Legal Blog

When writing your resume and cover letter, your goal should not be to send hiring managers running for a dictionary. Your main objective, of course, is to show that you warrant a job interview because you have the right skills and abilities.

Got football fever? Trust us. No matter how fervent a fan you are, keep the sports references and metaphors out of your resume and cover letter.

As any hiring manager can tell you, a good portion of job seekers include a catalog of their favorite pastimes on their resume. Hobbies and interests, the thinking goes, help candidates show their personality. But keep in mind that employers are more interested in your professional qualifications than your love of travel. When it comes to your resume, hobbies and interests often just take up space and steal attention from your skills and experience.

Any job seeker knows that it’s hard — and sometimes darn near impossible — to get a hiring manager’s attention. So some candidates infuse their resumes and cover letters with humor, unexpected analogies, and cute and clever language in an effort to stand out. But will a clever resume really give you an advantage? Probably not. If fact, it could harm your chances of being called for a job interview.

Is there a need to include “References available upon request” or similar language on your resume? Find out here.