Essential Resume Tips

Check out my thoughts and tips on what works (and what doesn’t) based on my years of experience reviewing thousands of resumes.

Speaking of Resumes!I was chatting this morning with a young lady who helps people with their resumes. This got me thinking about the thousands of resumes I’ve reviewed during my career as a manager and business owner. While there are Golden Rules like “don’t make your resume too long” (true, I don’t even look at resumes longer than two pages), are all the Golden Rules universally accurate? For example, do you really need a photo? Probably not—I’m going to Google you anyway—but it’s a nice touch.

I thought I’d jot down my personal thoughts on resumes. This is NOT a ‘how-to’ guide—just my perspective!

Definite No’s:~ Any typos at all. Attention to detail is critical.~ Signs of carelessness. Examples include inconsistent fonts, dates out of order, or obvious copying and pasting. These scream, “I didn’t pay attention.”

Annoying (But Not a Dealbreaker):I might roll my eyes at these, but I’m still willing to consider the candidate if they have the right experience and explanations:~ Boilerplate objectives: “To find a job with a company that utilizes my skills…” Blah, blah, yadda, yadda. Is that really your goal, or just what you think people want to hear?~ Wordy McWordy: Less is more. Say what needs to be said—concisely.~ Over-fancifying roles: Example: You were a server. That’s great! It shows you’re hardworking and capable of long hours. But don’t tell me you were a “liaison between the kitchen and the customer.” I know what a server does. Instead, focus on why you enjoyed your job and what you learned from it.

The Ideal Resume (In My Opinion): A great resume gets straight to the point:

1. Who are you?

2. What is your experience?

3. How can points 1 and 2 help my company?

Edited to add: For those of you who let ChatGPT write your entire resume … I see you! 😁