How to Avoid Writing a Bad Resume

Writing a bad resume can drastically reduce your chances of landing your dream job. Your resume is often the first impression you make on potential employers.

A poorly crafted resume can lead to missed opportunities. From formatting mistakes to irrelevant details, there are several common errors that can hurt your application.

In this blog post, we’ll cover key strategies to help you avoid writing a bad resume. These strategies will ensure your application stands out for all the right reasons.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your career, these tips will guide you toward crafting a compelling resume.

This post may contain affiliate links, as explained in our Disclosure Policy

If you want to write a good resume to land your dream job, here are over 12 items you must not include in it:

Avoid Including Unnecessary Personal Information

While writing your resume, you should stick to the material that is most relevant to the position you’re applying for. Highlight the accomplishments that will make you a great employee for the company.

You may provide a quick explanation. Do this if you had a particularly life-changing experience that led to your current employment. Otherwise, avoid including unnecessary information about yourself on your resume.

Avoid Using Tiny Texts on Your Resume

Changing the font size may appear to be a good approach to freeing up space on your resume so that you can include more information. However, you want your resume to be easy to read so a recruiter is able to read as much of it as possible.

Reduce your resume to a manageable length by emphasizing your most relevant abilities. Use bullet points or brief phrases to keep your word count down.

Also, leave some white space on the page for visual appeal. Use a clear, easy-to-read font in a reasonable size to make your resume look professional.

Avoid Using First-Person Language (“I”, “we”, or “me”)

Do not use personal pronouns on your resume. Such pronouns as “I,” “me,” and “we” should not be included.

The resume is yours, therefore, everything on it is already assumed to be about you. For instance, instead of writing, “I managed 20 aides”, you should write “managed 20 aides.”

Avoid Adding Irrelevant Interests and Hobbies

To avoid writing a bad resume, you should not include irrelevant hobbies and interests which are not related to the position you’re applying for.

Everyone has hobbies and interests, and most individuals believe that the more distinctive their hobbies are, the more it will distinguish their resumes from the other applicants’.

The truth is that hiring managers don’t care about how you spend your free time when their immediate focus is on finding candidates who meet the requirements they’re looking for.

Read also: How to Write the Perfect Resume: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Get the Job You Want

You should highlight hobbies and interests that are particularly relevant to the job you’re applying for. For instance, if you’re applying for a position as a Music teacher, do not include coin collecting or gardening as hobbies.

A section on your resume listing your hobbies and interests is usually optional. Your hobbies are less likely to be relevant if you have more professional experience or job expertise to add to your resume.

Avoid Using The Wrong Type of Email

If you’re applying for a position, avoid using an email address from an outdated account like AOL or Hotmail. You should at least use a Gmail or Outlook email address.

“Hotmail” is outdated, and doesn’t sound like anything serious. If you use it only for private correspondence, you’ll be ok.

However, you should avoid using a Hotmail address for business purposes, or worse, send job applications from a Hotmail address.

Even if you don’t mind your e-mail address ending in @hotmail.com, you should be aware that some people do, particularly human resource managers.

Read also: Crush Your Career: Ace the Interview, Land the Job, and Launch Your Future

Avoid Using Mailing Address That’s Not Local

Some employers prefer to consider only local candidates when screening to fill open vacancies. Therefore, if you’re looking to relocate and are applying for jobs outside of your state, it’s probably best to leave your address off your resume.

Instead, consider noting on your resume that you intend to relocate. For instance:

Jammie Jones
(000) 000-0000
[email protected]
Relocating to Palm Bay, FL in Summer 2021

Avoid Negative Comments About a Former Employer

When drafting your resume, you shouldn’t include details about why you left a job. Also, if you’re still working at a job, avoid mentioning why you’re unhappy in your present position.

You might make a statement about the type of role you want, but keep it positive. Similarly, while explaining your experience, stick to the objective facts about your accomplishments in the role.

It’s OK to emphasize some of your obstacles and how you overcome them but refrain from criticizing other companies you worked for.

Read also: The Resume Writing Guide: A Step-by-Step Workbook for Writing a Winning Resume

Avoid Adding a Professional Headshot

Keep your resume to plain text only, unless specifically requested to add photographs. It’s not a good idea to include a headshot.

You don’t need to include a headshot unless you wish to be considered for the main role in a big-screen film. Some recruiters actually find it unprofessional if you include a headshot on your resume.

Avoid Adding Vague Skills

If you have certain skills you’d like to mention in your resume, you should be specific in highlighting them. Do not write that you’re good at multitasking. Instead, you should say something like “supervised multiple projects simultaneously from start to completion, leading to a 10% increase in revenue.”

Read also: What Color Is Your Parachute? 2021: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success

Avoid Spelling Mistakes and Grammatical Errors

It’s always advisable to proofread your resume after it’s been written. You may ask a friend, family member, or coworker to proofread your resume for any errors you may have missed. You can also use the spelling and grammar checks found in your word processor or online. Another way to encourage yourself to focus on each word is to read your resume aloud.

Avoid Including Outdated Work Experience

When writing your resume, you should include no more than four or five previous positions. Ideally, the positions shouldn’t span more than 10 to 15 years. The older a position is, the less interested job recruiters will be in it.

Inaccuracies about your experience or qualifications

Dishonest assertions are at the top of the list of things you must not include in your resume. Half-truths, errors, and misleading remarks are all examples of this. Avoid lying about your background on your resume.

Summary

While creating your resume, you should consider what will stick out to a recruiter. The hiring officer may be reading hundreds of resumes in a day.

Focus on the areas where you thrive and use them to your advantage. A well-written resume makes it easier for them to see what you could bring to the role.

It’s normal to be concerned about leaving something out but resist the urge to exaggerate your accomplishments or include irrelevant material.

Concentrate your efforts on areas where you can demonstrate your abilities and where your experience and accomplishments speak for themselves.

Read also: How to Dress for An Interview