Let’s have an honest conversation about some things that are annoying or useless to hiring managers but tend to be seen a lot on resumes. Here are 5 things you should avoid on your resume!
- INCLUDING LAUNDRY LISTS:
This could be a long list of every course you’ve taken, skill you claim to have, award you’ve won, or experience you’ve had. Instead, list only what is important to the person reading the resume. If you are listing a skill, such as “Adobe Photoshop”, try to tie that into a bullet point in your experience section. This will show an employer in what context you have used the skill rather than just listing it.
- LEAVING IN INFORMATION THAT’S NOT VALUABLE:
You need to remember that this page is YOUR space to showcase that you have the skills necessary for a particular job. When you use your precious space to say things like “references available upon request” or “Objective: To get a job”, you are not maximizing this space.
- LISTING JOB DUTIES:
Listing job duties for any particular experience is not that best way to showcase your skills. Instead, focus on the SKILL you used to accomplish the task and the outcome of your work when possible. Instead of saying “Serve customers food”, focus on a skill that any employer will be interested in, let’s say, relational skills. Your bullet point might now read, “Build rapport with customers from diverse backgrounds using a friendly, genuine, and helpful attitude resulting in many repeat visits.”
- NOT TAILORING YOUR RESUME:
Show the employer that you value their time by performing proper edits before submitting your resume. Spend some with the job description and focus on their needs. Include their language and move your most relevant stuff to the top of your resume.
- GENERAL SLOPPINESS:
Employers get A LOT of resumes! Don’t give them a reason to not read yours just because it looks sloppy. If it doesn’t LOOK good or if it includes typos, they won’t WANT to read it. Have a few people take a look and make sure your resume is appealing and error free!
By: Jade Barricelli