A recent poll of technical recruiters and hiring managers asked for the top "pet peeves" - things they see on resumes and cover letters that make them less interested in speaking with a candidate. These make great examples of how not to write your resume.
- Use of the current "tense" in all jobs on the resume.
- Writing the resume or cover letter in the third person.
- Too many grammar and spelling mistakes.
- Use of tiny, tiny fonts (10 pt or less) so as to cram as much information into the resume as possible.
- Photos on resumes (this is a cultural preference).
- A listing of their personal interests and activities.
- Sending a resume attachment named 41808res.doc - use your name or descriptive label.
- Writing the resume using table formats (columns).
- Using a resume that is password protected (without sending the password).
- Including references - but not professional ones - just friends and co-workers.
- Having no contact information on the resume or including a phone number that is no longer valid.
- When a candidate's email address is not appropriate for the work environment. Example: BigFoxyMama@.com
- Resumes that are too long. Most seem to feel that general descriptions pertaining to work history for the last 10 years is sufficient.
- Resume stuffing, for example, listing of every software application you've ever touched as a "skill".
- Education written so its not clear if the degree was obtained.
- Job hopping, which could be contract positions but it's not explained. (If you have been on short term contracts, make sure you clarify that they are contract jobs).
