Today I went through 20+ resumes to shortlist candidates for an Auror position we are seeking to fill at the Ministry of Magic. And I shortlisted exactly 1.

Here's everything that you SHOULDN'T do if you're applying for a job: [thread]

Your resume CANNOT, I repeat, CANNOT be longer than a scroll of parchment. I’m not Binns. I don’t need three-foot-long essays. I got a 4-scroll resume that was basically the applicant's experience with a toilet-dwelling-murder-stare-snake. Big whoop.

I really don't need to know that you were "raised by obnoxious relatives” and idgaf about your treacle tart preferences. This is a job application, not a Triwizard Tournament interview with Rita Skeeter.

If you want to talk about what you did in high school, talk about the IMPACT you made during your time there. I saw a resume that basically had Expelliarmus, Expelliarmus and Expelliarmus as bullet points. What am I supposed to infer? That you are good with wand-theft?

Links to Quidditch score tables are highly encouraged but please for the love of Merlin make sure the links work before you send them out. It makes a terrible impression for us Squibs when we can’t open them.

Might be a repeat, but it's worth repeating. Don't write down tasks. Speak in outcomes. “Led Gryffindor Quidditch media" is a task. “Punched Draco Malfoy in the gut” is an outcome. Outcomes are far more powerful than tasks. Just ask Malfoy’s gut.

If you are unsure about whether what you're writing is a task or outcome, add a "so what?" and see if it makes sense as a conversation. If it does, then it's a task. If not, let me introduce you to a Blast-Ended Skrewt.

These are hard times....for all of us. It’s like Voldy has exacted revenge on everyone with a Muggle flu. Getting hired has never been more difficult, so don't make it harder. Your resume is the first impression you make on the Minister for Magic, so make sure it's a good one.