Resume Do NOT’S (Avoid These!)

When I was first putting together my resume, I honestly just listed my responsibilities for each job. I thought showing I did the job was enough. But after countless applications with no callbacks, I realized my approach was all wrong, especially when it came to the experience section. That's when I learned the absolute game-changer: quantifiable achievements. It’s not enough to say “managed social media.” Recruiters, and more importantly, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), want to see the impact of your work. Think of it this way: a non-quantitative bullet point might say, “Responsible for customer service inquiries.” A much stronger, quantitative example would be: “Resolved an average of 50+ customer inquiries daily, improving customer satisfaction scores by 15% in Q3.” See the difference? The numbers provide concrete proof of your capabilities and value. So, how do you find those numbers, especially if you're not in a sales-heavy role? Start by thinking about: Scale: How many people did you manage? How many projects did you handle simultaneously? How large was the budget you managed? Frequency: How often did you perform a task? Daily, weekly, monthly? Results/Impact: Did you save time or money? Did you increase efficiency? Did you improve a process? By how much? Did you reduce errors? Did you grow a social media following or engagement? Did you exceed goals or targets? Even if you don’t have exact figures, make an educated estimate. Phrases like “approximately,” “over,” “up to,” or “by X%” are perfectly acceptable if they’re reasonably accurate. For instance, instead of “created marketing materials,” try “Developed 10+ new marketing assets, resulting in a 20% increase in lead generation.” Beyond just quantification, ensuring your resume has an ATS-friendly format is paramount. Many companies use ATS software to scan and rank resumes, and if your resume isn't formatted correctly or lacks the right keywords, it could be discarded if not formatted correctly – even before a human ever sees it! This is where those quantitative bullet points really shine, as they often contain keywords that the ATS is programmed to look for, demonstrating a candidate's concrete contributions. To ensure your resume is ATS-friendly, stick to clear, standard fonts (like Arial or Calibri), use traditional headings (e.g., “Experience,” “Education”), and avoid complex graphics, tables, or excessive use of headers/footers that might confuse the system. Also, make sure to use keywords from the job description naturally throughout your experience section. By focusing on strong, quantitative bullet points and an ATS-friendly resume format, you'll significantly increase your chances of getting past the initial screening and landing that coveted interview.