As part of our ongoing Resume Writing Advice series, we asked our recruiters for their top tips for perfectly produced resumes. Our recruiters see hundreds of resumes each week and have become experts at eyeing great resumes in a flash. Here are some important “Don’ts” to consider when penning your resume:
- Don’t use an email address that is too personal or unprofessional
Your email address should be some version of your full name, ie dsmith@gmail.com or donna_smith@yahoo.com. “Princess368” or “Jakesmom” may reflect negatively and cost you an interview
- Don’t automatically include an objective at the top of your resume
Most of the time objectives are either too general to be relevant or too specific for the job you’re applying for and will hurt your chances. Employers often take objectives very literally, so you may not get an interview if the job listed in your objective isn’t available or you don’t have the right skills for it, even if there’s another (possibly better) job you might be a better fit for. Plus, many employers keep resumes on file for years, and your objective might change. You don’t want them to refrain from calling you because you limited yourself in your resume.
- Don’t use the first person when writing a resume
“I worked as a staff nurse on a medical-surgical unit where I sometimes acted as charge nurse” does not sound as professional as, ”Worked as a charge nurse on a medical-surgical unit, occasional charge nurse duties.“
- Don’t list incorrect contact info, or forget to check your voicemail or email
Listing a cell phone number that is inactive will make you look careless, not to mention you will not be reachable to schedule an interview when you actually get one! Likewise, if you take more than a day or two to respond to an inquiry it will make you appear disorganized or disinterested. If you are applying for jobs make sure you check your voicemail and e-mail regularly.
- Don’t include personal information
Information such as age, religion, race or ethnicity should be left off the resume, even if it influences when you can work or what work you can do. This information should be brought up in person, or after an interview has occurred. If you are applying through a recruiter, one of the benefits is that they can bring up any special needs you may have in an appropriate way.
Be sure to check back for Part II of ”The Don’ts“ as well as other great resume writing tips!
Alison Kuhns
Director – Healthcare
