2011 Top 10 Things You Should Not Put On Your Resume
2011 Top 10 Things You Should Not Put On Your Resume
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 didnât think this was a good idea explaining, âResumes are for listing your accomplishments; theyâre not for personal traits. Listing that youâre an âESTJâ does give me some information about you, but it doesnât tell me what youâve achieved and experienced, which is what Iâm looking for when I look at your resume.âÂ
This made me think about all of the resumes Iâve 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:Â 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 donât personally think those are as much of a problem. In fact, I think an objective statement can help if a personâs past jobs arenât in line with the job they are hoping to obtain. Including the phrase âReferences Available Upon Requestâ 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
Have You Updated Your Job Skills?
In my book How to Reinvent Your Career, I write about taking a skills inventory. Itâs important to look at how things have changed since you last made a career move, and decide whether youâve 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:
- Computer use
- Networking
- Interview performance
- Job Hunting
- Communication
- Analytical research
- Adaptability
- Diversity awareness
- Leadership
- Planning/goal setting
- Problem solving
- Teamwork
- Multi-tasking
- People skills
- 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
- Computer use
- Networking
- Interview performance
- Job Hunting
- Communication
- Analytical research
- Adaptability
- Diversity awareness
- Leadership
- Planning/goal setting
- Problem solving
- Teamwork
- Multi-tasking
- People skills
- 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.