What Not to Say on Your Resume

Sometimes writing a good resume is not about what you say, but more about what you do not say. Really writing a good resume is a delicate balance of both but there are certainly things that you will want to omit and should never be included on your resume.

Here are some things you should never put on your resume:

• Lies: The most important thing to remember with your resume is that you will want to be completely honest. It may be tempting to lie on your resume but keep in mind that it is getting easier and easier for potential employers to check what you say so be careful. If you have a criminal record you need to put it down as hiding the fact will only hurt you if you are caught. Likewise with your education, you need to be honest about your level of education as a simple check can uncover your dishonesty and cost you the potential job.
• Big embellishments: This is otherwise known as ‘stretching the truth.’ While not technically a lie, big embellishments can cost you a potential job as well. Never say something on your resume like, ‘Got along excellent with Bob Smith,’ if you really didn’t because the world of business is often a small one and you never know who knows who.
• Grammatical errors: Nothing says, ‘Don’t hire me,’ like grammatical errors. If you are not good at catching these then have someone else proof read your resume for you. Grammatical errors happen more often than you think so be sure that your resume is checked and rechecked.
• Unprofessional e-mail address: A great thing to have on your resume is an e-mail address where your contact information goes. Here is what the bad idea is; a non-professional e-mail address. If your e-mail address is something like love2party@whatever.com, a potential employer probably won’t view that as a clever e-mail, but simply as an unprofessional e-mail and your resume is likely to land at the bottom of the waste basket. If you do not have a normal e-mail address you can get a free e-mail account form Yahoo, Google, Msn, or a host of others. Create one only for your resumes and be sure it sounds professional like love2work@whatever.com.
• Phrases that don’t make sense: Be sure that the phrases you use on your resume make sense. Avoid words such as lurnt, ya’ll, and other slang words that will make a sentence sound off. Instead of ‘I lurnt how to program computers,’ use ‘I learned how to program computers.’
• Cute phrases: Many times people put cute phrases in their resumes in an attempt to cover up a gap of time that they were not employed due to being at home with a child. While putting ‘CEO of the home and taxi for the kids,’ may look cute to you, the potential employer may not agree with you. Some may be bitter that you had the opportunity to stay at home with your kids when they didn’t. It is better to put down that you were a volunteer if it applies or just leave the timeline blank and explain at a later date.

A good resume is what is going to get your foot in the door at the job of your dreams. Making sure that your resume is not only filled with all the right things, but none of the wrong things will give you a better shot at securing the job you are after.

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