Things Not to Include in a Resume

Professional recruiter Joe Arrigo is the owner of Advisr Enterprises, a company that uses personality type insights to help job seekers discover their talents and match them with their ideal careers. Recently, Joe Arrigo appeared on a podcast to talk about common mistakes people make when writing resumes.

Two mistakes many people make when they are writing their resumes are using vague words and claiming expertise in software that they used little or have not used in years.

Some people fill their resumes with words they think will make them sound unique. These words include goal-oriented, team player, and customer-focused. These descriptions are used so often in resumes that they have stopped being unique. No one will say they are the opposite of these words - not goal-oriented, not a team player, or not customer-focused. Therefore, job seekers who include these descriptions are not revealing anything about themselves.

Claiming expertise in certain software programs is another big mistake. If job seekers have barely used a tool or have not used it in years, they should not claim expertise. This claim may backfire in the interview if the recruiter inquires about the job seeker’s experience with the software.