Most professional résumés should not be on crazy colored paper. It shouldn’t include a picture or graphic. Unless you’re going for a super creative job as a graphic designer or an art teacher, these are just two mistakes that beginning résumé writers make.
Here are some easy ways to tell if you’re dealing with a seasoned pro or a rank amateur in the art of résumé creation.
Did the applicant:
Use more than one page?
Keep it brief with short, concise job descriptions in the work history portion?
Use things like bold and italics sparingly (only for accenting purposes)?
Keep it consistent and not change fonts a lot?
Choose a format that is pleasing to the eye and not cramped?
Proofread thoroughly so that there are no notable errors in punctuation or spelling?
Keep a consistent verb tense (current job duties in present tense, all others in past)?
Talk about professional work history only? (Including office skills like computer and typing proficiency are fine, but going off on tangents about macramé and basket weaving talent isn’t (unless, of course, you're trying to fill that type of position).
Lie? (More important than whether or not a prospective employee has been fired before is whether or not he came clean and put it on his résumé.)
Keep these helpful tips in mind, but you are, of course, the final judge here. For new bosses, that may seem a little daunting. Remember that some things are intuitive. Yes, the Johnny Jobseeker may have included a line about his “mad” Karaoke skills, but in the end, your gut feeling about someone during an interview can carry a lot of weight. If someone seems interesting on paper, meeting him can help you determine whether the inclusion of details about his singing prowess is just a quirk or the sign of someone completely wrong for your team.
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