Dumbest Things Found on Resumes

A reddit thread asking interviewers to share the dumbest things they’ve seen on resumes included this answer: ‘None of my references really like me, so please don't believe what they say.'

Sometimes it’s better to say nothing that to say why you left your last job, as this redditor shows: ‘I asked someone to fill out an application, since they didn’t have a resume... He only had one previous job, and in the space where it asked why he left, he wrote, “Got locked up”.’

It might be a good idea to create a new, professional-looking email address to include with your contact details.

Among the email addresses interviewers listed on reddit were ones that started with ‘kinkykitty@’, ‘420bluntbro@’, ‘lildevil6969@’, ‘hotlove69@’ and ‘krystal_meth@’. An applicant who was studying child care had an email address that started with ‘babykiller69@’.

Proofreading your resume is a good idea too. According to one redditor, ‘ “Grate communication and atention to details”. On a resume I looked at maybe an hour ago.’

Good spelling is really important on your resume, as this reddit comment illustrates: ‘Position listed as cash year (cashier), which is just slightly better than night stalker (stocker).’

While it’s important to list your skills on your resume, you should also keep it relevant. An interviewer on reddit shared this comment from an applicant’s resume: ‘ “I bake great cakes and will share if you give me this job.” It was for a mortgage banking position.’

One redditor quoted from a resume that included this information: ‘USMC sniper, two tours in Iraq, 23 confirmed kills.’ The applicant wanted a job at a help desk.

However, the redditor went on to say, ‘To be fair I did consider hiring him and stationing him on the roof. There were a number of technical problems he could have solved from up there.’

Sometimes an applicant’s interests may sound strange but they can be surprisingly relevant, as this redditor found: ‘I had a guy put “Cougars” in his interest category. Granted, it was for a bar tending position.’

While no interviewer wants to read a resume that goes on and on for six pages, this applicant quoted on reddit may have taken keeping things concise a little too far: ‘ “My name is Mike and I’d like a job. Here is my phone number. Thanks.” All nicely typed on the first and only line of the page.’

Where you detail your education history, your alma mater should only be the institution that you actually attended.

According to a comment on reddit: ‘ “Applied to Harvard University” under their education profile. Of course, that was not their actual alma mater. Hey, points for trying though? Nah.’

This comment on reddit says everything you need to know about embellishing the truth on your resume:

‘I interviewed a 24 year old last week who had his previous job experience listed as “Assistant Vice President – Citibank.” Turns out he interned for a semester at Citibank. Why he didn’t think I would not figure out that a 24-year-old is not a vice president of one of the largest firms in the world baffles me (even though Citi is way too liberal with their titles).’

Honesty on your resume is good, except if you’re like this applicant quoted on reddit:

‘Under “Reason for applying with us”: “My parents are rich, and I thought I could live for free off them for a few more years. Turns out I was wrong. Now I need to get a job and move out. I’m lazy though.”

Another redditor commented that in the computer skills section listed on her resume, an applicant wrote ‘No not really.’

According to a reddit commenter: ‘I worked as a receptionist at a temp agency. One cover letter boasted that the applicant “IS A VERY GOOD WORKER BECAUSE I AM USED TO GETTING YELLED AT”.

Readers of the website HRMorning.com reacted to the reddit thread with submissions of their own.

One reader shared this story: ‘We had a person apply for a job who included their personal website on their resume. The website included the contents of their entire porn library – and it was obvious this person had a fetish. Oy.’

Another HRMorning.com reader wrote about an applicant with some very impressive references listed: ‘A candidate listed three references: Bill Gates, Ronald Reagan (after he was deceased), and the Lord God Jesus Christ. He didn’t provide any telephone numbers though.’

According to one HRMorning.com reader, one applicant wrote on their resume: ‘I have all my teeth.’

It can’t be said enough: Always proofread your resume before sending it. The blog Resume Hell includes this gem: ‘Career break in 1999 to renovate my horse.’

Some skills really do seem too good to be true. Resume Hell quotes this applicant, who just might have a supernatural skill:

‘Previously at Starbucks Coffee Co. the position I occupied allowed me to serve customers and exceed their expectations, by providing them with the right product.’

It’s not only about what you put on your resume but how you present it. In the words of a redditor sharing the dumbest thing they’ve ever found on a resume: ‘Comic Sans’.