Writing a resume? Here are nine things you must never mention
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Whether you are writing a resume from scratch or updating your existing one, it can be quite a daunting task. Deciding what to mention and what to omit will have you scratching your chin for minutes on end. You want your resume to wow a recruiter enough to make them want to meet you. But how exactly do you do that?
Before you do anything else, we recommend that you submit your resume to Resume Mansion for a free resume critique. Our team of resume writers and industry experts is always eager to help by spotting the things you are doing right and wrong with your resume.
Until you get the results of your resume critique, read this list of nine things that you should never put on a resume:
1. Every job youāve had
Your resume is not an autobiography. As a rule of thumb, job seekers should mention only the last 10-15 years of their careers on their resumes. Out of these years, you only need to mention the jobs that are actually relevant to the new role. Give importance to the roles that have given you valuable experience for the new job.
2. Multiple contact details
Listing multiple contact details will confuse recruiters. We have seen how some job seekers who list their personal email, as well as work email on their resumes, get called back less for interviews. You donāt want an interested employer to discard you because one of the phone numbers you listed did not work.
3. Resume objective
The way we write resumes has changed over the years. Resume objectives went out of style a while ago. Today, hiring managers view an objective statement as a waste of valuable resume space. Instead, write a killer resume headline that sparks attention. You can also create a resume summary that outlines the best of your career and skills.
4. Personal information
Your personal information does not belong on a resume. If you have mentioned anything such as your marital status, full address, social security number, or religion, you must remove those from your resume right away. Adding personal information to your resume is a mistake that will get recruiters to see you as unprofessional.
5. Graduation dates
One way to age-proof your resume is to remove your high school or college graduation dates from the resume. Your age is a protected class, that has nothing to do with your ability to perform the job. Therefore, listing dates that can be used to approximate your age on the resume is not a smart move to make, especially if you are an older job seeker.
6. Unprofessional email address
If you have listed [email protected] on your resume as your personal email address, you can drop your hopes of getting hired right away. A recruiter cannot possibly take you seriously with a silly email address. Instead, create a new email for you with your first and last names.
7. Salary information
Never mention your salary information on a resume. This will put you at a disadvantage during salary negotiations later on. Avoid discussing anything about your salary with the recruiter until after an interview when a job offer is being made.
8. Photograph
If you are applying for a role where your physical appearance matters, such as a position in modeling or acting, you should add a headshot to your resume. If you are applying for an international position, especially in Asia, it is wise to add a headshot to your resume as well. Otherwise, you must remove your photograph from the resume.
9. References
You donāt need to add your professional references to your resume anymore. You donāt even need to waste resume space to add a line that says, āReferences are available upon request.ā Simply list your professional references in a separate matching document and submit it when requested by the employer.
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