• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

2

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

3

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026

1

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

2

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

3

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
SuccessBill Gates

Bill Gates’ résumé from 1974 features 3 details experts warn you should never include

By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 30, 2022, 4:45 PM ET
Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, during a panel.
Gates shared his résumé from nearly 50 years ago on LinkedIn on Thursday.Hollie Adams—Bloomberg/Getty Images

Bill Gates, Microsoft cofounder and fourth-richest man in the world, returned to his humble roots on Thursday: He shared his résumé from nearly 50 years ago.

“Whether you’re a recent grad or a college dropout, I’m sure your résumé looks a lot better than mine did 48 years ago,” Gates quipped in a LinkedIn post.

Before diving into his education and work experience, Gates included his “objective”: systems analyst or system programmer. He backed it up with his relevant Harvard coursework, his coding skills from two different jobs in his native Seattle area, and the small fact that he’d worked in partnership with Paul Allen—with whom he would officially found Microsoft the following year.

Gates’ résumé may have been par for the course in 1974, but it includes a few details that today’s experts advise against.

Mistake No. 1: Going too deep 

The résumé, which Gates wrote on a typewriter at age 18, includes his then-address (his freshman dorm) as well as some personal details that would be way out of place today. He notes his height (5’10”), his weight (130 pounds), and the fact that he has no dependents.

Gates should have avoided including such irrelevant information. “Sure, you’ve got hobbies, interests, languages, favorite bands, and ambitions,” Marc Cenedella, founder of Leet Résumés, a résumé writing service, told Fortune. “But keep the information that doesn’t address your ability to be responsible, accountable, and a hard worker to a reasonable level.”

Mistake No. 2: Lack of verb variety

While the exact line-by-line format of a résumé can vary, Beth Hendler-Grunt, founder of career coaching service Next Great Step, emphasizes using action verbs to show what you accomplished in each role. She advises against saying “responsible for” at the beginning of each sentence—as in, “I’m responsible for the office filing system.” 

Instead, use past-tense action verbs, like “built,” “created,” or “developed”; consider, “I developed a filing system that streamlined the office organizational flow.” And try to use different verbs for each experience.

While Gates used “designed” to demonstrate a traffic system he created, his action verbs stopped there. He leaned heavily on “involved with,” which is more passive and repetitive. 

Mistake No. 3: Needless distraction

We’ll allow Gates some stylistic choices that don’t make sense today: namely, the business card for what looks like a career services company copied onto the top-left corner. This is especially bad, because it’s in prime real estate where the résumé reader’s eye is going to be drawn first. In that area, you want to stack your accolades, education, and achievements right away—not provide free ad space for a company. 

The placement and color makes the résumé appear busy, which Cenedella highly warns against.

Other than that, Gates’ style and format are fairly consistent with a typical recruiter’s expectations. Despite the flaws, it’s safe to say Gates knew what he was doing. Twelve years after he hit “submit” on that résumé, he became a billionaire. Six years after that, he became the world’s richest man.

Maybe the secret to success really is including your height—but we wouldn’t count on it. 

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Jane Thier
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Success

Melinda French Gates’ advice to new IPO millionaires: ‘Give half your money away’
Startups & VentureMost Powerful Women
Melinda French Gates’ advice to new IPO millionaires: ‘Give half your money away’
By Emma HinchliffeJune 13, 2026
4 hours ago
Aravind Srinivas wearing glasses
SuccessBillionaires
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
By Preston ForeJune 13, 2026
4 hours ago
Jamie Dimon says remote work breeds ‘rope-a-dope politics’ and stunts young workers’ growth
Successchief executive officer (CEO)
Jamie Dimon says remote work breeds ‘rope-a-dope politics’ and stunts young workers’ growth
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 13, 2026
5 hours ago
Raquel Urtasun
SuccessCareers
The ‘AI superstar’ CEO behind a self-driving truck unicorn on why Gen Z is a better hiring bet than industry veterans
By Preston ForeJune 13, 2026
5 hours ago
Bret Johnsen looks up, smiling, as he claps his hands.
C-SuiteSpaceX
SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen quietly engineered its historic IPO and became an overnight billionaire
By Sasha RogelbergJune 13, 2026
6 hours ago
t
C-SuiteElections
Upstate New York sticker mogul has a bronze Trump statue, MAGA hip-hop album and a presidential endorsement. The local machine wants the Marine
By Michael Hill, Anthony Izaguirre and The Associated PressJune 12, 2026
22 hours ago

Most Popular

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
Environment
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
4 days ago
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
Investing
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
By Jim EdwardsJune 12, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 12, 2026
1 day ago
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
Success
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
By Catherina GioinoJune 11, 2026
2 days ago
U.S. energy secretary says 7 million barrels of oil exiting Persian Gulf daily, but Chevron CEO rebuts the claim
Energy
U.S. energy secretary says 7 million barrels of oil exiting Persian Gulf daily, but Chevron CEO rebuts the claim
By Jordan BlumJune 12, 2026
19 hours ago
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
AI
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
By Jeremy KahnJune 13, 2026
10 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.