10 things you should never do on your resume

The resume offers an at-a-glance view of your past and present. If you want to get your foot in the door, be sure you avoid these missteps.

By Jack Wallen

What is your resume? A hassle you must undergo to walk into an interview with any hope of getting hired? Or is it a history of your professional life—ready to be shared with others to make lasting, career-forging connections?

If you view your resume as nothing more than a hurdle, you probably don't take it as seriously as you should. But if you value it as a game-changer, you understand its importance. Unfortunately, those who are new to the world of resumes (and even seasoned jobseekers) often make mistakes that can take them out of contention. Here are 10 resume mistakes to watch out for.

1: Lying

It shouldn't have to be said... but surprisingly, it needs to be said. People falsify or "pad" their resumes all the time. Thing is, it will come back to haunt you. It's a small world that only gets smaller with every passing day. Even the slightest exaggeration on your resume can catch up with you. Keep to the facts. Don't stretch or bend the truth. Don't alter employment dates to keep from having gaps in your timeline. Don't claim duties or experiences you never had. Don't. Don't. Don't.

2: Stating an unattainable goal

I'm just going to say this right now. Everyone knows you want to someday be the CEO of your own company. Everyone knows you want to stare down from above and run the corporate machine. Even beyond the unattainable goal, get rid of that objective that has littered resumes for decades. It's worthless. Saying that your goal is to climb the corporate ladder and be as wealthy as Bill Gates just piles on the bad. Scratch that section altogether and you'll have more room for what matters—experience and skills.

3: Adding achievements that aren't

We get it. You were prom queen or you were voted most likely to succeed in business (without even trying) by your peers in high school. But consider this: Are those achievements really achievements? The last thing you need is to puff up your resume with awards that have no relevance for the career you're chasing after. If you were elected president of your school's computer club four years running or you were awarded a citizenship award for your volunteer work at a local community center... then maybe we're talking. Academic achievements? Certainly. Just be judicious in choosing those highlights.

4: Citing previous salaries

Please, don't include your previous salaries on your resume. There are so many reasons not to do this. Here's one simple, self-serving reason not to do this: It will give your prospective employer a springboard for determining your new salary. Your goal should be to make more—so don't give the interviewer the means to undercut your true worth. Leave that information off so you can approach salary needs from a neutral point.

5: Including personal information

There is no reason to include the fact that you're married, have 2.5 kids, drive a minivan, attend X church, have a man cave, coach your middle child's soccer team, or think "khaki is a way of life." All of that will eventually come out in the wash as you begin your career in the IT or business world. On a resume, it has no place. If you don't agree, consider this. What happens if you go into an interview and the hiring manager happens to hate soccer or khaki? You've immediately put yourself on the defensive side of things and have to work your way around a preconceived notion.

6: Listing your age

It's not illegal for interviewers to ask you your age. They can. They shouldn't... but they can. Most often, it won't happen. But if it does, I'd recommend that you terminate the interview. Regardless of whether an interviewer plans on asking that question, you shouldn't prompt them or give them reason to question your value simply because you added your birthdate or age on that document. Leave it out.

7: Providing references

Don't include references. Don't even add "Available upon request." You're just wasting valuable real estate. If interviewers need references, they'll ask. Saying that your references are available upon request is like saying that you promise to come to work if hired. It's implied. Besides, the space on that single-page document is far too important to be used up by worthless statements.

8: Writing in third person

Jack believes that your being snarky or trying to impress by writing in third person makes you look cocky. Jack is certain the vast majority of people hate it when others talk of themselves in this manner. In fact, Jack insists that you never refer to yourself in third person unless you're trying to make your co-workers laugh. Jack would go so far as to not even write in first person. Why? I'm fairly certain it is understood every detail on your resume is about you. Agree with Jack...everyone is doing it.

9: Using a less-than-professional email address

It doesn't matter that you've used bromancewithbooze@gmail.com as your primary email address for years. Leave it off your resume. If that's the only email account you have, create a new one with a professional name (as in, your name). Even if you use it only for resumes, do it. (Along the same lines, don't use an AOL account address—especially if you're applying for a tech job!)

10: Including your current business contact information

Do this and you might wind up receiving a call at your current place of employment by your prospective employer. Never list the contact information of your current business. If the potential new employers want to contact your current business, all they have to do is look up the name to get the details. The only phone number you should include on your resume is your mobile number. Nothing more. And don't forget, your current employer might well be monitoring your phone calls and emails. Let that be your guide when you add information to your resume.

10 ways to advance your IT career

Worried that your IT career might stall out? These 10 practical strategies can help you achieve your goals as an IT pro.

By Mary Shacklett

When I talk with up-and-coming IT'ers, I sometimes encounter a sense of fatalism. It's as if they feel their jobs are preordained and they'll be assigned to a "dungeon job" forever. It is a mistake to think that way, because there are many steps you can take to advance your career and your understanding of IT, regardless of the situation that you find yourself in.

Here are 10 things you can do to develop your IT career.

1: Seek out the hidden silver lining in the situation you are in

I always had strong communication skills, so early in my career — when I was trying to focus on the technical side of IT — I invariably got reassigned to training or documentation and not to the technical jobs I wanted. I eventually did spend time on the technical side, and what I ultimately found was that my ability to explain technologies and applications in plain English to end users and business decision makers was a valued commodity. It eventually led to my promotions to project manager and then to IT director and CIO, because employers were looking for someone who could explain (and sell) IT to outside stakeholders.

2: Get into the business

Even if your goal is to become the chief systems architect or a database administrator, those who take the time to read corporate annual and quarterly reports and to understand the business are in the best position to deliver value that is appreciated and rewarded. The best news of all is that once you learn how to get on top of the business for your job, you can take this ability with you anywhere you seek employment.

3: Take a sales/marketing course

Many IT'ers have an inherent dislike for sales/marketing, which relies on intuitive skills, perceptions, and communications — and not so much on logic and task-oriented skills. Yet the key to business is dialogue and being able to sell both yourself and your ideas. If you are a heavily task-oriented person, and most IT people are, it might be a good idea to take or audit a marketing/sales course to learn a little bit about the art of selling. I guarantee that you will find it useful in your IT work.

4: Develop your communications skills

Even if you are uncomfortable, take the risk of volunteering to make a presentation or lead a meeting. This gives you visibility as a leader and assists in preparing you for a supervisory or management IT role, if that is your goal.

5: Take on the projects no one wants

I started my own IT management career by volunteering to head failing projects with the belief that I could turn them around. Once I succeeded, it was noticed and I was in line for promotions to higher positions of responsibility. Many people are afraid of volunteering for these projects, and I must admit that before I volunteered, I considered that I could get fired. However, I also considered that the project had already failed. The only way it could go was up. If you can lead the effort and turn a failure into a success, you will get noticed.

6: Look for mentors

There are profoundly talented and creative people in IT with great skills. Many are willing to share their experience and knowledge. If you have the opportunity to be an understudy to one, take it. You will learn your craft much faster.

7: Stay current

Once you're assigned to a particular area of IT, it can become difficult to stay current on overall IT trends or other IT areas of interest. Fortunately, courses, periodicals, and trade groups abound that can help you stay on top of things. Take advantage of them. It's one way to ensure that you stay fresh in your IT thinking and practice, even if your immediate area of responsibility is somewhat constricted.

8: Network

The more people you get acquainted with in IT and the business, the more people will know what you have to offer. Individual performance excellence is always paramount, but so is exposure to those who can help you advance your career.

9: Make everyone a winner

People like winners. They also like to feel that they are succeeding. This is why the best project managers and IT executive are those who have found a way not only to make projects work, but people work. A key element in this is teamwork. When everyone feels a part of the project and the project works, the payoff for the project team and for each individual's sense of self worth is incalculable.

10: Do a little extra in every piece of work

One of my early IT memories was of a senior application programmer who wrote each app based on the end user's specifications and then added a little "extra" that he knew would please the user. Sometimes this came in the form of a navigation shortcut for a screen, or perhaps it was an extra function or feature the user hadn't thought about. That lesson has always stayed with me. If you're assigned a piece of work, do it — and then deliver just a little bit more. You'll delight your customers, and the word will get around.

Take responsibility for your own career

Today's companies are far less nurturing than they used to be. Even great performers can suddenly find themselves jobless if a company misses a quarterly earnings target, and then they must cut back. The moral of the story is to always take responsibility for your own career. You can never be sure where your career will take you or even which companies you will work for — but your skills and know-how will stay with you wherever you go.

10 of the best pieces of IT advice I ever heard

Even if IT is the best path for you, you may encounter some stumbling blocks. These career-tested tips will spare you a few headaches along the way.

By Jack Wallen

The IT career can be a long, tough, but rewarding haul. You work crazy hours, you deal with angry, frustrated end users, and you spend most of your time embroiled in one tech emergency after another. At the end of the day you're exhausted, and it's all you can do to carry yourself home, eat something, and go to bed.

Or so it seems.

You also get to work with technology, help people get their jobs done, and even (in some cases) help save lives. But ultimately, it's just you—and you're going to need some advice to get you through. Over the years, I've been handed a few golden nuggets of wisdom I thought I'd pass down to you. Here they are.

1: Learn to say "no"

If you're new to the career, chances are you'll be saying "yes" to everything. However, as you gain experience and put in your time, the word "no" needs to creep into your vocabulary. Otherwise, you'll be exploited.

Of course, you have to use this word with caution. Should the CTO approach and set a task before you, the "no" response might not be your best choice. But if you find end users—and friends—taking advantage of the word "yes," you'll wind up frustrated and exhausted at the end of the day.

2: Be done at the end of the day

I used to have a ritual at the end of every day. I would take off my watch and, at that point, I was done... no more work. That simple routine saved my sanity more often than not. I highly suggest you develop the means to inform yourself that, at some point, you are done for the day. Do not be that person who is willing to work through the evening and into the night... or you'll always be that person.

3: Don't beat yourself up over mistakes made

You are going to make mistakes. Sometimes will be simple and can be quickly repaired. Others may lean toward the catastrophic. But when you finally call your IT career done, you will have made plenty of mistakes. Beating yourself up over them will prevent you from moving forward. Instead of berating yourself, learn from the mistakes so you don't repeat them.

4: Always have something nice to say

You work with others on a daily basis. Too many times I've watched IT pros become bitter, jaded people who rarely have anything nice or positive to say. Don't be that person. If you focus on the positive, people will be more inclined to enjoy working with you, companies will want to hire you, and the daily grind will be less "grindy."

5: Measure twice, cut once

How many times have you issued a command or clicked OK before you were absolutely sure you should? The old woodworking adage fits perfectly here. Considering this simple sentence—before you click OK—can save you from quite a lot of headache. Rushing into a task is never the answer, even during an emergency. Always ask yourself: Is this the right solution?

6: At every turn, be honest

I've witnessed engineers lie to avoid the swift arm of justice. In the end, however, you must remember that log files don't lie. Too many times there is a trail that can lead to the truth. When the CTO or your department boss discovers this truth, one that points to you lying, the arm of justice will be that much more forceful. Even though you may feel like your job is in jeopardy, or the truth will cause you added hours of work, always opt for the truth. Always.

7: Make sure you're passionate about what you're doing

Ask yourself this question: Am I passionate about technology? If not, get out now; otherwise, that job will beat you down. A passion for technology, on the other hand, will continue to drive you forward. Just know this: The longer you are in the field, the more likely that passion is to falter. To prevent that from happening, learn something new.

8: Don't stop learning

Quick—how many operating systems have you gone through over the last decade? No career evolves faster than technology. The second you believe you have something perfected, it changes. If you decide you've learned enough, it's time to give up the keys to your kingdom. Not only will you find yourself behind the curve, all those servers and desktops you manage could quickly wind up vulnerable to every new attack in the wild. Don't fall behind.

9: When you feel your back against a wall, take a breath and regroup

This will happen to you. You'll be tasked to upgrade a server farm and one of the upgrades will go south. The sweat will collect, your breathing will reach panic level, and you'll lock up like Windows Me. When this happens... stop, take a breath, and reformulate your plan. Strangely enough, it's that breath taken in the moment of panic that will help you survive the nightmare. If a single, deep breath doesn't help, step outside and take in some fresh air so that you are in a better place to change course.

10: Don't let clients see you Google a solution

This should be a no-brainer... but I've watched it happen far too many times. If you're in the middle of something and aren't sure how to fix an issue, don't sit in front of a client and Google the solution. If you have to, step away, tell the client you need to use the restroom and, once in the safety of a stall, use your phone to Google the answer. Clients don't want to know you're learning on their dime.