TOP 20 DO'S & DONT'S FOR 2024 (20 EXPERT TIPS)
By Heath Mcleod
Writing up your resume can be difficult. You may be asking yourself questions like ‘How much information should I put?’ ‘Am I not adding enough?’ ‘Am I adding too much?’.
With our 20 helpful do’s and don’ts, they can help you get on track with writing an excellent as well as a professional resume. Look no further!
10 Do's
Keep a consistent, easily-readable format
This will help the consultant/interviewer read your resume with no hiccups. Keep your font size the same as well as a neat text, this will keep your resume looking professional.
Focus on positive results and accomplishments
Don’t be afraid to show your strengths and skills. List your accomplishments and your focus for the future. This will show the consultant/interviewer your knowledge and positive attitude.
Proofread your work
The worst thing to have is an untidy resume with misspelt words, this lacks interest and will not give you a professional look. Give your resume to a friend or an advisor for help if you are unsure. There’s no harm in proofreading!
Give examples
Make sure to provide examples, this will ensure that you are passionate and you have knowledge gained. Consultants/interviewers want examples, they want to see what you are capable of and the work you have done.
Add a personal statement in the beginning
By adding this statement, it will give potential employers a broad outline of your skills and experience as well as your past jobs and education.
List your job responsibilities
Employers want to see what work you have done and the duties you were responsible of. This will give them an idea of your work ethic as well as what you are capable of. Lay these responsibilities out in a bullet format to prevent untidiness.
List the most important, relevant items first
For example, you may want to put your accomplishments and projects first, this will show how much experience you have and knowledge gained. You may also consider putting the most important bullet points first.
Tell the truth
This is a very important tip as employers are looking to hire someone they can trust. A background check will reveal any lies about your criminal record. Lying could make you lose a job and potentially affect your future chances of getting a job.
Add your skills
Make sure to list all your skills as well as your personal attributes, add these in a bullet point form to prevent untidiness. This will determine your capabilities as well as your personality.
Add your education
By adding your education, this allows a potential employer to see the level of education you are at and if you fit the job requirements. Make sure to add this section at the beginning of your resume just under your personal information.
10 Dont's
Don’t overload
The worst thing to do is overload your resume with irrelevant information. This will make it look messy, untidy and unprofessional. Stick to bullet point formats and adding in necessary and important information that will portray your skills and abilities.
Leaving gaps
Having unexplained gaps in your employment history raises questions and red flags. Rather give explanations as to why there are gaps. This will give employers an idea of what you were doing during those gap periods. Never leave important information out of your resume.
Misleading information
The worst thing to do is lie on your resume. Recruiters can spot information that does not stack up. They are looking out for things such as qualifications, salaries, job titles as well as achievements. Background checks will always be done, so rather be truthful as lying could potentially ruin your chances of landing a job in the future.
Bad formatting
Do not have different size fonts and text sizes in your resume, rather stick to a simple font and text size. Having bad formatting will eliminate the flow in a resume and chances are, employers will not want to go through it. Keep your resume simple with the necessary information.
Salary expectations
Expectations of salary are not something to be advertised on your resume. This could lead you to potentially losing out on a role because of a salary mis match. Salary expectations can be discussed on an interview.
Don’t rush your resume
A rushed resume sticks out like a sore thumb. Rather take the time to work on your resume adding in the necessary information. Your resume is the first thing a potential employer looks at. Always go over your resume.
Incorrect grammar
It is so important to proof-read your resume before sending it off. Incorrect grammar will make your resume look unprofessional. Always remember to proof-read! Even if this means asking a friend or advisor to go over it.
Don’t include random hobbies
Although you may be good at certain hobbies, employers are not looking for that. Eliminate anything that’s not totally transferable to work-related skills. By doing this, you can add something more relevant and skill-related to your resume.
Not adding examples
Make sure to not add your experience and responsibilities without any explanations and examples. Always add examples as this will show employers what you are capable of and the work you have done.
Irrelevant information
Don’t include irrelevant information in your resume, such as personal information, hobbies etc. This results in wasted space. Rather use the extra space to add information relevant to the position you are looking for.
