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 more important “Don’ts” to consider when penning your resume:
- Don’t use clichéd adjectives to describe your experience. Words like “dynamic” and “self-starting” fall flat on a resume because you are describing yourself, and because it looks like resume filler. Your accomplishments and resume should speak for the mselves. If you are applying through a recruiter, let us describe you! We will describe your personality to an employer so you don’t have to.
- Don’t list hobbies or interests on your resume. This information was once used for interview small talk, but now looks like trivial resume filler.
- Don’t lie or exaggerate on your resume. Degrees, computer skills, and language fluency can all be checked, and whatever can’t be checked will be discovered during the first few days on the job. Better to be honest and hold out for a job that suits your skills rather than take on a job for which you are unqualified, or being let go for falsifying information.
- Don’t list references on your resume. Always provide references if asked, or if filling out an application on an interview. But if you list references on a resume, it allows employers to call your references while deciding to bring you in. This way, they can “interview” you without having to meet you, and you have less control over your first impression. Plus, if you are actively looking for a job, your references may get many calls and grow weary of referring you for jobs you may not seriously consider taking. These references will be less likely to pleasantly refer you for that job you really want.
- Don’t worry about making your resume one page. As a specialized employee, it’s more important that you cover all of your experience and skills rather than confine your resume to one page. Also, if you are using a recruiter, companies expect that your resume will be thorough.
Alison Kuhns
Director – Healthcare
