“I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs and heard nothing back.” I hear this constantly. And when I look at their resumes, the problem isn’t what’s missing. It’s what’s STILL there.
Your resume has one job. Get you an interview. That’s it. It’s not your life story. It’s not a Wikipedia page about your career. It’s a marketing document. And most gaming professionals are cramming theirs with stuff that actively hurts them.
I’ve reviewed thousands of resumes as a hiring manager at Riot Games. Here are the three categories of things you need to cut today.
Bad Judgment Mistakes That Scream Amateur
Let’s start with the obvious stuff that somehow still shows up everywhere.
Flashy graphic art on your resume. Bright colors, game characters, clip art. People rationalize it saying they want to show their passion for games. But all it does is detract from your professionalism. You’re asking someone to judge not just how good you are at your job, but how good you are at design. Even if you ARE a graphic artist, keep that in your portfolio. Your resume is a different document with a different purpose.
Unprofessional email addresses. Having HelloKitty246 as your contact email might sound fun and cute. Except when a recruiter sees it, they nope out immediately. Keep it professional.
Overly complicated resume layouts. Sure, a two or three column resume looks slick. But here’s the objective truth: if the ATS misinterprets your data and formats your information incorrectly in the database, you might as well not have applied at all. Are you willing to sacrifice being found in the system just for aesthetics? One is subjective. The other is a hard wall you can’t see.
Bias Triggers You Didn’t Know You Were Including
This one sounds awful to say and even worse to hear. We want to believe hiring is fair and impartial. But the reality is everybody carries their own set of biases. Your job is to keep them out of your resume so that recruiters can focus on your achievements.
That means removing your headshot, identifying marks, marital status, number of children, religion, anything that doesn’t demonstrate you’re a qualified candidate. For your address, just include city and state or country. Recruiters need to know your time zone, not your street address. But be upfront about your location because if you’re not, it’s going to boomerang later.
Irrelevant Information That Drains Attention
This is where most people resist the hardest. And it’s the category that does the most damage.
Work history older than 10 years. Recruiters only care about what you’ve been doing recently. I had a client who fought me when I asked him to remove internship work from 20 years ago. He wanted to show his humble beginnings. I asked him: “When you decide who to interview, do you really care what they did 20 years ago?” He changed his mind.
Excessive education details. Your college name is fine. The year you graduated, your GPA, what clubs you joined? Nobody is making a hiring decision based on that. Your work experience is what matters.
Skills section word salad. This is when people list every skill they can think of because they believe more skills equals more impressive. Google Suites. Microsoft Office. “Passionate about gaming” (which is not a skill). Problem solving. Communications. These are big words that mean nothing to anybody except the candidate.
What Your Resume Should Actually Do
A good resume is not about how many words you can pack onto a page. It’s about having a concise story that impresses someone and leaves a lasting impression.
Keep it clean. Keep it concise. Keep it professional. The simpler and clearer your resume, the stronger an impression it makes.
Every bullet point should pass the “So what?” test. If the answer is just “I did my job,” cut it or rewrite it. Replace duties with accomplishments. Replace vague claims with specific numbers. And remove everything that doesn’t directly help a recruiter say “yes, let’s call this person.”
Here’s the exercise. Open your resume right now. For every line, ask: “Does this help me get an interview?” If the answer is no, cut it. If the answer is “maybe,” it’s probably a no. Be ruthless. The simpler your resume, the stronger the impression it makes.
Your resume isn’t your autobiography. It’s a billboard on a highway. Recruiters are flying past at 80 miles an hour. You’ve got a few seconds to make your case. Every word that doesn’t earn its spot is stealing attention from the words that do. Make it count.
Read our complete guide: Gaming Professional Visibility Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I include graphic design elements on my gaming resume?
A: No. Bright colors, game characters, and clip art detract from professionalism. Even if you’re a graphic artist, keep creative work in your portfolio. Your resume is a marketing document, not a design showcase.
Q: How far back should my work history go on a gaming resume?
A: 10 years maximum. Recruiters only care about what you’ve been doing recently. Attention spans are finite, so be strategic about what you show and proactive about what you remove.
Q: Should I include a photo on my gaming industry resume?
A: No. Remove your headshot, marital status, religion, and anything that doesn’t demonstrate you’re qualified. These details introduce bias. Include your city and country for time zone purposes, but skip the full mailing address.
Q: What skills should I remove from my resume?
A: Cut generic filler like “Microsoft Office,” “problem solving,” “communications,” and “passionate about gaming.” These mean nothing to recruiters. Show skills through results instead of listing them in a standalone section.
Q: Does a fancy multi-column resume layout help in gaming?
A: It hurts more than it helps. Two or three column layouts confuse ATS systems, which means your data gets formatted incorrectly in the database. If you’re not in the system correctly, you might as well not have applied.