10 Key Resume 'Don'ts'

In my decade-plus of work in career services and staffing, I’ve seen, reviewed and helped fine-tune thousands of resumes.

There are plenty of very good theories and ideas about what works best on a resume. 

However, I have found that most resumes need to be edited before they are “fixed.” It’s kind of like killing off the weeds before you plant flowers. Certain things need to go, and then you can see more clearly what you have to work with, and what you want to do with it.

Here are 10 key resume “don’ts”:

1. Spelling errors
2. Personal information
3. Font size too small
4. “I-tis”
5. Self promotion by adjective
6. Bad alignment
7. Vagueness
8. “Filler” words
9. Margins of terror
10. Personalized objective

Now, let’s go over them one by one.

Spelling errors

Employers may not usually be proofreaders, but lack of proofreading and spell check on your part may turn them into such. Spelling mistakes can tell an employer you are not detail oriented, which is one of the worst messages a job searcher can send. Easy fix, here. Spell check, proofread (proper names, etc. aren’t in spell check) and have someone you trust read over your resume before you send it to any potential employer.

Personal information

Your age, your marital status, your religious affiliation, the ages of your children—employers can’t ask you these. Don’t give it away. None of them have bearing on the skills and education you can bring to a potential employer. The only personal information you should provide is your name, address, a phone number and contact email.

Font size is too small

The idea that a resume needs to be one page is a myth. Use 10-12 point fonts such as Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman. (By the way, don’t use font sizes over 12 point for the body of your resume; it looks like you are just trying to fill space.) This way, your resume is easy for someone else to read. Easy is always good!

“I-tis”

The word “I” has no place on a resume. It makes a reader think you are insecure, trying to take too much credit, or that you didn’t look over your resume before sending it in. Your resume is about you, right?

For example, replace “I sold 150 life insurance policies in 2010” with “Sold 150 life insurance policies in 2010.”

Self promotion by adjective

“Team Player,” “Hard Working,” “Detail Oriented,” may all be true about you. However, that’s your opinion expressing itself. Opinions don’t belong on a resume. Employers don’t put any stock in self-generated opinions because so many people have used them before. Facts and accomplishments can tell your story perfectly fine on their own.

Bad alignment

If your car is drifting to the left—sorry, different alignment issue. Don’t center all the information on your resume. Align everything, outside of your contact information at the top, with the left margin. People read left to right, so it’s easier to read, and it’s consistent.

Vagueness

I’ve seen the phrase “Computer Literate” more times than I can remember. What the heck does it mean? That someone can use a computer or recognize the difference between a computer and a microwave?

It says nothing.

Give yourself credit and be specific about software you’ve worked with.

“Management” is another word I’ve seen before on resumes.

“Management” is not a definition in itself. You hired, trained and supervised people, at minimum. Put that in your resume.

And, by the way, if you have managed folks, you probably had to let one or two go over the years. Please leave out “fired” or “terminated” staff from the details. Leaving it in just sends a negative message. Your success is in how you developed your team and what you accomplished, not in who you let go. Besides, most potential employers who interview folks with management experience know the candidates have let people go.

Filler words

In conversation, I might tell someone, “I saw some great deals on laptops when I was at Target,” or “When I was at Publix, I bought some cat food as needed.”

Writing is different from conversation. We can edit it.

-Trained new staff and backed up intranet as needed.

-Developed sales presentations in Power Point with some of senior staff.

 “As needed,” “When needed,” “Some,” “A few,” “Many” and “Often” are “filler” words on a resume. They aren’t specific. They take up space.

-Trained new staff and backed up intranet.

That’s sufficient. You didn’t do such when it wasn’t needed. (At least I hope not!)

If you can remember specifics, there is also something like the following:

-Trained new staff and backed up intranet daily.

For words such as “Some,” Many,” a “Few” or “Often,” there are two approaches.

-Developed sales presentations in Power Point with senior staff.

You did work with senior staff, so you are being honest.

If you can be specific as to whom you worked with, here’s another alternative:

-Developed sales presentations in Power Point with Marketing Manager, Sales Manager and Regional Director.

Note: If you worked with 15 people, you could either provide the number or list, say, three of the most senior titles of folks. Please don’t list 15 separate people! Employers tend not to read that far.

Margins of terror

MicroSoft Word tends to default to margins of 1-inch all around. That’s fine to work with if you’d like.

1. Don’t increase the margins. It looks like you are trying to fill space.
2. If you decrease the margins, try not to go below a half inch in any direction. Printers can have trouble with margins that are less than a half inch and may not print out effectively. If you are emailing your resume, this is very important. You don’t know the printer setup at the potential employer, and your resume may come out looking rather odd, incomplete—nothing that will be helpful to you.
3.  Readers also aren’t comfortable looking all the way to the left to start reading.

“Personalized” objective

Employers hire for their reasons, not yours. Objectives, in general, are a “hangover” from resumes past. I’d suggest you avoid them entirely.

“Personalized” objectives are ones that focus on what you want:

• To contribute to a team
• To learn and grow (Note: this is real. Saw it on a resume when I was in staffing.)
• Add my talents to your growing organization
• Energetic and Driven Sales Professional seeks opportunity

All of these are about what you may want. Employers are much more interested in what you can offer them: specific skills, experience, training, education.

Years ago, I wrote a column for an online paper called “Objectives are Objectionable.” In my humble opinion, backed by 15 years of experience, I’d say it’s still true.

In future columns, we’ll discuss what does belong on a resume. The first thing was to do the weeding. Scratch that from the list! Next time, we’ll start the planting with ways to make your resume stronger and more effective.

Greg Lachs is a Temple Terrace resident who works in career services and staffing. He is an expert in resume writing, job search skills, interview skills, cover letters and other job search-related topics.