Resume Do's and Don'ts

There is a lot of information available on the web regarding goofs people make in resumes -- Do’s and Don’t’s, essentially. I’ll try not to repeat all that information here, but I do want to mention few things I consider important.

Spelling: In this day of automated spell checkers there should be no excuse for spelling errors. What I see more often though is misspellings in tech terms – e.g., ‘Ajacks’, ‘Pearl’, or ‘Sequel’ . Not only does this look silly, it also tells me that you likely have no real understanding of the technology.

Tense: Generally your summary / objectives and skills list should be written in the present tense ( ”I am…”) or neutral tense (“Skilled engineer…”). Accomplishments and work experience sections should be in the past tense (“I did…”). You should not vary from this format without good reason.

Perspective: Your resume can be presented in the first person perspective (“I am a …”), or neutral (“Experienced developer with…”), or rarely, even in the third person (“Joe Blow is a solid…”). But you should avoid mixing them up.

Sentences vs. Snippets: If you’re going to write in snippets rather than sentences, do so consistently throughout the resume. Try not to mix the two forms.

Action Verbs: These are good, but vary them. e.g., don’t start every single sentence with “Designed…” or “Developed…”

Errors in grammar: This is more common among those for whom English is a second language, but I see it also with (presumably) native English speakers. Don’t rely solely on Word’s grammar suggestions (the squiggly green lines), as they can be misleading. Pick up a copy of Strunk & White if you need to.

“Weasel Words”: A lot of adjectives are essentially meaningless and will likely be ignored (e.g., ‘Solid’, ‘Skilled’, ‘Dedicated’, ‘Professional’‘, “Goal-Oriented”). However, some invite more scrutiny as they make the candidate sound better in a way that’s difficult or impossible to back up. e.g.,

• “Proven performer” – Exactly how was this proven?
• “Integral member of…” – Just how integral were they?
• “Acclaimed as …” – Acclaimed by whom?

If you insist on using these vaguely suspicious superlatives, don’t be surprised if I challenge you to back them up.