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At this point in your career, you've probably heard a lot of the same advice about writing your resume: keep it concise, check your grammar, and always have someone proofread it. But there's so much more than that to achieving a killer resume. We sat down with five Los Angeles tech recruiters to hear their worst resume horror stories and their basic dos and don'ts when it comes to marketing yourself to a potential employer:
Michael Charleston
Recruiting Manager at LootCrate
What are the most common mistakes you see people make on their resumes?
A large proportion of resumes I see are poorly formatted, some much worse than others. Sometimes it's something simple like a bullet being misaligned. Other times it's multiple fonts with varying sizes. Check out the resume formats that HBS, MIT, and other top MBA grads use (hint: it's simple). Career counselor's at these institutions have spent a good deal of time figuring out what formats work best. I would suggest not trying to reinvent the wheel. Though if you're looking for a creative job, you probably do need to spice it up a bit.
What is the worst mistake you've seen someone make?
I've seen a couple of resumes that spelled "Public School" without the "L".
What are some simple tricks people can use to better present themselves on their resume?
A recruiter makes a "fit/no-fit" decision within seconds of viewing your resume. Eye tracking has shown that they're looking at your name, education, recent job history, and dates of employment. Whatever you think about the morals of this, you should still make it easy for them to find this information - and quickly. Clearly label dates of employment, job titles, and company info. Oh, and this is why recruiters truly hate functional resumes!
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Alexis Kavazanjian
People Operations Manager at Factual
What are the most common mistakes you see people make on their resumes?
Spelling and grammatical errors are the most common and the easiest to avoid. Double and triple check your resume before you submit it. Ask your friends and family for an extra pair of eyes to catch anything you may have missed. I’ve also been addressed as Mr. more times than I can remember. If you aren’t sure of the correct salutation it’s probably best to leave it off.
What is the worst mistake you've seen someone make?
Cover letters addressed to the wrong person or company. If the job description lists attention to detail as one of the requirements, you can bet a mistake like this will get your resume tossed.
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Drew Greeley
Director of Technical Recruiting at Instantly
What is the worst mistake you've seen someone make?
I don’t recall ever seeing something so bad that it irked me, but I’m not a fan of candidates who include graphics on their resumes. Candidates who lie about experience on their resumes is also a big "no-no”. Here at Instantly we dive deep into candidates’ technical background with Coding Challenges, White Boarding and Technical Discussions. We will find out if your skills don’t back up what’s on your resume.
What are some simple tricks people can use to better present themselves on their resume?
The key to building an effective resume is to keep it as sharp and short as possible (preferably one page). An effective resume is one that is “eye-catching” to the hiring manager or recruiter. Avoid using lengthy descriptions of your job duties at each employer, instead highlight and tailor these descriptions to fit the job you are applying for. Hiring Managers/Recruiters look at hundreds of resumes a day and do not have time to read every bullet point on a resume, thus lengthy resumes usually get overlooked. Remember, a resume is a personal marketing tool and should be treated as such. Including links to your GitHub, LinkedIn and/or online portfolio is very helpful as well.
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Ali Ladjevardi
Director, Talent Acquisition at AssetAvenue
What is the worst mistake you've seen someone make?
The worst resume mistake you can make is to lie about your qualifications, experience or skill-set. If it is on your resume, be prepared to speak on whatever is written on your resume. If you are caught lying during a phone or on-site interview, you will 100% lose your chance at getting that job. Never bluff on your resume.
What are some simple tricks people can use to better present themselves on their resume?
Always customize your resume for each position you apply for. This should include a customized objective and professional summary.
Delete and get rid of meaningless words such as hard-working, charismatic, energetic, loyal, committed, driven, and team-player. These are things every applicant should have. The interview will be based upon specific job related skills and cultural fit. Instead of using these type of buzz-words, use keywords that match the job description and job you are applying for.
Use Data. If you are applying for a sales position, include that you were 350% over quota and in the top 5 out of 100 salespeople.
Director, Talent Acquisition at SweetyHigh
What are the most common mistakes you see people make on their resumes?
I’ve seen great potential candidates with resumes that are way too long or with bad formatting. There is never a reason to have a 3,4 or 7 page resume. It’s also important to have a clean format with good spacing and font. This is our first impression of you besides your LinkedIn profile shot. That’s another topic...
What is the worst mistake you've seen someone make?
I once reviewed a resume that looked great for the role. I went to compare with their LinkedIn profile and they were so completely off on dates, had companies turned around, others missed, a degree listed one place and not in another. Rule number one is honesty!
