When you're looking for a new job, having a good resume is critical. It represents your chance to show off your skills, experiences, and qualifications, so making a good impression with it could be the difference between you getting the job or not. Following are some dos and don'ts to consider as you put your resume together.
Do Tailor Your Resume to the Job Application
Just as you might personalize an email, it's a good idea to tailor your resume to the specific job you're applying for. Customize it to align with the job description. If it makes sense, consider using keywords or phrases that were in the job posting. You can also take the opportunity to highlight or emphasize specific skills or experience that are relevant to this particular job. If you use a generic resume for every application, you may fail to show off why you are actually a good fit for a particular role.
Do Keep It Clean and Professional
Make sure your resume has a clean look and feel that conveys professionalism. It should be easy to read and visually appealing. Use a simple font, clear headings, bullet points, and sufficient white space to make it easily readable. Be consistent with formatting, and avoid using excessive bold, italics, or underlining. Too much emphasis can make the resume appear cluttered. Those reading it will want to be able to quickly scan, so make it easy for them to do so.
Do Include Your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn is a major place to find jobs, as well as for employers to find candidates. Hopefully, you've already been maintaining your LinkedIn profile. If not, take the time to make it presentable, and include a link to it on your resume. This will give the employer more to look at and show them that you're serious about your professional life.
"Right up there with your contact information, you should have the URL to your LinkedIn profile," career coach Cynthia Pong tells NPR.* "It's basically the online version of your resume, with more bells and whistles. People are going to Google you before the interview, so you may as well put it in there and make it as easy as possible for the person who's hiring."
Don't Include an Unprofessional Email Address
It's good to include your email address on your resume for easy contact, but don't include one that exudes unprofessionalism. Don't use one that includes nicknames, quirky words, etc. For example, something like johnsmith@outlook.com looks better than johnnyboyUNLVFan@gmail.com. It may be best to avoid outdated domains like aol.com or hotmail.com, as well. If you need to set up a new email address for your job search, do so. You want employers to take you seriously, and even something as seemingly minor as your email address can give them an impression one way or the other.
Don't Overshare
Don't include more information than really needed on your resume. Include the things that are important to your professional life, but that's really all you need.
"Refrain from including information that's irrelevant to the job search," says Indeed.** "You may also omit information that the employer doesn't specifically request. Family details, such as marital status and number of children are not often required, though an employer may request that information during the initial hiring process and onboarding."
Don't Be Dishonest
It may be tempting to exaggerate or embellish on your resume to make yourself look more appealing to potential employers, but doing so will not work in your favor in the long run, even if you manage to fool them in the beginning. For one, you may embarrass yourself during the interview process when you're unable to come up with good answers to questions related to your qualifications. Worse yet, if you get the job, you may find yourself in over your head or your employer may find out quickly that you don't have the skills they hired you for. Either scenario is likely to end with you being terminated from the position.
Be honest about your skills and experiences, and let them know you're open to learning new ones.
Your resume can tell employers a lot about the kind of candidate you are, so it's important to take the time to create a good one. There are lots of ways to make your resume either better or worse, but if you consider the dos and don'ts above, you will be headed in the right direction.
* https://www.npr.org/2024/01/08/1199885893/refresh-your-resume-current-best-practices
** https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/resume-dos-and-donts