What not to do when writing a resume

Certain simple resume mistakes you make may greatly impact your chances during the hiring process. A mistake-free resume sends the message that you have done your research and put extra effort into perfecting your job application. It makes employers feel special and valued. So, let’s look at what you shouldn’t do when creating a resume :

Mentioning work contact information

Your job application is useless if the hiring manager cannot contact you. Therefore, it is important to double-check whether the contact information you have displayed on your resume is accurate. One big mistake job seekers make when writing a resume is mentioning their work phone number or work email address. Using your work emails for a job search sends a bad message to potential employers. Always use your personal contact info for job applications.

Adding personal information

You are writing a resume to draw potential employers’ attention to your biggest professional wins and experiences. Including unnecessary personal information in the resume will reduce the positive impact your resume makes. Every country has anti-discriminatory laws, but humans aren’t perfect. The more personal information you provide an employer, the more room for discrimination there is. Here’s what not to display on your resume:

• Headshot
• Marital status
• Social Security Number
• Graduation years
• Religion
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Political affiliation
• Age
• Sexual orientation

Listing vague remarks about past jobs

It is your responsibility to describe your past employment to your biggest advantage when writing a resume. Hiring managers aren’t mind-readers to know all the remarkable things you have achieved without you listing them on your resume. If you have a habit of writing vague sentences in the work experience section, it is time to change your writing style. Here’s what you should do instead:

• Write specific sentences that are unique to your career history
• Avoid talking about job duties and responsibilities
• Mention your biggest professional achievements regarding each past role
• Include numbers, percentages, data, and metrics in bullet points
• Add a timeframe to the results to improve the wow factor
• Describe your actions and highlight the skills you used

Displaying irrelevant skills

Not all the skills in your skill set will be relevant to every job that you apply for. It is essential to read and review the employer’s job description before you start writing your resume. This will help you determine the skills that are required for the job and valued by the employer. When adding skills to your resume :

• Focus only on the skills mentioned in the job ad
• Consider other skills that are directly related to the role
• If you are changing careers, go for transferable skills
• Remove obsolete and irrelevant skills

Not creating additional sections

While the five basic resume sections contact information, summary, skills, work experience, and education paint a good picture of your background to potential employers, they don’t provide all the details that might help sway a hiring decision. Additional resume sections will help you add and emphasize skills and experiences that are valuable and essential for the role but are not brought out through the existing resume sections. Here are some excellent additional resume sections that you should consider:

• Languages – Being bilingual or multilingual is unbelievably valuable for certain roles and areas
• Volunteer experience – Community involvement creates a favorable impression of you
• Certifications and licenses – These show potential employers that you are qualified
• Projects – Potential employers can know that you are interested in the field
• Awards and honors – These allow you to highlight your professional wins on the resume