10 things not to do on a resume

You know the basics of writing a resume — how to format it, the general order and how long it should be. But are you aware of the things you should not include? What you leave out is almost as important as what you put in. Typos and grammatical errors. A clean resume, on the other hand, opens doors.

10 Things You Should NOT Put on Your Resume

A resume is probably one of the most important documents you will ever create. And for this reason, many hire a professional to do the work for them. But if you prefer to create your own resume 15 Free Creative Resume Templates for Photoshop and Illustrator A stunning application can be the first step in landing your dream job.

We have compiled the best free professional resume templates for Photoshop and Illustrator. Some packages include cover letter and business card templates. As a former department manager, I had my share of resumes for possible employees cross my desk. And to be honest, some of them simply made me scratch my head. One could have turned out to be a star employee, but due to the issues with their resume, they never had the chance.

Remember, a resume is the first glimpse of you that a potential employer sees. You want to include education, relevant experience, and certifications.

For that reason, we are here to help. This list of items should not be included on your resume and we will tell you why. If you are applying for a position, your potential employer already knows that you want the job — and most often they will skip right over your objective. Image Credit: Neomaster via Shutterstock. The only time that you may want to include a summary is ifyou are entering a completely new industry.

For instance, if you have worked in hospitality for years, recently obtained a degree, and are now seeking a career in technology How to Prepare Yourself for a Programming Interview The best advice for programming interviews. Any interview can be daunting. Do you know enough to pass?

Will your solutions be good enough? What if you choke? Apply these five tips. Read More , a brief summary is acceptable. Time gaps on a resume can often raise a red flag to employers.

However, you do not have to list every job you have had from the time you were 16 years old, unless, of course, you are now So what do you do if you have been in the workforce for decades? If you can fit your most recent six jobs on your two-page resume, then your seventh-most-recent and earlier jobs will drop off.

The article also suggests that if you feel that an ancient experience is essential to your resume, simply include the job title.

Just be sure to ask yourself if it is relevant to the position you are seeking now. If the position you are applying for is a modeling job, then a photograph is likely expected. But for other types of jobs, your resume needs to highlight pertinent skills and experience, not your looks. Image Credit: Natasa Adzic via Shutterstock. In addition to eliminating photographs from your resume, you should avoid other pictures as well. You may think it enhances your resume to have a professional-looking, industry-related symbol at the top.

However, this is a mistake. Keep your resume clean and save your photos and designs for your portfolio. You may love to spend your free time golfing, fishing, playing sports, or reading books, but does it matter to a potential employer? If the position you are applying for has something to do with one of your hobbies or interests, then including it could help. If not, leave it off.

Business Insider says this about hobbies on your resume :. In the past, you may have been told to include references on your resume. However, you should really include neither. Image Credit: Andreas Saldavs via Shutterstock. If an employer wants professional references, they will ask you.

This gives you the opportunity to contact your references first. Including that line referring to references is just as much a waste of space as having a reference itself. Your age, race, gender, religion, marital status, or political affiliations have no place on your resume. Potential employers are looking at your fit for the job. This is based on your skills, knowledge, and experience, not your personal details. If you land the job, you will have to provide certain private details like these numbers.

But you do not have the job yet, so protecting your privacy is key. As Forbes. Unless you are a recent college graduate entering the workforce, do not include graduation dates. The fact that you obtained your degree is what matters, not when you earned it. Plus, this can give away your age, which as we said above, should not be on your resume. Image Credit: Zimmytws via Shutterstock. You should include the degrees you obtained, certificates you earned, and institutions you attended, but the graduation dates can be left off.

We all know how competitive it is out there. There are plenty of apps that will assist you with the task of supercharging your job interview skills. Let's look at each step of the interview process. Read More , and actually getting that job is a tough process. When you add in how many other candidates you are up against, you may be tempted to gain an edge with some exaggerations. However, deliberate lies will not get you far. An article from Monster on this topic states :.

Now, 34 percent may or may not seem high to you. However, do you want to be part of that number? Tell the truth, keep it real, and get that job based on what you can do, not what you cannot do.

Almost as important as what your resume says is how it looks. No potential employer wants to view a jumbled mess with no consistency when they see your resume. And there really is no reason for it. You can use online tools and sites 5 Top Resume Builder Sites to Create Your Resume Online Using one of these online resume builders, you can create a professional resume, CV, or bio-data in minutes for your job search.

Read More. Use our formatting tips to grab their attention and you might get the job! Read More to make your resume more mobile friendly. Review and reread, use a spelling and grammar check tool, and then review and reread again. There is nothing worse than reading a professional resume full of misspellings and grammar errors. Image Credit: BeeBright via Shutterstock. Not everyone can be an expert when it comes to spelling and grammar.

And, that is just the starting point. After you review it, have a friend or family member look it over — they might just see a mistake you missed. But surprisingly, they are not.

For those creating their first resume, re-entering the workforce after many years, or just altogether unsure, this list can help. And for more help, check out these tips for getting back on track with your job search 5 Crucial Tips to Get Your Job Search Back on Track Sometimes your job search just doesn't go well. These tips will help you continue your job hunting when everything sucks. Structure your resume and cover letter for an email application with these tips.

Your email address will not be published. I think it is funny that the author has no HR experience or seemingly at least, extensive hiring experience. However, what made me actually question her qualifications is her degrees, she lists a two year degree in a short bio that is a huge resume and even summary no-no if you have a 4 year degree; and in the fields that only need two year degrees, certifications tend to be what is important anyway.

Furthermore, if you feel the need to list a two year degree, it makes me think your 4 year degree was from a degree-mill.

The exception to 1 is when you are at a school job fair. It is helpful to some employers to know if you are looking for part time work, full time work, or an internship. The exception to 7 is when you are still in school and do not have a degree yet.

This article is pretending that our world is righteous and meritocratic. Which most obviously is not the case. Also this article has a global pretence, while there are obviously incredible cultural differences in the world but also within the US itself. Bosses are often bastards, mysogenic, racist, otherwise biased or all of the above. And also it does matter with what kind of place you you're dealing with: a grocery store that you've frequented since childhood or a big ass company!

So I hope nobody follows this advise and that the MUO editorial board is more critical of the politics of 'neutral' articles. At the same time, you have to admit that in most cases it's not going to be the boss surfing through that pile of CV's - it's going to some recruitment agency or the HR department And it's always possible to mention or expand on the summarized points in your CV during the interview if needed.

The last thing you need is to puff up your resume with awards that have no relevance for the career you're chasing after. If you were elected. A professional resume must highlight your skills, experience, work history, and your resume—things that might not tank your chances at a job, but won't do you.

The resume offers an at-a-glance view of your past and present. If you want to get your foot in the door, be sure you avoid these missteps. What is your resume? A hassle you must undergo to walk into an interview with any hope of getting hired?

Others are more grounded in the present reality but bring with them their own set of problems. Here are the 10 things you should leave off your resume if you hope to strike a powerful first impression with potential employers:.

Preparing a resume can be difficult to do. Even if you consult the internet, there is so much information that it can be hard to take it all in. While you may have already read up on what you should include in your resume and how to word it just so, have you taken the time to learn about what you should not put in your resume?

29 things you should never put on your résumé

The exception: If you're in a unique situation, such as changing industries completely, it may be useful to include a brief summary. Yes, you might have been the "king of making milkshakes" at the restaurant you worked for in high school. But unless you are planning on redeeming that title, it is time to get rid of all that clutter. Only include this experience if it really showcases additional skills that can translate to the position you're applying for. This might have been the standard in the past, but all of this information is now illegal for your employer to ask from you, so there's no need to include it. If it's not relevant to the job you're applying for, it's a waste of space and a waste of the company's time.

10 Things You Should Never Put on Your Résumé

A professional resume is key to your job search—this you know. Put simply: A career objective is largely obsolete. Get Hired. Instead of an objective, Enelow recommends beginning your resume with a career summary , where you highlight what you bring to the table and how you can add value to the company. So where can you really lean in to your soft skills? Your cover letter. Appearance counts, but so does readability. Skip any fancy or ultrastylized fonts and instead choose a font that is both professional and clean-looking. Having a photo of yourself on your resume can potentially lead to discrimination, Barrett-Poindexter warns.

Your resume is the most important part of your job search application. It is your brand document that can either make it for you or kill it.

Your resume is your first impression on a potential employer. A well-written document is a strictly objective and succinct recap of your professional. Avoid turning in a sloppy resume with these top 10 tips! Employers may base their decisions on personal data.

10 Things You Should NEVER Put on Your CV

Including them can get your resume knocked out of consideration for a job before it gets a thorough review. Employers are looking for reasons to screen out applicants when reviewing a batch of resumes to produce a manageable group of candidates to interview. Make sure you don't include the wrong information, which is anything that might lead the company to conclude you are not motivated or qualified to do the job. Then work on revamping your resume, so it includes information that will help you get noticed by the hiring manager. That's not long. You should avoid cluttering your document with unnecessary information that might make it harder for employers to find the most qualifying elements of your background. If the hiring manager can't quickly skim your resume to determine whether you've got the right qualifications, you may be out of contention for the job. The resume reader should immediately be drawn to skills and information relevant to the position they are seeking to fill. Showing the reader you've got the right stuff will make it easier for the hiring manager to decide you're worth taking the time to interview. Here are the top 15 things that should not be included on a resume.

10 Things You Should Never Include in your Resume

A resume is probably one of the most important documents you will ever create. And for this reason, many hire a professional to do the work for them. But if you prefer to create your own resume 15 Free Creative Resume Templates for Photoshop and Illustrator A stunning application can be the first step in landing your dream job. We have compiled the best free professional resume templates for Photoshop and Illustrator. Some packages include cover letter and business card templates.