I’ve been hiring for a Communications Assistant over at AIER and received over 100 applications for the position. As a result, I’ve come across a lot of really bad resumes. In fact, of the 100 or so applications we received, only 8 people got to the next stage. What follows is a list of suggested items I would avoid on your resume:
- Proficient with email and the Internet: No one really cares if you’re “proficient with email and the Internet.” I’m proficient with my toothbrush, but I took that off my resume last year.
- Unemployed: Even the best employees can be unemployed at times. However, highlighting this fact by putting it in red text, all caps, and underlined at the top of your resume is probably not something an employer wants to see. I know that means you’re available, but that makes you sound desperate.
- Proforeadre: If you’ve performed work as a “proofreader,” it’s probably a good idea to make sure that at least that bullet point doesn’t contain a typo.
- “I remember the first time…”: Narratives, while certainly an interesting perspective for fiction, probably shouldn’t be the style chosen for your resume.
- 2 MBAs are better than 1: I know that your degree sort of counts as both Education and Experience, but putting it in both sections with the exact same wording is a waste of your space and a waste of my time.
- I’d love to work for your competitor: Objective sections may work for some applicants, but it’s probably a best practice to avoid being too specific in case you happen to forget to change your target organization when you submit your resume to another organization.
- You’re organization is awesome!: Everyone makes the mistake when they send an email or make a web post (me? of course not……..), but please pay attention to the difference between “its” and “it’s,” “your” and “you’re,” and “their” and “they’re.”
- Please consider me for consideration of the position for hiring that you’re done: If you’re going to have someone do your resume for you, you should probably have them write your cover letter as well. It’s pretty noticeable when your resume is perfect, but I can’t get past the first sentence of your cover letter.
- References available upon request: “References available upon request”? I certainly hope so. No need to waste space on your resume by letting me know.
- The Intersection of Marketing and Resume-Writing: If you can’t sell yourself, how do you expect someone to believe you can sell the organization you want to work for?
July 28th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Nice writing style. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Chris Moran