Most Outrageous Resume Mistakes

Send us your own examples!

Making a good first impression in a job search often starts with a memorable resume. Unfortunately for some, “memorable” doesn’t always translate to “hirable.” In a recent study, CareerBuilder discovered some of the most bizarre missteps jobseekers have made with their resumes. The nationwide study was conducted online by Harris Interactive from May 14 to June 5, 2013, among 2,076 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 2,999 workers across industries.

When asked to share the most memorable and unusual applications they’ve been sent, hiring managers gave the following real-life examples:

• Resume was submitted from a person the company just fired
• Resume’s “Skills” section was spelled “Skelze”
• Resume listed the candidate’s objective as “To work for someone who is not an alcoholic with three DUI’s like my current employer”
• Resume included language typically seen in text messages (e.g., no capitalization and use of shortcuts like “u”)
• Resume consisted of one sentence: “Hire me, I’m awesome”
• Resume listed the candidate’s online video gaming experience leading warrior “clans,” suggesting this passed for leadership experience
• Resume included pictures of the candidate from baby photos to adulthood
• Resume was written in Klingon language from Star Trek
• Resume was a music video
• Resume didn’t include the candidate’s name
• On the job application, where it asks for your job title with a previous employer, the applicant wrote “Mr.”
• Resume included time spent in jail for assaulting a former boss

Undoubtedly, Connecticut employers have their own experiences with applicant shortcomings. Please forward any such memorable candidate examples to mark.soycher@cbia.com, and we will report back to you in a future newsletter.