Hiring Managers are tired of reading resumes that don’t really say anything. Hiring managers want consistency, and a resumes that explains your accomplishments. To help with this process, business writing teacher David Silverman made a list of nine ways “to Write a Resume That Doesn’t Annoy People.”
They’re all great, but here are my three favorites:
- Keep the Formatting Consistent – Silverman notices when the dashes are different sizes. And while not all hiring managers are that particular, they will notice when the bullets are off or the spacing is funky. Make your resume look like you put some effort in to doing it right.
- Use Dates for Everything – Worried about looking too old or too young? Leaving the dates out just makes you look sneaky. Instead, explain any gaps in your cover letter, but make sure that every event on your resume has a date listed.
- Pick Your Verbs Carefully – Silverman says to “choose verbs that mean something.” Instead of using general words like “assisted with” or “contributed to” try using specific words that apply to the actual action you performed. “The more specific, the better.”