Pongo Resume

Since it's International Update Your Resume Month, I thought I'd share an oldie-but-goodie post to help you update your resume and avoid common mistakes. Enjoy!

When we get anxious about looking for a new job, we tend to overlook obvious details in our resumes. Example: A man who'd been working overseas had a great resume, but forgot to update his contact information when he returned to the States. That meant every potential employer got an overseas mailing address and phone number. Guess how many of them called him for an interview. Can you say "woops"?

You might think you'd never make such an obvious mistake, but it happens all the time, especially if you haven't so much as glanced at your resume in several years.

So here are the top 10 careless mistakes to avoid when you update your own resume:

1. Inactive email address. Make sure it's the one you use today, not the one you disabled five years ago. And triple-check the spelling!
2. Old phone numbers, or no number at all!
3. Old mailing address. Even if you just moved, sending a resume with your old mailing address is inexcusable. This is especially critical if you've made a long distance move. Let's say you moved from South Carolina to Utah but didn't update your resume. Employers in Utah could easily dismiss your resume, assuming you live on the other side of the country and might expect relocation reimbursements.
4. Missing experience. The resume that got you a job five years ago is not going to impress today's employers if you forget to add your most recent job to the list, complete with experience and accomplishments.
5. Confusing abbreviations and acronyms. Every company has internal lingo and acronyms, but that's exactly what they are—internal. Maybe your old boss knew what "NIOSH 582 Method 7400," "AOR," or "IBS-CMM" stood for, but the person reading your resume might have no idea. Explain and spell out anything questionable.
6. Nondescript company names. Wow, you did some great work for SmallCo., but who are they and what do they do? Unless your employer was a household name like Dell, Amazon.com, Apple, or IBM, always include a very brief description of the type and size of the business.
7. Outdated and irrelevant jobs. Don't just add new experience to your resume, subtract old positions, too! That daycare job in high school might have helped get you into an entry-level retail position, but now that you have a few years of relevant experience behind you, take out the stuff that no longer matters. (While you're at it, take out anything that goes beyond the last 10-15 years.)
8. References included. One word: NO! Do not include references on your resume, and don't even say "References available upon request." That's sooooo 2000.
9. Bad filename. What you name your resume is more important than you think. Nondescript or out-of date names like "MyResume2004," or names that include typos or another company's name will all put a bad taste in the employer's mouth. (Get more on this topic in the links below.)
10. Unnecessary education info. When you were looking for your first post-college job, it may have been a good idea to state your class ranking, GPA, leadership roles you held on campus, and academic honors you received. But if it's been at least five years since you graduated, you should list nothing more than the name of your school; the degree, diploma, or certification you received; and the year of completion.

Sometimes it's the most obvious issues that are hardest to see. Avoiding these 10 mistakes won't guarantee you'll have a perfect resume, but they will guarantee you don't get posted on the employer's bulletin board as a bad example.

For more resume dos and don'ts, check out these posts:
Top 10 Things to NOT Put in a Resume
The Resume Mistake Even Savvy Job Seekers Make
Check Your Resume Before You Send It

1. With regard to the filename, does it make sense to use your name as a part of the file name? I have always thought this was a good idea.

2 With regard to address, what are your thoughts on personal security as it relates to home addresses being published on the web? On more than one occasion, I have seen the resume on a highly visible professionals website that lists their home address. I don't believe they even have taken this into account as I know many senior level professionals don't want the public to have such easy access to their personal information. Is it appropriate to say something like "Address: PRIVATE, Mesa, AZ?"

Best regards,

Anthony

As for #2, personal security relating to home addresses is a personal preference. Many professionals who post their resumes on their own websites (graphic designers, for example) are aware that it's publicly available for anyone who cares to look at it. The same goes for letting Monster display your resume publicly. In my personal opinion: If you are wary of making your home address public, I'd lean away from using "Address: PRIVATE" and put in the extra effort to make sure your entire resume is private and only viewable by people you allow to see it.

But also remember that the web can contain dozens of links to information about you, so Google yourself and see what comes up. If you go the extra mile to make your resume private to hide your address, you should probably make sure your address doesn't turn up anywhere else that's easily accessible by the general public.

Does that help? :)

That's a very good question! There are two things you can do here:

1. Use your current address on your resume, then use your cover letter to address your interest in relocating, making sure to point out that they don't have to worry about footing the bill for your move (in more professional words, of course!). There's no telling if the employer will read your cover letter first, but if your resume is appealing enough, they should go back to your cover letter to find out more. The out of state address shouldn't be an immediate turn-off if your qualifications are on the mark!

2. Replace your current address with the address of a friend or relative who lives in the state you're applying to work in. Once you get a callback for an interview, you can explain your situation and make the effort to drive/fly out for an in-person interview, on your own dime of course!

Good luck!

-Brianna