When you submit application documents (resumes, cover letters, writing samples, etc.), it’s an opportunity to tell your story and show how you align with a specific role and company. We know you want to make the best impression, and one of the ways you can do that is by providing information that is accurate at the moment in time you submit your documents.
Here are three resume pitfalls we see and ways to avoid them. (A pitfall is a “hidden or unsuspected danger, or difficulty.” -Merriam Webster Dictionary)
Pitfall #1: Listing a student project involving an industry client as if you worked directly for the company like an employee.
What to do instead:
- Include “Student” in the title of the experience. Examples: “Student Consultant,” “Student Medical Device Consultant,” “Student Programmer,” and “Student Analyst.”
- Ask your course professor if they have specific guidance on how the course project with an industry partner is represented on your resume and LinkedIn.
One example of what you SHOULD do:
DATA ANALYTICS EXPERIENCE
Student Analyst, Company XYZ
Additional key guidance about projects on resumes.
- List project experience within a specific Projects section or list it under a tailored experience heading (examples: Data Analytics Experience or even Experience).
- When you choose section headings, we discourage including projects (courses, personal, or volunteer) in a Work Experience or Professional Experience section. If projects are included here, these section headers can confuse employers, who may think you were paid for the projects listed.
- You need to be able to state why each experience is relevant and significant. This should be conveyed by the bullet points you include and in an open and transparent way during an interview.
Pitfall #2: Changing or inflating your title or role. Example: You were a Software Engineer in your last role but want to pivot to Product Management, and change your title to Product Manager instead of Software Engineer.
What to do instead:
- Keep titles accurate. When employers conduct background checks, they may contact your previous employer about your work history and changing or inflating your title could lead to failing a background check and possibly losing out on future roles with that employer.
- Focus on developing accurate bullet points that describe what you did, how you did it, and why it mattered using language and perspective that aligns with the new role you are targeting. Your title will be accurate and the bullet points now show that while you may have been a Software Engineer, you accomplished some tasks and projects that demonstrate transferrable skills desired for successful Product Managers.
Pitfall #3: The numbers (quantification of your impact) included on your resume cannot be backed up with evidence.
What to do instead:
- Include only numbers you can back up with evidence. If you receive an interview, and an employer asks you to explain how you arrived at a specific number on your resume, and your answer seems unclear or even dishonest, imagine how you may be perceived by the interviewer.
- Even when tools like Quinncia say every bullet point needs quantification, know employers do not require this. It is more important to be accurate and honest than to have numbers in every line. (Quinncia has added this disclaimer to their site too!)
- When you write your bullets, if you do not have quantitative data, you can show your impact with qualitative data instead. Remember, show what you did, how you did it, and why it matters. Often the why has nothing to do with quantitative data! Example: Analyzed comprehensive financial data and drafted a report using Tableau for senior leadership to use in strategic project funding allocation.
- What was done? Analyzed & Drafted
- How? Tableau
- Why it mattered? Senior leadership needed this information to make sound budget decisions
Below are resources, created specifically for Duke Engineering Master’s students, that address these points. Please reach out to Career Coaches for support.
