In a tough economy, many people are trying to perfect their resumes. It is a very competitive market out there, with many competing for the few coveted jobs. It is important not to make the mistake of including inappropriate information in your resume or cover letter as this is the first thing that companies use to judge you.
I read an interesting article about whether you should include your MBTI and IQ results on your resume. AskaManager.com didn’t think this was a good idea explaining, “Resumes are for listing your accomplishments; they’re not for personal traits. Listing that you’re an “ESTJ” does give me some information about you, but it doesn’t tell me what you’ve achieved and experienced, which is what I’m looking for when I look at your resume.”
This made me think about all of the resumes I’ve screened that had inappropriate information listed on them. Here is my top list of things you should never include on your resume:
- Age, weight, height, religion, race, political affiliation, pets, marital status and other personal information
- Salary requirements
- Inappropriate email names (example: Toosexy at blahblah.com)
- Medical issues
- High School Information, High School Memberships
- Photograph
- Personal negative feelings about a position or employer
- Hobbies or activities that imply religious affiliation
- IQ, EQ, Personality Results, Mensa, GPA
- Overly large or busy fonts and colors on resume and cover page
Some career sites note that the objective and reference sections are not a good addition. I don’t personally think those are as much of a problem. In fact, I think an objective statement can help if a person’s past jobs aren’t in line with the job they are hoping to obtain. Including the phrase “References Available Upon Request” is still acceptable although not required. It is not correct to actually list the people being used as references unless they are requested.
Related Articles
- Should You List Your Home Address on Your Resume? (chicagonow.com)
- You Won’t Land A Job If You Can’t Follow Directions (blogs.forbes.com)
- Are Employers Trying to Trick You In the Interview
- Millennials Replacing Baby Boomer Workforce
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