Know What Not to Include in Your Resume

Know What Not to Include in Your Resume“Don’t sell yourself short.” This quote is easily applied to resume writing. It’s important to include all relevant details in your resume in order to help the recruiter get a feel for how you are as an employee. However, some things are better left unsaid to avoid encountering awkward situations.

Here are some rules to consider:

Too Much Personal Information

Don’t include your marital status, religion or race in your resume. These elements fall into legal territory, and employers can’t ask you any questions related to these points during an interview. (Those applying for international jobs are an exception.)

There are other elements that applicants shouldn’t add to their resumes. For instance, no matter your level of pride in your hobbies/side activities, don’t include a link to one of your hobby blog sites in your resume.

In addition, don’t include a photograph in your resume (unless you are working in the entertainment industry).

Lastly, be sure to clean up your online image before looking for a job, as your name might pop up in the search engine, and the links may show a different side of you outside of work.

Letters of Recommendation

It is best not to send these with your resume. You can save them for later, once you are called in for an interview. (You can include recommendation letters if the job posting specifically asks you to include them.)

You can provide contact information for the people who wrote your recommendations if you think the company may want to speak with them as references. (If you think someone at the company may be calling those references, be sure to let your references know.)

Specific Salary

Do not(in any way) include your current or desired salary in your resume. If the company specifically states in the job description that it needs to be included, state a range rather than a specific figure.

If you need information about the salary of the position you are applying for, don’t hesitate to ask the recruiter and confirm the information yourself.

Bypass Generic

It is best to avoid buzzwords, outdated phrases and clichés to prevent the recruiter from setting your document next to the trash bin. Avoid using words and phrases like team player, strong communication skills, multitasking, and more.

Keep it Simple

If you think you have experience in the past that can work against you, it’s best to leave it out of your resume. Your resume should be an effective platform that lets you highlight your best qualities, skills and talents.

Happy hunting!

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Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.