can my resume list a different title than my real one? by Alison Green on March 31, 2025 A reader writes: For some reason — largely due to how bad the job market currently is for replaceable lifelong individual contributors — I’ve been following one of those quasi-influencer recruiter types on LinkedIn for a little while. Some of his advice is decent, and at the very least he pokes fun of all the […] Read the full article →
a bunch of questions and answers about your resume by Alison Green on March 4, 2025 I’m getting a flood of questions about resumes, so here are seven resume questions and answers. 1. Can my resume just list my last two jobs and leave the earlier ones off? The company I’m currently employed by is closing. It was sudden and, while not completely unexpected, it’s still a blow. I’m dusting off […] Read the full article →
should your resume list the city/state for each job? by Alison Green on February 10, 2025 A reader writes: As resume advice continues to evolve with the times (e.g., not including your street address on your resume), I’m wondering how important the location of each job is. Do employers really care if I worked in San Francisco, California, or in Dayton, Ohio? Would it be better to include in-person, hybrid, or […] Read the full article →
is it a terrible offense to include profanity in a resume? by Alison Green on February 4, 2025 A reader writes: My husband is a blue collar worker, and he’s very experienced in his field. A little less than a year ago, he decided to switch jobs. He went from doing residential work in people’s homes to commercial work on big buildings. He had over two decades of experience doing the residential side […] Read the full article →
do you still need a mailing address on your resume? by Alison Green on August 15, 2024 A reader writes: I teach a course for adult learners on how to prepare for a job search, and I’d like to get your take on including addresses on resumes. Personally, I think it is unnecessary, particularly in our modern world of remote and hybrid jobs, and just introduces a potential safety issue. You had […] Read the full article →
the charismatic aura, the glowing tan, and other amazing items seen on resumes by Alison Green on May 28, 2024 Last week, I asked about the strangest things you’ve ever seen in cover letters and resumes. You shared some amazing stories — here are some of my favorites. 1. “A candidate happily let me know ‘I just got laid this morning’ (I assume he meant ‘laid off’ but it made me laugh).” 2. “I had […] Read the full article →
need help finding a job? start here by Alison Green on May 8, 2024 Here’s a round-up of some of the most key job-searching advice on this site. Resumes and Cover Letters The first thing to know is, if you’re not getting interviews, you probably need to fix your resume and cover letter. If you’re thinking your materials are fine, I’ve got to tell you: More often than not, […] Read the full article →
a pain-free guide to writing a resume by Alison Green on August 22, 2023 No offense, but your résumé is probably a mess. It’s not that you aren’t skilled or accomplished, but most people’s résumés are middling at best. It’s understandable — unless you work in HR, you probably haven’t devoted much time to reading or crafting them, and most of us feel weird about trying to sell ourselves. […] Read the full article →
how to put outcomes on your resume when you’re not sure how to measure your work by Alison Green on October 3, 2022 Here’s an exchange I had with a reader recently which I thought might be helpful to other people. Reader: I have a question regarding resume writing. As an autistic person, this process is like pulling teeth for me. I understand all of the concepts behind how to write a good resume, but I deeply struggle […] Read the full article →
should I use a two-column resume? by Alison Green on October 19, 2020 A reader writes: I am going to school for a master’s degree for a health adjacent profession (think psychologist, clinical social worker etc) and I have a question about the best way to format my resume. Most of the things on my resume take up maybe half of the space on a line. For example: […] Read the full article →