What to Remove From Your Resume Right Now

What to Remove From Your Resume Right NowDon’t hesitate to delete, edit or reformat your resume as you craft it.

When drafting a resume, you have to be willing to hit the delete button as many times as needed to ensure your resume is ready. There’s always something in your resume that can be changed to make way for more relevant details. And you have to make sure your resume passes the applicant tracking system (ATS) before anyone can see it.

Consider the following as you write or revise your resume:

Photo. It’s better not to include a photo in your resume. Europeans are abandoning this practice as more organizations accept American-style resumes.

Full address. You only need to include your city and state if you’re in the US, or your city and country if you’re outside the US.

Objective. Don’t use an objective statement at the top of your resume. Employers want to know what you can do to support their goals, not yours. It’s better to include a “Career Summary” or “Career Profile” instead. This section should illustrate that you meet the required qualifications for the job.

GPA and test scores. Include these numbers in your resume if you graduated less than three years ago with a GPA of 3.5 or above. But take out the standardized test scores and GPA past that time.

University you didn’t graduate from. The school you graduated from is what matters. If you are compelled to include the school you transferred from, use a bullet underneath your alma mater.

Cliché phrases. Search the Internet for the most commonly used words in resumes. If you find these words in your resume, then you’re being too general, and not clear enough about your experience. Employers would like to understand who you are and what you’re capable of as an employee. You can always play around with words and discover what helps you convey what you really want.

Irrelevant experience. Volunteer experience or any other paid work that is not relevant to your career goals should be listed under the “Previous Experience” category. Include only key details such as your title, organization, location and years.

Use hyperlinks sparingly. Be sure to use hyperlinks effectively. Don’t try to hyperlink every company you’ve worked for. Only choose those that you consider a big milestone in your career. Link your written publications, articles, or if you’ve been quoted in a major article. You may want to list this info under the “Select Publications” or “Select Media” category.

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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.