10 Do’s and Don’ts of Resume Writing

10 Do’s and Don’ts of Resume Writing

Crafting a compelling resume is essential for capturing the attention of potential employers. Understanding the best practices and common pitfalls can make all the difference in presenting yourself as a strong candidate. Here are 10 detailed do’s and don’ts of resume writing, complete with thorough explanations and contextualized examples, to help you create an impactful resume.

Do Tailor Your Resume for Each Job

Customizing your resume for each job application shows employers that you are specifically interested in their position and understand the unique requirements of the role. If you tailored your resume for a marketing role, you might have to highlight your experience in digital marketing: ‘Developed and executed social media campaigns that increased engagement by 30%.’ This makes your application more relevant to the job. Similarly, if you applied for a project management position, you might have to focus on your organizational skills: ‘Led multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring all deadlines were met.’ This demonstrates your capability in handling the role’s demands. Lastly imagine aiming for a customer service job, emphasize your communication skills: ‘Resolved customer complaints efficiently, maintaining a high satisfaction rate.’ This aligns your skills with the job requirements.

Don’t Include Irrelevant Information

Including irrelevant information can clutter your resume and distract from your qualifications. Focus on what’s pertinent to the job you’re applying for. This is illustrated below;

Tom initially included his part-time job as a barista on his engineering resume. He revised it to focus on his internships and relevant coursework: ‘Completed a summer internship at XYZ Engineering, assisting in the development of renewable energy solutions.’ This made his resume more focused.
Anna, applying for a teaching position, removed her high school summer jobs from her resume and instead highlighted her teaching assistant experience: ‘Assisted in classroom management and lesson planning, contributing to a positive learning environment.’ This improved the relevance of her resume.
John, seeking a sales role, initially listed his unrelated hobby as a musician. He revised his resume to focus on sales achievements: ‘Exceeded sales targets by 20% consistently over two years.’ This made his resume more targeted.

Do Use Action Verbs and Quantify Achievements

Action verbs make your resume more dynamic and engaging. Quantifying achievements provides concrete evidence of your contributions. For instance, you can have a resume become more compelling when you use action verbs and quantifies your achievements: ‘Implemented new sales strategies, resulting in a 25% increase in revenue.’ This showcases your impact effectively. While revising your resume to include action verbs and metrics: ‘Developed and launched a new product line, increasing market share by 15%.’ This highlights your success clearly. Conclusively, Jessica’s resume transformation included action verbs and quantified results: ‘Streamlined office procedures, reducing operational costs by 10%.’ This demonstrated her efficiency.

Don’t Use Generic Templates

Generic templates can make your resume look unoriginal. Personalizing the design can help you stand out. If you initially used a generic template that made your resume blend in. You will need to switch to a customized design that reflect your professional brand: ‘Customized header with professional logo and modern layout.’ This makes your resume visually appealing. Moreover, a generic resume template replaced with a sleek, personalized format: ‘Incorporating color accents and a unique font to match your creative industry.’ This makes your resume distinctive. Additionally, a resume using a standard template, but changed to a format that highlights skills visually: ‘Using infographic elements to showcase key skills and achievements.’ This makes a resume stand out.

Do Keep It Concise and Relevant

A concise resume ensures that employers can quickly identify your qualifications and achievements. Aim for clarity and brevity. For instance, you could have two-page resume condensed to one page by focusing on relevant experience: ‘Remove outdated and irrelevant job details, highlighting key roles and accomplishments.’ This makes your resume more impactful. Imagine James, with a lengthy resume, he will have to streamline it by emphasizing significant achievements: ‘Consolidate minor roles and focus on primary positions that showcased his skills.’ This improved readability.” Moreover, Laura, seeking a finance role, trimmed her resume by omitting less relevant jobs: ‘Focused on finance-related roles and accomplishments, removing unrelated positions.’ This enhanced focus.

Don’t Forget to Proofread

Errors and typos can create a negative impression. Proofreading ensures your resume is polished and professional. Lets look at these scenarios; John’s initial resume had several typos. After thorough proofreading, it read, ‘Managed a team of 10, increasing productivity by 20%.’ This improved accuracy and professionalism.” Anna’s resume contained formatting inconsistencies. After reviewing, she corrected them: ‘Ensured consistent font and spacing throughout the document.’ This made her resume more cohesive.” Emily’s resume had grammatical errors that were corrected upon proofreading: ‘Achieved a 15% increase in customer satisfaction through improved service strategies.’ This improved readability.

Do Highlight Relevant Skills

Emphasizing relevant skills helps match your qualifications to the job requirements, making your resume more attractive to employers. For instance, if you’re highlighting your relevant technical skills for an IT role: “Proficient in Java, Python, and SQL, with hands-on experience in software development.” This aligns your skills with the job. Now, picture applying for a marketing role, you will have to emphasize your digital marketing skills: “Skilled in SEO, PPC, and content marketing, with a track record of driving engagement.” This showcases your expertise. Lastly, imagine targeting a sales position and highlighting your sales skills: “Expert in CRM software, lead generation, and closing sales deals.” This makes your skills clear and relevant.

Don’t Include Personal Information

Personal information like age, marital status, or social security number is unnecessary and can lead to potential biases. Stick to professional details. For example, imagine you initially included your marital status on your resume. Removing it and instead focusing on your professional qualifications: “Experienced HR professional with a strong background in employee relations,” keeps your resume professional. Now, picture your resume listing your birthdate. By removing it to avoid potential bias, you maintain professionalism: “Skilled project manager with expertise in agile methodologies.” Lastly, imagine your resume initially had your social security number. Removing it for privacy reasons and focusing on your qualifications: “Certified accountant with extensive experience in financial reporting,” ensures confidentiality.

Do Use a Professional Email Address

A professional email address creates a positive impression and reinforces your professionalism. Avoid using casual or unprofessional email addresses. For instance; John switched from a casual email address (john123@gmail.com) to a professional one (john.doe@gmail.com): ‘Updated contact information to reflect a more professional tone.’ This enhanced his credibility. Similarly, Anna changed her email from a nickname-based address (anna.banana@yahoo.com) to a formal one (anna.smith@yahoo.com): ‘Ensured contact details were professional and appropriate for job applications.’ This improved her resume’s professionalism. Finally, David’s email address was updated from a gaming handle (gamer_dave@outlook.com) to a professional address (david.jones@outlook.com): ‘Reflected a professional image through updated contact details.’ This reinforced his professionalism.

Don’t Use Unprofessional Fonts or Styles

Using unprofessional fonts or styles can make your resume look amateurish. Stick to clean, professional fonts and consistent formatting. For instance, you initially used a playful font on your resume, but you switched to a professional font like Arial. This update ensured a professional appearance and greatly improved readability and professionalism. Your resume originally had inconsistent formatting. You standardized it with uniform headings and bullet points, giving it a polished look and enhancing the overall presentation. Finally, your resume used multiple font styles. You revised it to use a single, professional font, adopting a clean and consistent look that improved coherence and readability.

By following these do’s and don’ts and incorporating detailed examples, you can create a compelling and professional resume that effectively showcases your qualifications. Ready to enhance your resume? Download our free resume template and start building your standout application today!