By nature, resumes are condensed versions of your experience, skills and proficiencies. Alison Green of the U.S. News and World Report recently compiled a list of items that should never appear on this important document. Are you wasting valuable resume real estate with these 10 no-nos?
- A functional format. Stick to a chronological format instead so prospective employers don't think you've got something to hide.
- An objective. Green recommends you use your cover letter instead to outline how the position suits your career goals.
- A photo. The exceptions to this rule are positions in which your appearance influences your ability to do the job, such as an actor or model.
- Short-term jobs. Unless these were contract jobs or positions that are inherently designed to be short-term, omit them entirely.
- Unusually fancy designs. The exception to this rule is a design-oriented position; otherwise, stick to a straightforward layout.
- Extra pages. Stick to two pages or less; Green says that employees in their 20s should limit themselves to one page.
- High school. There's no need to mention what high school you attended, unless you're just a few years after your graduation date.
- Salary history. By divulging this information early in the game, you potentially compromise your power to negotiate for a higher salary later.
- Subjective descriptions. Stick to objective facts and quantitative descriptions; after all, self-assessments are infamous for being hyperbolic.
- References. Naturally, if asked, you'll provide references, so there's no need to waste resume real estate with a line like, "References are available upon request."
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(Photo credit: Woodley Wonderworks/Flickr)
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