Laszlo Bock, senior vice president of People Operations at Google, wrote a two-part feature on “The Biggest Mistakes I See on Resumes, and How to Correct Them.” Thousands of resumes pop up in the Google power player’s email, so if anyone is qualified to speak on the do’s and dont’s of resume writing, surely it’s him.
Bock writes that “Some are brilliant, most are just ok, many are disasters” and he’s seen the same mistakes over and over again through the course of 15 years. “What’s most depressing is that I can tell from the resumes that many of these are good, even great, people,” according to the SVP. “But in a fiercely competitive labor market, hiring managers don’t need to compromise on quality. All it takes is one small mistake and a manager will reject an otherwise interesting candidate.”
To avoid being one of the candidates who gets sifted out over a minor mistake, keep reading the next pages and use Bock’s list of top resume mistakes as a point of reference.
Continue reading on the next page.
Typos
While sending a resume without typos goes without saying, Bock says CaeerBuilder found that 58% of resumes have errors. Job hopefuls who tediously tweak their resumes can actually be at greater risk of making a typo. “…a subject and verb suddenly don’t match up, or a period is left in the wrong place, or a set of dates gets knocked out of alignment. I see this in MBA resumes all the time,” he explains. To avoid this all too common mistake, read your resume from bottom to top because “reversing the normal order helps you focus on each line in isolation.” He also suggests asking someone else to proofread for you.
Length
The Google SVP of People Operations identifies an easy rule of thumb in avoiding lengthy resumes: one page of resume for every ten years of work experience. This may be challenging, but Bock states that anything longer won’t get read closely. “A crisp, focused resume demonstrates an ability to synthesize, prioritize, and convey the most important information about you,” he writes. The purpose of a resume is to land an interview, not to tell your whole life story or convince the employer to hire you (that’s what the interview is for).
Formatting
The format should be pretty standard, clean and legible. Unless you’re applying for a designer or artist position, Bock advises “At least ten point font. At least half-inch margins. White paper, black ink. Consistent spacing between lines, columns aligned, your name and contact information on every page.” He suggests looking at the document in Google Docs, Word, and attaching it an email and opening it as a preview as extra precaution to make sure the format didn’t alter. Saving your resume as a PDF is also a safe option.
Confidential Information
Google found that 5-10% of resumes reveal confidential information. Bock recalls a specific example in which a candidate employed by a top firm with a strict confidentiality policy wrote, “Consulted to a major software company in Redmond, Washington.” His resume was rejected. “There’s an inherent conflict between your employer’s needs (keep business secrets confidential) and your needs (show how awesome I am so I can get a better job),” according to Bock. “So candidates often find ways to honor the letter of their confidentiality agreements but not the spirit.” Even though the applicant didn’t directly mention Mircrosoft, the resume reviewer could easily conclude that Microsoft was the “company in Redmond, Washington.” This hints to the potential employer that the applicant can’t be trusted with company information. The SVP says if you, or your boss, wouldn’t want to see it blasted on the New York Times home page with your name attached, then don’t include it on your resume.
Lies
Lying on a resume is never okay. Entry level employees and company CEOs have all been fired for lying on their work and education experience. You can easily get caught lying on resumes, thanks to the Internet and reference checks. Additionally, lies have a way of following you around. Even if you’re not caught right away, if you’re caught years down the road you can still face termination.
Can you think of any other resume tips? Share below, and check back for part two of Laszlo Bock’s top resume mistakes.