like a fine jewel. You would use the best equipment possible to mine for diamondswhy wouldnt you use the best tool you could come up with to apply for a job?

Why Take the Chance?

Given all the negative consequences which result from submitting a poor resume, why would any serious job applicant take the chance? A resume of less-than-stellar quality reflects badly on you, your current employer, your alma matereven your mentors. By going the extra mile and ensuring that your resume is top-of-the-line, you will be in the best possible position as far as your job application is concerned. And that could do wonders for your career.