"Stay away from vague descriptive words such as 'problem-solver' and 'goal-oriented,'" McGarrity said. "Come up with words that stand out and can't be found in anyone else's resume."
4. Listing a hodgepodge of unclear positions.
Analogous to the concept of "too much experience" is simply listing too many positions. It's not an exact science, so McGarrity said it's important for IT pros to focus on distinguishing between permanent and contract positions on their resume.
"If you have been in contract and permanent roles over your [career], be sure to clarify [that] next to the position," McGarrity said. In fact, doing so can help you avoid the perception that you're a job-hopper. "How long you stay at a job is heavily looked at by HR and hiring managers, but if you can clarify which were project and consulting [jobs], it helps them understand career and approach to growing your technical skill sets over the years."
5. Listing work experience in descending order.
There's no shortage of resume advice out there. If someone recommends that you list your work experience in descending order -- meaning you show your oldest jobs first and your most recent experience last -- you should run in the opposite direction, according to McGarrity.
"Every resume reader hates seeing job positions in descending order," McGarrity said. "We recommend that you show your most recent jobs first. When you put your early jobs first, it shows them your weakest experience first and puts you at a disadvantage."
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