The weirdest words people include on their resumes in all 50 states
Job candidates are encouraged to include some activities or interests in their resume as a way of showing a hiring manager some personality that goes beyond the accolades listed on the same cut-and-dry piece of paper.
From fun hobbies to personal interests, these types of tidbits into a candidate’s life can play a big role in a company finding the right fit for the position needed.
But sometimes, trying to make yourself sound like the right culture fit might just be downright weird.
Careers website Zippia recently sifted though more than 3.5 million resumes to find the weird, the uncommon (and sometimes cringe-worthy) details candidates include on their resume to make themselves stand out.
The resumes, which included examples across every state in the US, honed in on specific keywords that appeared in the additional interests section of resumes.
Adjectives like “awesome” appeared frequently on resumes in Hawaii, while “dude’s” was partial to resumes in Wyoming. In New York, “arguing” was the most likely mention in the additional interests (not sure how that sits with someone trying to hire you, though).
One of the puzzling findings is how often resumes mentioned the Kardashians, the popular American family known in entertainment and fashion culture.
About one in every 100,000 resumes, the family was mentioned including one example which bragged about working with the family:
“-One of less than 15 companies included in several backstage Swag/Celebrity events such as MTV, BET, The GRAMMY’s, Emmy Awards, and Steve Harvey Neighborhood Awards for eight years in a row. -Designed and worked for many TV networks and celebrities such as The Kardashians, Beyonce Knowles Carter, Paris Hilton, and other industry favorites.”
But if you thought mentioning reality TV stars was weird, Alaskan resumes were littered with UFOs — literately.
UFO was the term most likely to be found in Alaska resumes including one former job duties explaining: “Familiar with many different satellite types including DSCS, MILSTAR, UFO, Intel Sat, and Pan Am Sat.”
Other oddities such as porn and “redneck” were featured on resumes. People in Massachusetts are still obsessed with witchcraft, while Michigan resumes take pride in their production of the Ford automobile.
“If a company requests additional interests, you might want to settle on ones that you wouldn’t be ashamed to tell your mom- or highlight additional skills you may not have a chance to convey in your professional experience, such as volunteer work,” the report read.
The full list of the weirdest word included on a resume by state is below:
Alabama: Wookie
Arizona: Orgami
Alaska: Klingon
Arkansas: Clothesmaking
California: Kardashian
Colorado: Cardistry
Connecticut: Ford
Delaware: Christian
Florida: Magic
Georgia: Peaches
Hawaii: Awesome
Idaho: Bodybuilding
Illinois: Couponing
Indiana: Drones
Iowa: Pizza
Kansas: Embroidery
Kentucky: Bowling
Louisiana: Tigers
Maine: Leather
Maryland: Electronic
Massachusetts: Witchcraft
Michigan: Ford
Minnesota: Dinosaurs
Mississippi: Tennis
Missouri: Hotdog
Montana: Wife
Nebraska: Hooping
Nevada: Arson
New Hampshire: Gymnastics
New Jersey: Trump
New Mexico: Alien
New York: Arguing
North Carolina: Weaving
North Dakota: Thrifting
Ohio: Lebron
Oklahoma: Computers
Oregon: Volunteer
Pennsylvania: Chocolate
Rhode Island: Acrobatics
South Carolina: Zeus
South Dakota: Ghosts
Tennessee: Gay
Texas: Bigfoot
Utah: Genealogy
Vermont: Beekeeping
Virginia: Cryptography
Washington: Space
West Virginia: Hunting
Wisconsin: Rapping
Wyoming: Dude
