While you know that your resume should be truthful and you know that your resume should not contain any spelling errors, it might surprise you to learn some of the truly odd and unexplainable items our resume writers have seen on a resume. Here’s a look at some of the best resume builder fails we’ve seen throughout the years.
1. Colorful Resumes
While Elle Woods of Legally Blonde fame might get away with a pink scented resume, this type of resume only works in the world of make-believe. The best resume builder experts have seen resumes printed out on colorful paper as well as resumes where every section is printed in a different color. Sometimes, each section included a unique typeface and color. This type of resume is not appropriate for any profession, even if the office tends to have an artistic or whimsical atmosphere.
2. Photography & Graphics
It’s never a good idea to include a photograph of yourself, and writers for the best resume builder companies will always suggest you remove this picture, even if it’s a professional head shot. However, many people add pictures to their resume that are even less appropriate than a professional business photograph. We’ve seen resumes with bikini shots, people holding alcoholic drinks and even making funny faces. Additionally, we’ve even seen one or two comic book or cartoon characters on a resume, as well as emoji’s. This type of resume definitely will end up in the trash, no doubt after the hiring manager has passed it around the office for the staff’s amusement.
3. Inappropriate Email Address
The best resume builder services will check over every inch of your resume to ensure that it looks polished and professional, and this includes your email address. Everyone needs a professional email address that is not tied to their personal email or their current work email. We’ve seen many people who use their current work email as a contact, and this simply showcases that you have no respect for your current employer. After all, you are willing to use work time to answer non-work emails. Additionally you risk someone in your current workplace somehow finding out that you are sending out resumes to other companies.
However, it’s not just the use of a work email that is inappropriate. We’ve seen some truly interesting email addresses through the years. For instance, we’ve some immature but harmless emails such as DisneyPrincess@hotmail or StarWarsForever@yahoo, but we’ve also seen emails similar to hotchick@yahoo or beerlover@yahoo and much, much worse. The above emails aren’t “real” examples, as we don’t want to expose the real email address, but you probably get the picture. Just sign up for an email address that includes your first and last name only, it’s free and easy, so spend the four minutes it takes to set up a business email.
4. Casual Language
The way you talk with your friends and the way you present yourself on a resume tend to be drastically different. That really should be obvious, and most people understand that they can’t use slang on a resume. Sadly, though, we’ve seen cover letters that end, not with a complimentary close such as “Sincerely,” but rather with “Peace Out,” or “Love.” We’ve seen resumes with profanities and slang terms and text speak such as using the letter “u” instead of “you” or “r” instead of “are.” Believe it or not, this actually happens from time to time, and if a hiring manager sees this type of language, they will throw away your resume immediately.
5. Irrelevant Information
When you submit a resume for review, the best resume builder companies will edit this document and remove any information that seems irrelevant. For instance, perhaps you have several years of professional experience, yet you are still listing part-time jobs you held in college. It’s time to remove this type of work experience and focus on your professional experiences.
Of course, including the part-time jobs held in high school or college isn’t the only type of inappropriate information we’ve seen on resumes. You should never list your religion, marital status or how many children you have, either. Beyond this, we see many people list their hobbies and outside interests. While this might come up during an interview, it should never appear on a resume, but we see it a lot. In fact, we’ve seen some very unique hobbies, including “socializing,” “eating pizza,” “eyebrow tweezing” and “smoking.”
In general, most people truly understand that a resume is a professional document, but that doesn’t mean they know precisely how to right a resume or what information to include. This is where Resume Writing Group comes in, as one of the best resume builder companies; we can create an outstanding, eye-catching resume that appeals to hiring managers as well as creating resumes suitable for applicant tracking software. Don’t risk turning in a substandard resume, contact Resume Writing Group today and let one of our professional writers create a job-winning resume just for you.
