The Worst Things You Can Put on a Resume Today

The Dirty Dozen:

Here’s a sad fact. Most people are still writing 20th-century resumes. In high school or college, someone showed you how to write one, and you have never changed it.

Well, like big hair isn’t in fashion in 2022 (thankfully!), neither are old-fashioned resumes. Let's learn to fix that and come to the end of the first quarter of the 21st century.

Since you are posting on the Internet, why would you dox yourself? No one will snail mail you about your resume, so they don’t need your street address. Instead, offer the city, state/province, and zip code.

Full Address

Cute Icons

Recruiters are smart. When they see 10-digit numbers, they know it’s your phone number.

This document is 100% about you, and the reader knows that. Consequently, they don’t need to read I, I, I, my, my, etc. This also includes any references to yourself in 3rd person. Write your resume in 1st or 3rd person without personal pronouns.

Personal Pronouns

Objective

If you are sending the document, they KNOW your objective is to get a job that “utilizes” all your skills and experience. Instead, use the exact title of the job as advertised. But, wait! Does that mean adjusting every resume? Yes, it does.

30 years ago, everyone was using a manual typewriter to learn back in the day. However, we're not using typewriters or even word processors anymore. As time marched on and careers progressed, so did our equipment. There is no longer a need to add the extra space.

Double Space After a Period

Fancy Borders

This is a business document. It is meant to be scanned and, if it’s done right, read through. No one needs a fancy border.

Swipe up to learn more!