Things to leave off your resume
It’s easy to list the essential items on a resume such as job experience, companies worked for, skills, college degree, and so forth. However, many job applicants don’t realize that there are also many things to avoid putting on their resume.
Your resume is something that should be carefully reviewed and looked over in order to ensure the very best chances of being hired. A few simple mistakes could completely ruin your chances of getting the career that you want.
Here are a few things to avoid listing on your resume:
1. Salary information. Most jobs don’t require you to put your previous salaries on your resume, so you’ll just come across as looking uninformed. Additionally, including your salary information might make it harder for you to properly negotiate for the kind of salary that you want.
2. Short-term jobs. Any time a potential employer sees that you’ve only worked at a certain place for a month or two, it raises some red flags. Why were you only employed for such a short period of time? Leave these off your resume if at all possible.
3. Your picture. Usually, there is no reason to include your picture unless you’re trying to become a model or something like that. In fact, many companies discreetly discriminate against looks in their hiring process.
4. Physical attributes. Similar to your picture, your physical attributes are also probably unrelated to the job.
5. Age. Perceived age discrimination is something that all employers want to avoid at all costs. For this reason, they cannot ask about your age during the interview process. It is a good idea to leave off your age just in case of any conflicts.
6. Number of kids. Some moms really learn a lot about management after dealing with their children for several years. However, some employers might not see it the same way. They might assume that you will take time off early to pick up the kids from school and whatnot.
7. Extra pages. Ideally, your resume should only be one page. It should be clear and concise and leave out any unnecessary details. By keeping it to one page, you will be saving time and paper.
8. Gaps in employment. Your employer will think that employment gaps that are a few months long will make you seem lazy or unmotivated. Make sure to have a reasonable explanation, such as school.
9. References. Employers don’t ask for references on your resume, so adding them will just make you look uninformed. They might ask for some during some other point of the interview process, but don’t add any to your resume.
10. High school. Unless you only have a GED, you shouldn’t include high school information. Chances are that you are already graduated from college, so high school information is unnecessary.
11. Hobbies. In most cases, your hobbies are completely irrelevant. They will just take up space on your resume.
12. Religious or political affiliation. Unless you’re applying to a spot at a church or another religious organization, there’s no reason to disclose such information. Employers aren’t allowed to discriminate on either of these areas, so they will never ask for either of them.
13. Objective. An objective usually describes what you’re looking for. However, employers should already know what you want: a job at their company.
14. Jobs that are 10 years old. You only really need to list your most recent and relevant experience. You shouldn’t have to reach back more than a decade for work experience.
15. Subjective descriptions. You might think you’re a “great leader” or “good at time management,” but those things are subjective and can easily be exaggerated. Add some sort of objectivity, such as goals you’ve accomplished.
Conclusion
The job application process is very difficult. Job seekers must find ways to stick out from the crowd while competing against dozens of other applicants.
Use these techniques so that you realize all the things you shouldn’t do. Most employers won’t give resume feedback, so it’s up to you to spot the mistakes.
