What Not to Put on Your Resume: 6 Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Chances

What Not to Put on Your Resume: 6 Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Chances

Your resume has one job: get you the interview.

That means every line on the page should help make the case for why an employer should want to speak with you.

After decades in executive recruiting, I can tell you that candidates often hurt themselves with details that are outdated, unnecessary, or simply do not add value.

Here are six things to take off your resume—or rethink—before you apply again.

1. Your Full Home Address

You do not need to include your street address or house number.

Your resume should include:

• City and state
• Phone number
• Professional email address
• LinkedIn URL

That gives a recruiter or hiring manager everything they need to contact you.

2. Empty Buzzwords

Words like:

“Motivated.”

“Hardworking.”

“Team player.”

They sound good, but without proof, they do not tell an employer much.

Instead of describing yourself with generic adjectives, show those qualities through your accomplishments and examples.

Do not just tell me. Show me.

3. Job Duties Without Accomplishments

One of the most common resume mistakes is simply repeating the job description.

For example:

“Responsible for managing client accounts.”

That tells me what your job was.

It does not tell me how well you did it.

A stronger version might be:

“Grew key client accounts by 25% and generated $500K in new revenue.”

Whenever possible, show the impact you made.

Think about what you:

• Increased
• Improved
• Built
• Saved
• Streamlined
• Generated
• Changed

Your resume should communicate your value, not just your responsibilities.

4. An Unprofessional Email Address

Your email address is a small detail, but small details can influence first impressions.

Addresses like:

partygirl97@email.com

or

hotmama222@yahoo.com

should not be on a professional resume.

Create something simple and clean, such as:

firstname.lastname@gmail.com

Your email should look professional before anyone even opens your resume.

5. Every Job You Have Ever Had

Your resume is not your autobiography.

You do not necessarily need to include every position you have held since you entered the workforce.

Ask yourself:

Does this experience strengthen my candidacy for the job I want now?

If the answer is no, it may not need to be there.

Your resume should tell a clear career story and position you for where you are going next.

6. “References Available Upon Request”

You can delete this line.

Employers already know they can request references when they need them.

Use that valuable space to communicate an accomplishment, skill, qualification, or result that helps differentiate you.

The Bottom Line

A strong resume is not about cramming as much information as possible onto a page.

It is about choosing the right information.

Every line should answer one question:

Does this make the employer more interested in talking to me?

If it does not, reconsider whether it belongs.

Your resume does not have to tell your entire career story.

It simply needs to make a strong enough case to get you into the room.

Tangent West has spent more than three decades recruiting and placing professionals across executive support, operations, human resources, accounting and finance, and leadership roles.

And if you need another set of eyes, the team at Tangent West is always happy to take a look at your resume and help you strengthen it before your next opportunity.

Cheryl Grimaldi, CPC
President/Founder
Tangent West
cgrimaldi@tangentwest.com
970-390-0773 
www.tangentwest.com