This week’s blog is a list of resume Do Not’s. Next week we will list the big resume Do’s.
- Do not use the words “I” or “me” or “my”—they can be used in the cover letter, not in the resume.
- Do not lead with a goal in your resume (“to find a job that will engage my talents…”)— lead with a summary of your accomplishments and skills.
- Do not write your life story. You can summarize jobs that are more than 15 years old (“Earlier experience includes:”) and drop those that have no relevance at all (“delivered newspapers to local residents”).
- Do not give excuses for leaving a job (but if the company was bought out and you were retained for a while, you might want to mention that—it shows your value to the purchasing company).
- Do not worry about keeping to 1 page. As long as the information is relevant and tightly written, your resume can be 2 pages or more.
- Do not write your resume for “any job.” You aren’t qualified or interested in every job in the world and your job search becomes totally unwieldy if you search for anything and everything. Focus.
- Do not say “references on request.” It’s a waste of space.
- Do not give information about health, family, hobbies (unless they are relevant to the job), religion or politics (again, unless you’re apply for a job in a church or for a political organization).
- Do not proofread online; proofread on paper. Make sure you look especially for punctuation errors, inconsistencies, missing or duplicate words, and misspellings. Ask someone else to proofread if you can.
- And most important: Do not seek resume advice from every family member and friend. They will contradict themselves, and you will never finish. At some point, your resume has to leave your house whether everyone approves or not.
So where do you find advice you can trust? At Robin’s Resumes® we have more than 12 years of experience, industry certifications, a BSChE from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and national recognition (including speaking and teaching engagements). Contact us today.