When I open a resume and see these things, I die a little bit on the inside. One reason is because there is so much information available for the do-it-yourselfers which tells you not to do these things, yet…there they are. So let me give you my Top 5 Resume Pet Peeves. Also these things may turn off recruiters so please take note.

5. Your name is like 30 - 48 font size and the contact information is like 10! Come on, really? Your name should not be the important thing on your resume, if it is, you may need to go back to college or accomplish something more.

4. Objectives. There are only 1 million articles on the internet explaining why an objective is played out – last decade’s news – old school – outdated…you get the picture; ditch the objective please.

3. Job from the 80’s. This only bothers me because I know employers see it and throw you out immediately. Age discrimination is real. I will write another article on age discrimination and how you can fight it but in the meantime, drop the jobs from the 70’s, 80’s and even the early 90’s.

2. Window 95…actually 95, 97, 99, 2000 and 2005.  Some employers are ancient and still use old software but you don’t need to market yourself as a dinosaur for their sake.

1. Number one is a tie between using “I” to lead off you bullet points and using the same verb. Check it out.

• Supervised a group…
• Supervised a team…
• Supervised a project…
• Worked with the boss…
• Worked with the manager…
• Worked with a team…

Come on, mix it up a little please!

And for you Executives; I also hate the terms “Results Driven…” or “Results oriented…” – it’s overplayed. Separate yourself from the pack folks. You want to be seen? Well, stand out!  Let’s create you a better resume which gets results.

Join the Resume Crusade.

[email protected]