20 Things to Remove From Your Resume - Career Advice Blog for Millennials

20 Things to Remove From Your Resume - Career Advice Blog for Millennials Think your resumes ready? Think again. Before you hit the send button, go over your resume one more time. It might have details that need to be deleted or rewritten, such as the ones below.   Summary Section Career Objective. Lets be honest: Can you write a career objective that isnt anything along the lines of To help the company move forward to the next level, To be the CEO someday or To get a job, period? If you cant write it without cringing seven ways til Sunday, leave it out. A Functional Rather Than Chronological Format. To most employers, a skills-based resume is a sign that the applicant is hiding a spotty work history. If you have a great track record employment-wise, you cant go wrong with a chronological resume. Otherwise, try to work with a combined chronological-functional format.   Personal Section Your Photo. Unless youre explicitly asked to do otherwise, its perfectly acceptable to leave your picture out of your resume. Employers are still human, after all, and whether theyll admit it or not, they do judge you based on your appearance. Unprofessional  Email Address. Employers would rather hire someone with an e-mail like [emailprotected] than [emailprotected]. Company Email Address. If you have to do your job hunting at work, remember to use your personal-yet-professional email address instead of your company email. Creative Interests. Yes, its nice that you love to read, write and travel the world â€" but what does that have to do with being a systems analyst? Anything That Can Cause Discrimination. In theory, U.S. employers are supposed to offer equal employment opportunities. In practice, many of these employers do judge applicants based on age, marital status and religion. Dont mention these if you want to be judged on your own merits, rather than your position in society.   Work History Section Jobs That Lasted Less Than a Year. When you change jobs like a cuttlefish changes color, it can be difficult to convince employers to take a chance on you. Hiring people is expensive, and the last thing an employer wants is to spend thousands of dollars on a promising applicant whos not in it for the long haul. Generic Descriptions of Your Previous Jobs. There are better ways to describe your previous jobs than copy-pasting from an ad. For example, you can turn your duties into accomplishments by adding concrete numbers, accolades, etc. The Word Unpaid. Employers already understand the implications of being an intern or volunteer, so theres no need to point out the monetary aspect of it. Instead, concentrate on describing your specific achievements. Any Irrelevant Experience. Your potential employer wont care about jobs youve held more than a decade ago; jobs youve held in high school; jobs at home such as doing chores and caring for children; and other jobs that dont lend the right skills/experience to the position youre applying for.   Skills Section Generic Skills. Typing, MS Office and Internet research are good skills to have. That is, until you realize everyone else has them too, so they wont really help you stand out from the crowd. Any Irrelevant Skills. Being able to do one-handed handstands is cool … if youre applying for a circus, a dance troupe or a gymnastics club. Maybe you can use it to entertain co-workers during breaks, but thats still not a reason to include it in your resume.   Others “Artistic” Resume Design. Unless youre applying to be an artist, its best to leave those quirky, rainbow-colored fonts out of your resume. Also, avoid these deadly sins of resume design, such as fancy decorations, colored paper and weird formatting. Personal Pronouns. Its enough to write something like Doubled sales for the department within two weeks.” There’s no need to add I or your name in the beginning of that sentence. Overused/Vague Jargon. Ever wondered whether words like goal-oriented, innovative and team player are actually hurting you? You might be on to something. In fact, these are three of the 25 most commonly used words that dont add anything to your resume. If any word on your resume feels empty, or cant be backed up by solid evidence, cut it out. References Available Upon Request. This phrase can come across as presumptuous. You should either list your references outright, or not mention them at all. (But be sure to have a list ready in case asked for them!) Typos/Spelling Errors/Grammatical Errors. Even a single spelling or grammar mistake can send your resume straight to the rejected bin. Make sure to proofread your resume at least twice, so youll avoid embarrassing mistakes like I markiplied our production by 50 percent. Anything Exaggerated or Untrue. Its OK to leave out the not-so-flattering parts of your job history. Whats not OK is embellishing what youve written on your resume to make yourself look better than you really are. Just state the facts supporting your achievements, and leave them at that. Anything Over the Two-Page Limit. After doing all of the above, your resume should span two pages, at most. Even if youve had a decades-long career, its not an excuse to turn your resume into a mini-memoir. Even then, it should be limited to one page in most cases.   Remember: Employers have to go through hundreds of applications every day. When an applicant makes the effort to craft a concise yet compelling resume, employers take notice. If you manage to get your foot in the door, its only a matter of time â€" and a matter of preparation and self-confidence â€" before you land that job offer. Image Credit:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/[emailprotected]/13903383190/sizes/l