Not Everything Belongs on Your Resume

You may have given considerable thought to what to put in your resume, but how about what you should keep out? Everything you communicate on your resume should be accurate and relevant, while positioning you as an excellent job candidate. That may mean keeping some things off a resume. Keep reading.

Grammar Flaws
For good reason, misspellings and poor grammar are at the top of the list.When hiring managers or recruiters finds these types of errors, they will likely conclude that the job candidate would make the same unprofessional errors on the job.

Unnecessary Personal Information
Your resume is not the place to share your photo, date of birth, marital status, religious or political affiliations, extracurricular activities, or outside interests unless they are relevant to your profession. Likewise, this personal information should also not be factored into the interview process.

Generic Statements and Fluff
A resume should be a comprehensive, professional snapshot of the job candidate, something that positively differentiates him or her from the others. A resume with generic statements and fluff adds no value; instead, use specific statements that showcase pertinent experience and skills. Whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments.

Unrelated and/or Outdated Skills or Experience
If you have a particular job skill or experience that is clearly outdated or unrelated to the job you are pursuing, omit it from your resume. Other things to leave off a resume include grade point average, industry acronyms, salary expectations, and references or the “references available upon request” statement.

Your resume is an extremely important and necessary part of the job-seeking process and, as such, should be of the highest professional quality. A multitude of resources can guide you in the resume-writing process, including Gale’s Career Transitions portal (learn more here). So get started today, and create an extraordinary resume.