BY SYNDI BLATT
WE ALL KNOW WHAT BELONGS ON A RESUME, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT DOES NOT BELONG? IN THIS TOUGH ECONOMY, AND WITH AGE NOT NECESSARILY ON OUR SIDE, TAKE A LOOK AT THESE SIX THINGS THAT SHOULD NEVER APPEAR ON YOUR RESUME.
- Personal information: Avoid adding anything other than your name and contact information. Best bets are your email address and phone number. No one wants to see more than that. It clutters your resume and can lead to negative biases and interpretations. It is a sure way to have your resume added to the circular file. Pertinent information that shows prospective employers you’re the one for the job is the only way to go.
- Work experience more than 10-15 years old: Let’s be honest. For the most part, employers are weeding out older applicants. By showing your prior positions that are older than 15 years, you’ll be waving a big red flag. You don’t want to have your resume eliminated before you have a chance to sell yourself personally to the company.
- Pictures: Unless you’re applying for a modeling job, keep the headshots off your resume. Pictures open the door to discrimination. With the deluge of resumes many perspective employers receive, it doesn’t take much to convince them to toss. By including your picture, you immediately add what could be perceived as a negative element. You want to sell your experience, not your looks.
- Lies: With so many applicants applying for so few jobs, the perspective employer is more likely to contact your prior employer to confirm what is listed. The worst thing you can do is to get caught in a lie. That will surely disqualify you from any job. Be truthful, but tactful.
- Too many words: Try to keep small words to a minimum. Words like “I,” “a,” “the”…you get the drift. You want your resume to be scored above ninth grade level. www.rezscore.com is a great website that will score your resume free of charge. And as we all know, ‘free’ is a good thing.
- Anything that would be considered antiquated: Don’t put things like “References available upon request” at the bottom of your resume. That is wasted space and is seen as a negative today. If an employer wants references, she will ask for them at the interview. The trick is to get the interview. The bottom line is to keep your resume pertinent to the position for which you are applying.
Anything extra is seen as a negative and will increase your chance of having your resume rejected.
Good luck! g
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Syndi Blatt and Gail Fine are the co-founders of Unemployed-Woman.com, which provides job search tools, as well as tips on saving money and staying healthy while unemployed. Their motto is “Make Each Day Productive and Enjoyable.” Check out their blog at www.unemployedwoman.com/blog.
