Resume Failure is all in the Details

What makes a good resume? A Bad one?  It’s all in the details.

Rather than being a comprehensive professional bio, your resume is a concise document with a specific goal – to get you a job. Every detail on your resume should serve that goal.

As you draft your resume, be sure to avoid:

Too Many Details

Your resume should be free of redundant, outdated and empty details.

There is no need, then, to inform a prospective employer that you were valedictorian in the 6^th grade (a detail that a hiring manager said he has seen on an applicant’s resume). And avoid empty details that don’t really say anything about why an employer should hire you – that means no team player, quick learner or detail oriented.

 Show, don’t tell. If you are a great team player, illustrate that trait with a real-world example:  Collaborated with engineering, content and sales teams to launch new website ahead of schedule.

Irrelevant Details

Worse than an empty detail is an irrelevant one. While it doesn’t belong on your resume, results-focused professional at least attempts to speak generally about what kind of worker you are. On the other hand, Experienced with a chainsaw or Shaken hands with Anderson Cooper (both of which appeared on resumes) are, in most cases, totally irrelevant.

Remember the goal of your resume and make sure every detail you include is working for you. Irrelevant details work against you. Something like Made coffee on a daily basis, a second pot if needed for a position unrelated to brewing coffee is good for a laugh. But it’s not your job to provide comic relief to hiring managers (unless, of course, that is the job you’re applying for. If that’s the case, by all means, make them laugh).