Improve your resume right now with these 15 tips from a Lowe’s corporate recruiter

We asked Axios Charlotte readers to submit their resumes for a public resume critique from a Lowe’s recruiting expert. Brave, ambitious souls.

Corporate Recruiter Gwen Lawson reviewed the 30+ submitted resumes and gave us her (totally honest) feedback on 15 of the most common mistakes that jumped out at her.

Consider this your DIY resume revision.

Resume #1

• I recommend that you move your education to the bottom of the resume and experience to the top. When you have the relevant experience you want to make that the star of the resume and you want that reviewed first. In the case of recent college graduates with limited experience, it’s okay to have the education listed at the top. As you gain that experience, you will want to shift it.
• Bullets, not paragraph form, are recommended. You want the reader to be able to quickly pick out your skills/experience.
• Remove the // marks on this resume. The spacing is already in place so there is no need for the //, which become a distraction from the content.

Resume #2

• Mix up those action verbs! No one wants to read the same word over and over again at the beginning of each sentence (Provide, Serve).
• Each bullet point needs to be concise and relevant to the job you are applying to. Arrange them in order of importance to the role. Space on a resume is prime real estate. You want to ensure that you are quickly conveying to the person reading your resume that you have the experience and skills they are seeking.
• Remove the highlighted headers – they detract from the content in the resume and do not add any value.

Resume #3

• Skill highlight section: If using this on a resume, ensure that the skills highlighted are current and relevant to the position you are applying to. For example, computer repair — if applying for a role where this skill is needed keep it. If not, replace it with a skill relevant to the position.

Resume #4

• I love the usage of numbers and stats. However, bullet points need to be streamlined in order to convey the key point across to your reader.

Resume #5

• I would advise to remove the picture since this is not relevant to your experience and skills.
• Statement: This is taking up valuable real estate on the resume and doesn’t add any value. If you are going to make a statement, it needs to be direct and impactful. What are you seeking? This statement piece was vague.

• Expertise: These words are very subjective and don’t identify key skills or experience. Similar to the statement section, if you are going to include an expertise section, ensure that it describes your expertise for the role.
• List the contact info on top of resume where the recruiter/hiring manager can easily see it and doesn’t have to search (versus the bottom placement where it is now). You want them to contact you!

Resume #6

• This resume is missing a parenthesis around the area code. It may not seem like a big deal, but it shows a lack of attention to detail.

Resume #7 

• The introduction section is very lengthy and a large portion of the resume is dedicated to describing the companies worked at. The space could be better utilized with showcasing your skills and experience.
• Check the length of your resume overall (5 pages). The rule of thumb is to keep the resume to 1-2 pages.

Need more tips? Follow Lowe’s on LinkedIn for more recruiter advice on the hiring process from start to finish, and browse open jobs at Lowe’s here.

Note: This content was co-created with Lowe’s Careers.