Writing your resume is no easy feat, especially with all the resume rumors flying around out there. Watch out for resume advice that can actually hinder your chances of getting the job!
Three common misconceptions that will lead you astray and likely get your resume trashed include:
- Using white-font-keywords on your resume to get past an applicant tracking system,
- Using a functional resume format, and
- Placing a photo on your resume.
Myth 1: “Getting Past Applicant Tracking Systems is Easy! Just put a Bunch of Keywords in White on Your Resume!”
Oh the white writing trick. The “advice” here is that you can take the keywords in the job description, or even the whole job description, and put them/it in the margins of your resume in a small white font. This way the applicant tracking systems would see you as being a match but when a hiring manager opens your resume they aren’t able to see that you’ve cheated the system.
This might have worked great ten years ago … unfortunately now applicant tracking systems are actually set to detect this. In fact, some systems are set to immediately eliminate those resumes that use this deceitful white writing tactic. Putting keywords or job descriptions in white font could completely eliminate you from any chance you had at obtaining the position you’re looking at.
One prominent career expert wrote: I probably hear the white-font-keyword advice about once per week. It’s a very clever idea, and it sounds like a great cheat code to get passed the ever-frustrating applicant tracking systems that hound all job seekers. This advice worked really well about ten years ago, but applicant tracking systems got wise, and this trick no longer works. Not only that, but using this trick nowadays will make your resume look like a jumbled mess after it’s submitted. This is because applicant tracking systems automatically turn all fonts black when you submit your resume, so your keywords will go from hidden secret to illegible muck.
It’s important to note that many employers will look at this manipulation as deceitful and automatically place you in the trash pile, if the ATS system didn’t already take care of that for them.
In short, using the white font keyword strategy is a resume old wives tale debunked for the following reasons:
- Applicant Tracking Systems are now set to detect this and some systems will even automatically boot your resume if you’ve used this tactic.
- Using this trick will make your resume look like a mess after it’s submitted, as the ATS system will automatically turn all fonts black.
- Many employers look at this manipulation as deceitful and place your resume in the trash pile.
The Solution
The better bet is to compare the job description to your actual skills and then get those matching keywords into the professional profile, key skills and experience sections of your resume.
Myth 2: “Use a functional resume format instead of a chronological one”
A functional resume is used to showcase your abilities rather than your chronological work history. The majority of your resume is spent going over your skills with a very small work history section at the bottom. Functional resumes are typically used by those that have gaps in their work history, are reentering the workforce, have frequently changed jobs, are looking to change to a new career, or don’t really fit the job position perfectly. In these situations you may want to consider a functional resume though it certainly isn’t an ideal scenario with the way applicant tracking systems read resumes now.
Applicant tracking systems specifically look to have you complete your application in a chronological way. In the end, if you use functional resume format, you’ll find yourself having to reorganize your resume to fit with what applicant tracking systems are looking for anyways.
Additionally, during the financial crisis many applicants started to use functional resumes as a way to gloss over employment gaps or to apply for jobs that weren’t in their area of expertise. Since then, functional resumes have been equated with unemployed or unqualified applicants. If this is your situation, then it certainly might be an option for you to use this resume format, just be careful with it.
Functional resumes as a successful resume format is a resume oldwives tale debunked for the following reasons…
- They don’t work well with applicant tracking systems.
- Functional resumes are often equated with unemployed, under qualified, or unqualified applicants since the financial crisis.
The Solution
The most highly recommended format for your resume currently is to use a bit of a combination resume. With this format you’ll list your skills and experience to start out and then follow with a reverse chronological order of your employment history. This way you can use a small professional profile and core competencies section to showcase your skills relevant to the position you’re applying for, while also providing your work history and specific job duties. This type of resume is useful for advancing past applicant tracking systems since you have the opportunity to get some keywords into your top profile and skills section, as well as throughout your work history.
Myth 3: “You should include a photo of yourself on your resume since they’re going to look you up anyways.”
Many countries use CV’s instead of resumes. In these locations it is absolutely okay to include your photo on your resume, and in many cases even encouraged. However, in the United States, resume experts advise against attaching pictures or any image files to a resume.
First, these photos mess with applicant tracking systems. While your resume might look nice on your end, the system won’t always know how to interpret a photo and may even kick your resume into the trash pile.
Second, HR professionals prefer that you do not include a photo on your resume as it can lead to discrimination claims. As one career expert writes, “It’s illegal to consider factors like age, race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability status in hiring decisions. So hiring authorities prefer to not “officially” know whether you’re a member of one of these protected classes. If you put a photo on your resume, you reveal some of these details. If the employer later interviews you but doesn’t hire you, it opens the possibility of a discrimination claim. Some companies will even flat-out reject resumes with photos, just to avoid that potential accusation.”
Many HR departments will cringe when they open resumes that have a photo on them for fear of any potential discrimination cases that could be made if they simply decide the candidate is not qualified for the position.
Basically, it is still considered unwise to include a photo of yourself on your resume in the U.S. so this is a resume oldwives tale debunked because,
- It’s not currently viewed as professional,
- Photos are not readable by applicant tracking systems which could hurt your chances of landing the job, and
- Photos on resumes can lead to discrimination claims.
The Solution
Get a step ahead by including a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume. This way the HR team or hiring manager will be more likely to go straight to your professional page and less likely to dig up old facebook photos that you could’ve sworn you had deleted. Be sure to edit your public LinkedIn URL so it’s clean and easy to read.
Avoid Common Resume Mistakes and Follow a Format that Works
At Resume Yeti, we help you create a resume that’s equally optimized for ATS software and human readers alike. Following the format laid out in our resume builder will lead to greater success in your job hunt. Try our service today, and watch your response rates increase as your resume starts getting through to the right people.
