5 ways resume writing is like filing taxes

May 4, 2012

This week’s employment report was blah at best.

The Labor Department today reported that hiring slowed for the second straight month and the U.S. economy added just 115,000 jobs in April.

Overall, the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent, down fractionally from 8.2 percent. But that tick downward was because nearly 350,000 people quit looking for work.

Resume_work in progress_PSD via FlickrIn such a sluggish hiring atmosphere, a resume that stands out is key. The proper paperwork could help you nab a new, better and higher-paying job.

The obvious tax/resume connection is that more money also might mean that you move into a higher tax bracket.

But doing taxes and writing an effective resume have some other similarities that most of us have probably never noticed.

Not to worry. Josh Tolan, CEO of Spark Hire, has spotted 5 Ways Preparing Your Resume is Like Doing Taxes.

Tolan elaborates in his post for Mashable Business, but here is a quick preview:

  1. You Must Tell the Truth
  2. It’s Time Consuming 
  3. Organization is Key 
  4. You Must Decide Who Does It 
  5. It’s Not a Lot of Fun

If you’re working on your resume, keep these tips in mind. Also make a note to review them next tax filing season.

And remember that you can count the costs of producing a quality resume — from hiring a professional to help you put it together to printing costs to delivery charges — as part of potentially tax deductible job hunting expenses.

Resume image courtesy psd/Flickr

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The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic. 

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Tax Season 2026 Continues!

We made it. Tax Day 2025 is finally over. For most of us. When the filing season started on Jan. 26, millions who were expecting refunds filed immediately. Most of us got our returns to the Internal Revenue Service by April 15. But plenty of taxpayers also got extensions. They are looking at an Oct. 15 filing deadline.

Those procrastinating filers aren’t a problem. In fact, the IRS appreciates taxpayers who take time to fill out their 1040 forms correctly. It also is grateful that tax submissions are spread out a bit, especially now that the IRS is a leaner agency. Processing returns is easier when they arrive throughout the year instead of in massive bunches.

But enough about Uncle Sam’s tax collection issues. The focus now is on all y’all who filed for extensions, giving you another six months to complete your return. Since your new mid-October due date will be here before you know it, let’s get started now on meeting it.

The ol’ blog is here to help you finish up your extended Form 1040. You can start with January’s tax tips page, which has links to the rest of the year’s tips by-month collections. You also can peruse various tax categories for more tailored advice by clicking on the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of this (and every) page.

And to make sure you don’t miss your new filing deadline, the count-down clock below will let you know just how much time you to file by Oct. 15. At the latest.e. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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