As an employer, what is your biggest turn-off on a resume?

Kathleen Thornton Linta

September 26,2021 at 4:45PM UTC

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As an employer, what is your biggest turn-off on a resume?

When hiring for my business for almost 30 years, mine was typos, since I was hiring for positions that required attention to detail. If I saw one, the resume was immediately discarded. I likely lost out on hiring some valuable employees, but that was my line in the sand.

How about you?

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6 Comments

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AnonymousSeptember 26,2021 at 6:50PM UTC
Many people aren't able to critically appraise their work experience. I would get a blank stare or blank canvas (resume). Lastly, if you want to work here, you should know the mission statement.
Barb HansenSeptember 26,2021 at 9:55PM UTC
I don't like resumes that list a person as an expert in 15 different specialties when they have only been working for 5 years (you are not an expert at anything after 5 years, let alone 15 different specialties.)
I try to be graceful about those resumes and not let my bias over-ride the fact that I should give all resumes the same amount of time, but sometimes I just can't :)
Elizabeth Gough-GordonSeptember 28,2021 at 3:57PM UTC
Difficult-to-read resumes with multiple columns! I prefer resumes that are streamlined and easy to read.
AnonymousSeptember 28,2021 at 8:58PM UTC
I don't like resumes that are difficult to read. I also like streamlined easy to read resumes.
AnonymousSeptember 29,2021 at 2:23PM UTC
When people have their high school or college activities that are irrelevant for the job/industry listed on their resume. Especially when it’s for a mid-level position, I’d rather see your current work experience and projects on your resume vs from 5+ years ago
RosemaryacSeptember 29,2021 at 8:50PM UTC
A red flag goes up for me when a candidate sends a cover letter that refers to another organization as the one where s/he would really like to work. It not only reveals that it's a generic letter and probably part of a mass mailing, but also demonstrates that it wasn't carefully proof-read. I wouldn't say that it's a deal-breaker for me, but it makes me question the candidate's focus and degree of interest.