Stop Doing These 8 Things on Your Resume (From an Ex-Amazon Recruiter)
Eight things to stop doing on your resume, from a recruiter who reviewed over 1 million of them. Fix Packaging first.
Stop doing these 8 things on your resume (from an ex-Amazon recruiter who has reviewed over 1 million of them).
Recruiters have decision fatigue. Can you imagine looking at thousands of resumes every single week? We scan (not read), then categorize: Yes or No pile. We take 6 to 7.4 seconds to make that decision, due to volume alone.
8 things to stop doing on your resume to up your chances of making the YES pile:
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One-page resumes. You're not a new grad. 20 years of experience on one page looks cluttered and junior.
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Canva graphics and templates. Recruiters are scanning for what you've done, not how pretty your resume template is.
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Headshots. Unless you're in real estate or entertainment, keep your face off your resume. Bias is real.
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Reasons for leaving. That story belongs (if asked) in the interview, not on your resume document. It reads as defensive.
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Objective statements. A move from the last millennium. You need a professional summary that immediately positions you as top talent and shows right away what you bring to the table.
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Color. The wrong highlight pulls attention away from what matters. In recruiting, color almost always reads as junior.
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"Team Player." Research from TalentWorks found this one phrase alone can decrease your chances of being hired by 51%. Delete it immediately.
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Glorified job descriptions. Listing tasks isn't proof of impact. Every bullet should answer: What did this accomplish? How did it move the business forward? Can you quantify your impact? (50%+ of your bullets should include numbers.)
Get the right information in the right place, so your resume works for you (not against you).
For the full framework, read The Hireability Gap™ manifesto.
For the full framework on landing six-figure remote roles without submitting applications, come get the playbook at Six-Figure Remote Career Strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 8 things to stop doing on your resume?
One-page resumes when you have 20+ years of experience, Canva graphics and templates, headshots, reasons for leaving, objective statements, colored highlights, generic phrases like "team player," and glorified job descriptions instead of quantified impact bullets.
What should the resume do instead?
Show impact numbers in the first 5 lines. Prove P&L movement, cost saved, revenue moved, or risk removed. Package like a value proposition, not a job history. Six seconds is all you get.
Where does this fit in the Hireability Gap?
Under Packaging (Pillar 1 of the 4 Pillars). Packaging is the first gate; if it fails, the other three never get a chance. Fix Packaging first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 8 things to stop doing on your resume?
One-page resumes when you have 20+ years of experience, Canva graphics and templates, headshots, reasons for leaving, objective statements, colored highlights, generic phrases like 'team player,' and glorified job descriptions instead of quantified impact bullets.
What should the resume do instead?
Show impact numbers in the first 5 lines. Prove P&L movement, cost saved, revenue moved, or risk removed. Package like a value proposition, not a job history. Six seconds is all you get.
Where does this fit in the Hireability Gap?
Under Packaging (Pillar 1 of the 4 Pillars). Packaging is the first gate; if it fails, the other three never get a chance. Fix Packaging first.
