2011 Top 10 Things You Should Not Put On Your Resume

2011 Top 10 Things You Should Not Put On Your Resume

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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:

  1. Age, weight, height, religion, race, political affiliation, pets, marital status and other personal information
  2. Salary requirements
  3. Inappropriate email names (example:  Toosexy at blahblah.com)
  4. Medical issues
  5. High School Information, High School Memberships
  6. Photograph
  7. Personal negative feelings about a position or employer
  8. Hobbies or activities that imply religious affiliation
  9. IQ, EQ, Personality Results, Mensa, GPA
  10. 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

Have You Updated Your Job Skills?

In my book How to Reinvent Your Career, I write about taking a skills inventory. It’s important to look at how things have changed since you last made a career move, and decide whether you’ve kept up with the changes around you. Are you lacking some important skills? I recommend assessing your skills inventory and deciding whether you need to get some training in some of the following areas:

  1. Computer use
  2. Networking
  3. Interview performance
  4. Job Hunting
  5. Communication
  6. Analytical research
  7. Adaptability
  8. Diversity awareness
  9. Leadership
  10. Planning/goal setting
  11. Problem solving
  12. Teamwork
  13. Multi-tasking
  14. People skills
  15. Self-reliance

Remember that these are all important skills that employers are going to be looking for in prospective employees. Remember to highlight your abilities in each of these areas when writing your résumé.

Changing Jobs – Be Sure You Have the Right Skills

It’s important to look at how things have changed since you last made a career move, and decide whether you’ve kept up with the changes around you. Are you lacking some important skills? I recommend assessing your skills inventory and deciding whether you need to get some training in some of the following areas:
  1. Computer use
  2. Networking
  3. Interview performance
  4. Job Hunting
  5. Communication
  6. Analytical research
  7. Adaptability
  8. Diversity awareness
  9. Leadership
  10. Planning/goal setting
  11. Problem solving
  12. Teamwork
  13. Multi-tasking
  14. People skills
  15. Self-reliance

 Remember that these are all important skills that employers are going to be looking for in prospective employees. Remember to highlight your abilities in each of these areas when writing your résumé.