6 Things Hiring Managers Never Want to See on a Resume

6 Things Hiring Managers Never Want to See on a Resume 6 Things Hiring Managers Never Want to See on a Resume As  providers of professional career services, we at ResumeSpice know  what hiring managers, human resources departments, and recruiting professionals do â€" and dont â€" want to see on candidates resumes. Especially in todays competitive job market, its important to keep your resume in the running by avoiding a few critical, but unfortunately common, mistakes. Here are six things no hiring manager ever wants to see on a resume: 1. Misinformation There are many reasons why misrepresenting your skills and experience is never okay. Aside from the obvious ethical issue, its likely you will be caught. Not only do hiring managers routinely cross-reference candidates resumes with their LinkedIn profiles to see if key information matches, but they also leverage their industry connections to verify every bit of information listed on your resume. Chances are the hiring manager probably knows another talent acquisition specialist or manager from at least one of the companies listed on your resume. A simple phone call to this contact can uncover costly misinformation. Did you move an end date on one of your jobs to cover up a resume gap? Youre better off explaining that gap in your cover letter than taking the risk that you get caught. Even if you do get the job with an inaccurate resume, your employer will likely let you go as soon as it is discovered that you misrepresented yourself. See such high-profile cases as: Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson Out After Resume Scandal Veritas CFO Quits Amid Resume Roil Notre Dame Coach Resigns After 5 Days and a Few Lies Unfortunately, the list goes on â€" and if  you dont tell the whole truth on your resume, your name will be added to it. 2. Typos, Poor Grammar, and  Other Simple Errors Nothing will ruin your credibility more quickly  than errors on your resume. Spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and even sloppy formatting can remove your resume from consideration. For some positions, hiring managers receive thousands of resumes. If you make a  simple mistake, you give them an excuse to rule yours out. We  always recommend asking  a few trusted colleagues or friends to look over your resume before you submit it. Pick two or three  people whom you know have strong grammar skills. It also helps if you read your resume out loud. Your ear will usually pick up on errors that you might miss while reading silently. 3. Objective Statements Resume objectives are no longer in fashion. Theyre typically generic statements that dont say much about you as a professional or add much value to your candidacy â€" and they can actively hurt you in a few ways. First, hiring managers already know why youve submitted  your resume. They assume you feel youre qualified for the role. Furthermore,  an objective statement covers your objective, but when youre applying for a job, its all about  how you can help the employer reach its objectives. Second, if your objective doesnt exactly match what the employer is looking for, youve just unnecessarily ruled yourself out. Weve yet to hear about a candidate getting a role because of their objective statement, but weve seen many  lose out  because of it. Lastly, objectives are usually placed at the very top of a resume. Thats prime real estate! Use that space for the meat of your resume, not generic statements. 4. Comical, Quirky, or Otherwise Inappropriate Email Addresses This one should go without saying. Unfortunately, it doesnt. If youre on the job hunt, you need a professional email  address. This is neither the time nor the place to express yourself or  your  personality. Addresses like ladiesmanor sexybunny55 will  quickly land your resume in the no way pile. For your job-seeking email address, go with some variation of your first and  last name, like John.Smith@gmail.com. 5.  Too Much Detail About Very Old Positions Hiring managers are most interested in what youve done lately After all, how youve been spending your time most recently should be  most reflective of your current skill set. If youre a professional with more than 15 years of experience, youll want to privilege your most recent role or two over the ones that came before. If the last 10-15 years of experience dont qualify you for the role to  which youre applying, its very unlikely that a job you had for three years 18 years ago is going to do the trick. 6. Unexplained Gaps Gaps happen, whether because of an unanticipated layoff or a move for a spouses career. Hiring managers understand that most careers are not completely linear. However, when a  gap is longer than a month, hiring managers want to know how youve used your time and remained productive. A good place to address a resume gap is in your cover letter. For gaps longer than six months, it becomes even more important to address gaps, and we recommend doing so in both your cover letter and your resume. If youve been volunteering, taking classes, and/or doing freelance work, use that information to fill in the gap. Thats now a job you can put down with supporting bullets â€" instead of a blank space without any explanation or context. A version of this article originally appeared on  ResumeSpice. Savannah Ober is a resume expert at  ResumeSpice.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. We're SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.