20 Resume Dos and Don’ts for Job Seekers in 2024

Your resume can be your greatest professional asset or your most significant hurdle.

But what sets them apart?

Common resume mistakes. Small errors can be costly. Strategic improvements? These can open the doors.

In this article, you'll learn 20 resume dos and don'ts that can help you sidestep errors and focus on what matters. From highlighting your qualifications with metrics to aligning your experience with job requirements, these tips will guide you in writing a stand-out resume—free of avoidable mistakes.

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Want to avoid resume mistakes from the start? Use Teal's resume maker with built-in analysis to identify gaps and areas for improvement.

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What is a resume?

A resume is a document that summarizes your professional experience, education, and skills. Often your first point of contact with a prospective employer, this document provides a brief overview of your relevant qualifications, allowing them to assess your fit for a position quickly.

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What makes a good resume?

A good resume highlights your qualifications and makes a positive impression on potential employers. Above all else? It's relevant to the job you're applying for and easy to read at a glance.

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Here are some key elements to focus on that help make a resume strong:

Relevance:  Focus on roles, achievements, and impact that showcase what you've done and align with a position's requirements.

Clarity: Use clear headings, bullet points, and consistent formatting to guide the reader through your information without confusion.

Specificity: Use quantifiable metrics, like "Led a team of 10 to increase sales by 20% in one quarter," to demonstrate your impact.

Keywords: Incorporate job-specific keywords and phrases found by recruiters searching Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Clean Design: Avoid overly complex layouts, images (if you're in the US), and graphics that can distract from your content and make it hard for your resume to parse through an ATS.

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20 Resume dos and don'ts

Now that you understand what makes a good resume, it's time for the specifics. In fact, resume writing doesn’t have to be hard if you know what to focus on and what to avoid. The resume dos and don'ts below will guide you on what to include, what to sidestep, and how to present your qualifications best.

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1. Do include up-to-date contact information

Do you have your contact information listed clearly at the top of your resume? If not, be sure to add it. All you need is city and state—no need to include a full street address or zip code.

You should also add a professional email address and phone number, as well as your optimized LinkedIn profile URL (linkedin.com/in/yourname). A personal website or portfolio is also a great addition. If you're updating an older resume, make sure you include the correct contact information if you want hiring managers to be able to reach you.

2. Don’t include your address, age, religion or political affiliation

Your resume should only focus on information directly related to your professional qualifications and fit for a job.

Including personal details like your address, age, religion, or political affiliation is unnecessary and can lead to unintended bias or discrimination.

Beyond bias concerns, employers simply don't care about these details. They're interested in your skills, experience, and how you can contribute to their org, and personal details take the focus away from what you bring to the table and aren't relevant. All that to say: your resume should reflect your professional persona, not personal aspects of your life.

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3. Do include a target title

Your target title sits above your professional summary and is the title of the position you're applying for. Depending on the role and company, this may vary from application to application.

Including a target title on your resume:

• Makes it clear you're applying to a specific role
• Optimizes it to be searching within the ATS for that position
• Highlights relevant experience and skills
• Align with the job posting to connect your skills to that specific role

Need some inspo? Here are some examples of marketing manager resumes that nail the target title.

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4. Do customize your professional summary statement

A professional summary offers a succinct overview of your best achievements. It's what drives a hiring manager to dig deeper into your resume. Customizing this section for each job application ensures that your experience is tailored specifically for a role.

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Here's how to customize your professional summary:

Study the JD: Identify the key skills and experiences the employer is looking for. Note the language and keywords (like hard and soft skills) used.

Highlight relevant experience: Choose the most relevant experiences and bullet points that match the job description and show your results and how you got there.

Use specific metrics: Include quantifiable accomplishments that offer proof of success in similar roles. For example, "Developed and implemented strategy to scale AI content production 3X over Q3 using Claude, Airtable, ChatGPT, and Pipedream, resulting in an 8% month-over-month increase in organic traffic."

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5. Don’t use a generalized objective statement or summary

One of the easiest resume mistakes to make is including a career objective. Including a generalized objective statement or resume summary can make your resume blend in with the rest. Employers aren't looking for where you want to go or something irrelevant you've achieved; they want to know two things:

1. What you've done
2. Can you do it again for them

Avoid vague statements like "Seeking a challenging position in a reputable company" and discussing your career goals. Just focus on showcasing your value prop and how it aligns with the specific role you're applying for.

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6. Do highlight relevant experience and skills

One of the most important resume best practices is that your resume should emphasize the experience and skills that are most applicable to the job you're applying for.

How do you do it?

1. Carefully review the job description
2. Identify the key qualifications the employer is looking for
3. Highlight your relevant work experience and skills that match those requirements and incorporate the language from the JD
4. Use specific examples to demonstrate your expertise and show how your background makes you a strong candidate

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7. Don’t include work experience that's outdated or irrelevant

Listing every job you’ve ever had can clutter your resume and dilute its impact.

Focus on the most recent and relevant positions that showcase your qualifications for the job at hand. Remove outdated or irrelevant work experience that doesn't add value to your application. This keeps your resume concise and ensures that the most important information stands out to hiring managers.

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8. Do tailor your bullets to align with the job description

Aligning your bullet points with the job description can significantly increase your chances of getting noticed.

Here’s how to get it right:

• Review the job listing: Identify the key responsibilities and skills required.
• Highlight relevant accomplishments: Focus on achievements and examples that match relevant skills and qualifications. For instance, if the job requires leadership or technical skills, mention instances where you successfully led a project or team or the tools and tech you used for a specific result.
• Incorporate keywords: Use the terms and phrases from the JD to demonstrate alignment with the role. (This also helps your resume get found by recruiters searching Applicant Tracking Systems for specific terms.)

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9. Don’t copy the job description word for word

Aligning your resume with the job description is important, but avoid copying it verbatim. This can make your resume appear unoriginal and even dishonest.

Instead, describe your relevant experience and skills in your own words, showcasing your unique voice. Highlight how your background aligns with the role without directly copying the description. This approach demonstrates your ability to express your qualifications clearly and effectively while showing a deeper understanding of the position and your suitability for it.

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10. Do include keywords from the job description 

You've already heard about keywords. Incorporating keywords from job descriptions into your resume:

• Makes it searchable for specific terms that hiring managers search for within the ATS
• Shows how what you have to offer aligns with a specific job

To find the most important keywords, identify the terms and phrases used in the job posting and weave them naturally into your resume. (Think: relevant skills, tools, and industry terminology.)

Remember: The keywords in your work history, skills, and summary have to, at the very least, resemble the job duties for the role you’re applying for. Irrelevant keywords won't paint a clear picture as to why a recruiter should hire you over other job seekers.

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Pro Tip: How can you determine what those exact words are? One way is to save the job description in Teal  and look at the highlighted keywords. Within the Job Description Keyword Finder, you’ll see the top skills you should include on your resume to increase your chances of getting an interview.

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11. Do use data and action verbs to show the impact of bullet points

If action verbs show movement and data offers proof, then used together in your resume, they create a powerful narrative of your impact.

You see, action verbs demonstrate initiative and leadership, while quantifiable data provides concrete evidence of your achievements. This combination allows a hiring manager to clearly visualize your contributions and effectiveness in previous roles.

For example:

• Increased sales by 20% in six months by implementing targeted email campaigns and social media promotions, resulting in 2x revenue growth.
• Reduced operational costs by 15% by optimizing supply chain management and automating routine tasks, leading to substantial savings and a 92% operational efficiency rate.

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12. Don’t exaggerate or falsify metrics

Avoid exaggerating or falsifying metrics on your resume. While it might seem tempting to inflate your experience to get noticed, this can backfire during interviews, reference checks, or even after you've started the job. Stick to accurate and truthful representations of your accomplishments. This approach maintains your credibility and allows you to discuss your bullet points confidently throughout the hiring process.

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13. Do include your most recent and highest level of education

While formal education isn't everything, this information is important to some employers as it can be a key factor in their hiring decisions. (This is one of those keywords or phrases to check the JD for!)

List your highest level of education using the chronological resume format. Begin with your most recent educational achievement and work backward.

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Your Education section should include:

• Name of the institution
• Degree earned
• Graduation date
• Optional: Any relevant honors and your GPA if it's 3.9 or above and you're a recent graduate.

If you have relevant certifications or additional training, be sure to include those in a separate certification section as well, as they can further demonstrate your qualifications.

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14. Don’t include irrelevant projects, volunteer work, or education

While you don't necessarily need a one-page resume and adding additional experiences can be valuable, any projects, volunteer work, or education you include should be relevant to the job you're applying for.

Irrelevant information can clutter your resume and distract from your most important qualifications. Focus on including experiences that directly support your application and demonstrate your fit for the role. This keeps your resume focused and clear.

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15. Do include hard skills

Don't overlook hard skills on your resume. If a job listing emphasizes specific software or technical proficiencies, include your relevant experience. While an exact match isn't necessary, a significant gap could be problematic.

For example, if you've used CRM software and the listing mentions Salesforce and HubSpot, include these by name.

Need more guidance? you can find the most important hard skills by position in this collection of resume examples.

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16. Don’t include obvious soft skills 

Avoid listing obvious soft skills like "communication," "teamwork," or "problem-solving" in your resume writing. These skills are important, but they are often assumed and can make your resume seem generic. Instead, demonstrate these skills through your accomplishments and experiences.

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For example:

• Show, don’t tell: Rather than stating you have excellent communication skills, describe a situation where you successfully led a team project or negotiated a key deal.
• Be specific: Highlight bullet points that naturally reflect your soft skills, such as "Led a cross-functional team to complete a project ahead of schedule" or "Negotiated a contract that resulted in a 15% cost reduction."

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17. Do use active voice when writing your resume

Using active voice in your resume makes your bullet points clear and impactful. Active voice emphasizes your role in your accomplishments.

For example, here's how active voice highlights direct contribution and responsibility compared to passive voice:

Passive voice: "A new marketing strategy was developed, increasing sales by 20%."

Active voice: "Developed a new marketing strategy that increased sales by 20%."

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18. Don’t incorporate too many creative elements

While incorporating creative elements in your resume can showcase your skills and dedication, overdoing it can be overwhelming. Do your best to stick to more basic resume formats and design.

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It’s best to steer clear of:

• Hard-to-read fonts
• Uncommon margin sizes
• Low-contrast color combinations
• Photos
• Graphics
• Unconventional layouts

These elements, while adding character, can also distract from your qualifications and make your resume difficult for both hiring managers and applicant tracking systems (ATS) to parse.

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Pro Tip: For a clean, professional look, consider using Teal's free templates in the AI Resume Builder. Each template is designed to be ATS-friendly and easy to read, suitable for any industry or level.

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19. Do make sure you meet at least 70% of the job requirements

You don't need to meet 100% of a job's requirements to apply. Aim for roles where you match about 70-80% of the criteria.

Research from LinkedIn shows that women apply to 20% fewer jobs than men due to a belief that all qualifications must be met.  This simply isn't true. You don't need to meet 100% of the requirements to apply for a job.

In today's job search culture, everyone should feel comfortable applying—even if they don’t meet every criterion. But your resume should still reflect that you meet the basic requirements listed in the job posting.

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20. Don’t overlook the importance of a cover letter

Even if it's not explicitly requested, including a cover letter can pair well with your application.

Cover letters provide an additional opportunity to highlight your relevant experience and explain why you’re the perfect fit for the job. Use your cover letter to personalize your application, showcase your motivation, and give more context to your top bullet points.

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Check your resume with Teal

If you want to understand how resume dos and don'ts apply to your content, try Teal's Resume Analysis. Use it to find gaps, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, helping you refine your resume for better results.

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Common resume mistakes to avoid

Even the most well-crafted resumes can have resume mistakes that hinder your job search. In this section, you'll learn the most common resume errors to avoid so your application stands out for the right reasons.

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Avoid using the same resume for every application

Customizing your resume for each job application is crucial. Using the same resume for every job can make you appear unfocused and uninterested. Instead, tailor your resume to highlight the skills and experiences most relevant to the position you're applying for.

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Avoid making your resume too long

Your resume doesn't need to be lengthy to be impactful. If you have fewer than ten years of experience or are pivoting careers, aim to keep your resume between one and two pages if possible.

A concise resume is easier to scan and forces you to focus on the most relevant hard, soft, and transferable skills and experiences for the job you're applying to.

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Avoid using complex vocabulary

Using complex vocabulary or company-specific acronyms that aren't widely understood can make your resume confusing. Keep your language clear and straightforward. Here's how:

Use common terms: Describe your skills and experiences in universally understood language.

Avoid jargon: Only use industry-specific terms if they are well-known and relevant to the job.

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Avoid spelling and grammar mistakes

Spelling and grammar mistakes can leave a poor impression on potential employers. They suggest a lack of attention to detail and professionalism.

Proofread your resume carefully. Review it multiple times and use spell check and grammar tools to catch any errors. Consider asking a friend or mentor to review it as well, providing a fresh perspective to catch mistakes you might have missed.

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Avoid using a generic file name

A generic file name for your resume can make it difficult for recruiters to find and identify your document.

Be specific: Use a resume file name that includes your full name and the position you’re applying for, such as Kayte_Grady_Senior_Copywriter_Resume.pdf. This ensures your resume stands out and is easy to locate.

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Avoid including your professional headshot

In the US, Including a professional headshot on your resume is generally unnecessary and can lead to unintended bias. Focus on your skills and experiences instead.

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Avoid including references in your resume

Unless specifically requested, there's no need to include references on your resume. This can take up valuable space that could be used to highlight your qualifications.

• Maximize space: Use the space to detail your skills and experiences instead.
• Provide upon request: Be prepared to provide references when asked during later stages of the hiring process.

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Create a strong resume with Teal

Resume dos and don'ts help you understand what works and what doesn't in today's market. And avoiding the most common resume mistakes improves your chances of moving forward in the hiring process.

To help you figure out where you stand, Teal's Resume Analysis tool analyzes your existing resume for gaps, weaknesses, and opportunities for refinement to determine your overall resume score. You'll also receive an accurate, detailed assessment and suggestions to boost your score—and your entire resume.

Sign up for Teal today to get started.