No nonsense advice on how to create perfect resumes and cover letters

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There are all kinds of things you can include on a resume that may improve your chances of getting an interview. And there are others that are more or less neutral, meaning they neither help nor hinder your chance and so don’t matter so much.

But there are some things that will seem like kryptonite to a hiring manager. Include them and it is almost certain your resume will be placed on the giant one way conveyer belt to the shredder that every company keeps for just such a purpose.

Here are three such resume blunders to avoid at all cost.

Blunder #1: Including negative information about yourself that doesn’t support your primary job objective.

By negative information I’m not talking about your close brushes with the law, your tendency to sweat profusely when under a deadline or your inability to get along with others (although these are certainly negatives). The kind I’m talking about ate probably a lot more subtle than that.

Are you under (or over) qualified for the position? Are you a recovering alcoholic? Are you going through a divorce? Are you older or younger than the “ideal” candidate in the hiring manager’s eyes? (While age discrimination is illegal, it clearly occurs and there is no reason to highlight this “negative”—in the eyes of the employer—when you don’t need to do so.

But big and glaring or small and subtle my point is the same. These kinds of facts have nothing to do with supporting your career objective and will only make the person reviewing your resume more apt to send it to the shredder. So leave them off of your resume.

Blunder #2: Failing to look at your resume through the eyes of your potential employer

It is so easy to create a “safe” resume, one that simply and dryly recites facts about you and your past. “Worked as a cab driver for three years in New York City.” “Computer technician, 2007 – 2009” Blah, blah, blah.

Instead try thinking about what your prospective employer wants to know about you. Do you like what you do (or expect to do)? Are you any good at it? Does your relevant experience include some accomplishments that show you’re a go getter, the kind of person and employee who will really do a great job?

Then create a resume that highlights those kinds of sentiments in a way that answers your employer’s unspoken question: “What’s in it for me?” Be genuine and be ready to dazzle your prospective employer with your achievements on your resume.

Blunder #3: Telling lies

Your mother was right, lying is bad, very bad. Especially on a resume.

Lies can be big and ugly or seemingly small and insignificant. But once detected they will all appear as big smears on your reputation, and almost certain grounds for not hiring you. They can be grounds for terminating you if discovered after the fact, once you’ve been hired.

Resume lies can run the gamut from claiming a job you never performed or reference that doesn’t exist, to shading the truth about your grade performance in high school or college. The best advice is not to lie, plain and simple. Almost anything can be verified nowadays, and you must presume that your future employer will want to check up on your claims.

Lying should not be confused with “sins of omission” which are another animal altogether. They are not lies at all, and there are plenty of times when leaving out information makes wonderful sense.

Avoiding these three blunders won’t assure your resume avoids the shredder, but it gives it a fighting chance of surviving long enough to get noticed.

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