Hunting for a job is nerve-wracking and challenging. Many parts go to presenting yourself to a prospective employer. The first step to opening the door is a solid resume. A resume shows off your relevant experience and tells the recruiter you’re the one for the job.
But there are pitfalls to writing a resume. Since it’s your first and sometimes only chance to shine, writing a resume correctly is imperative. But what can hurt you? What shouldn’t you put in a resume?
Hiring Managers Inundated With Resumes
The average hiring manager receives 250 resumes; only 2 percent are invited to interview. And up to 90 percent of employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to manage these applications. Artificial intelligence (AI) is often screening resumes.But what are those 98 percent of applicants doing wrong with their resume preventing that coveted interview? There are many reasons why you’re torpedoed from the start.
Keep Resume Short and Sweet
Don’t write a book about your life. Give the highlights of your career. This includes company name, dates worked, and a very short synopsis of what you did. The ideal length that recruiters expect is roughly 475–600 words. This is basically one page. But if you have to push it, you can go with two, but no more.If you’ve had a long career, only go back about 15 years. The hiring manager wants to see what you’ve done recently.
Eliminate Passive Language
Your career is more than something that just happened. You need to take credit for what you did. Use action words.This is your chance to shine and impress a recruiter. Use strong action verbs. For example, a passive sentence is, “The project was managed by me.” But an active sentence is, “I managed the project.” In other words, take the bull by the horn and toot your horn.
Don’t Use a Profile Photo
A photo on your resume could potentially lead to discrimination. If they are interested in your credentials, they’ll probably see your photo on social media. But don’t go in the door showing the world a picture—it’s unprofessional.The exception is if you want a career in broadcast journalism. Submitting a professional headshot would be appropriate.
Career Objective Is Obsolete
A career objective is no longer in vogue. It tells the potential employer what you want instead of what you have to offer them.
You’ll also be limiting your career. If you have one objective, but the job doesn’t exactly match it, you might not be called to an interview. No one wants a dissatisfied employee. And by giving the hiring manager an objective that’s not in line with the position, you might be sending out signals that you won’t be happy.
Leave Off Personal Information
Omit personal information such as marital status, number of children, your age or anything that may indicate your age. So, take that graduation date off your resume and only show the last 15 years of work history.In the United States, evaluating an employee when personal information is provided has Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) implications.
Many recruiters are required to ignore resumes with this information.
Don’t Use a Personal Email Address
Make sure your email is professional. So, if your email address is [email protected] or [email protected], it’s time to pick a new one.It only takes a few minutes to go on Google and choose one. Try one with your name in it. [email protected] sounds much more professional and won’t raise a red flag to the hiring manager.
Eliminate Home Address
It’s old-fashioned to put your home address at the top or bottom of your resume. But now, with remote jobs, a full address is not needed; although, including the state you live in is acceptable.If you’re applying for a local job, your address could eliminate you if you live across town from the office. You may not think that’s a big deal, but the employer may think you'll be late driving that distance.
Privacy is also a factor. You’re vulnerable to identity theft if your resume falls into the wrong hands.
Don’t Use Company Specific Jargon
Many companies have internal names for customized applications, technologies, software, etc. But these names aren’t widely used. This may confuse the recruiter if your resume has jargon. They have to take the time to think about what you’re saying.Resumes are supposed to be written so they’re easy for the hiring manager to read and understand. If they don’t understand yours, it will be rejected.
Avoid Resume Cliches
“I’m a team player” or “I’m detailed oriented” should not be on your resume. These are boring phrases that, frankly, don’t mean anything. If you are a team player, explain how you and the team increased production by, say, 15 percent. Or talk about the software development you did for your company. These show you’re team-oriented and detailed oriented. The bottom line is you want to show, don’t tell.High School Diploma Not Necessary
The only time you should say you have a high school diploma, and state the school, is if you are still in college. Once you’re out of college, it’s assumed you have a high school diploma. How else would you have a college degree?This is just taking up valuable real estate on your resume, and, frankly, nobody cares.
High school seniors make their way to the football field for their graduation ceremony in Saltillo, Miss., June 27, 2020. Thomas Wells/AP
Eliminate Graphics or Odd Formatting
Don’t use graphs or any graphics. This also includes charts. You may want to dress the resume up, but resist that urge. The ATS won’t be able to read it, and this could cause a rejection.Recruiters often use software that scans resumes for keywords. They’re looking for similarities between your qualifications and the job description. Not having graphics improves your chances of the software catching all your keywords.
You should not use unprofessional fonts. Don’t go fancy and use script or ultra-stylized fonts. Use clean, professional fonts that are easy for the ATS and the hiring manager to read. Examples of standard fonts are Calibri and Verdana.
References Not Needed
You must pack as much information as possible on one page. Don’t waste space on references. And you don’t need to say, “references available upon request.” The hiring manager knows you have them and will ask for them once your resume has been vetted.But take the opportunity to put them on a separate page and only submit it if the employer asks for them.
Typos and Grammatical Errors
Double-check and then triple-check for spelling and grammatical errors. Nothing will knock you out of the running quicker than typos. It sends a message that you don’t care. And it says you don’t pay attention to details.Have a friend or family member read your resume. Printing it out may help you spot errors. Reading your resume out loud will also allow you to catch problems.
Inaccurate Information or Lies
Although you want to customize the resume for each position, don’t lie. Don’t even put half-truths in your resume. Inaccuracies of misleading information can come back to haunt you.Many hiring managers will look at someone with qualifications that are close to what is needed for the position. You don’t have to embellish to be in the running.
If you lie on your resume and are hired, you might be fired once the truth is revealed.
Blocks of Text Should Be Avoided
Long blocks of text won’t help you move forward in the hiring process. Give the hiring manager’s eyes relief. Break up the text with spaces and boldfaced words. Bullet points are also a great way to break up text and be succinct. It will also be easier for the ATS to read.Also, don’t reduce the font size just to jam more information on the page. Your resume needs to be easy to read. And if the hiring manager needs a magnifying glass to see your qualifications, they'll give up and reject it.
Skillsets That You Don’t Enjoy
If you don’t enjoy writing, then don’t highlight your writing skills. Just because this is a new company doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy writing for them.If you don’t like or want to do a certain skill, you should minimize it on your resume. You want to be happy in your new job, which means using a skill you like.
Irrelevant Work Experiences
Don’t list every job you’ve had. The hiring manager doesn’t need to know you bartended during college. Only write experiences that are relevant to the position. But only do this if you’re not going to leave a gap in your work history.You don’t want to list any obsolete skills you have. For example, if you’re good at MS-DOS or Vista, don’t put that on your resume; it’s considered obsolete and won’t help you. Instead, highlight what you know about the latest technology.
At the same time, don’t highlight skills that are current but common. Nearly everyone knows Microsoft Word—you don’t need to list you’re proficient with it.
Use Common Sense When Writing a Resume
The bottom line is to use common sense when writing a resume. The point is to show you in the best light. So, stick with the positives, and don’t write anything negative.Keep in mind that hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes. Make sure yours stands out by avoiding these resume mistakes.
The Epoch Times Copyright © 2023. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.
