5 things not to include on your resume

Sometimes writing a resume can be confusing, especially a student or newly released soldier’s resume. We have the urge to “fire in every direction” and write as many details as possible in hope that one of them will impress the employer/recruiter enough to give us a job interview. It’s very hard for us to sort the wheat from the chaff and pick out the relevant information to include.

 

Following on the tips we’ve mentioned in our page on 10 great resume writing tips, we’ve put together five things you shouldn’t include on your resume, to give you another perspective on the optimal resume format.

Some candidates choose to include quotes from famous people in their resumes, but there’s no need to use the words of others to convey a message to the reader. It’s impressive that you know famous phrases by important  figures, but on your resume you should try to stay brief and to the point, and stick to academic and professional achievements - this is what’s relevant to your potential employers, and what might actually impress them.

 

Also, there is no real need to state your motto using inspirational quotes that influenced you, or excerpts from poetry or prose, etc. Such unnecessary information makes it difficult for recruiters to gather relevant key information about you, and unnecessarily lengthens the document.

Sometimes candidates choose to include personal stories or interesting anecdotes about themselves in order to “break the ice” and create a sense of intimacy and identification with the reader. But this is a mistake, since the reader will probably skip these anyway. We’ve mentioned in our resume design  guide that employers/recruiters often don’t read the entire document, but rather skim it in search of key information. Thus, you’ve probably cluttered the document needlessly instead of leaving room for really important information (since the recommendation is to write a resume up to two pages long).

 

Even if the stories are relevant to the job you’re applying for, your work experience, or your educational background, this information is unnecessary, especially at such an early stage of the recruitment process. All the extra information and “ice breaking” is best left for the job interview.

Specifying expectations, objectives, and personal goals is also not recommended. When an employer or recruiter reads your resume and considers you for a job, they’re primarily looking for the added value you offer which can serve the job you’re interested in. Therefore, it’s better to focus on your resume, not your personal goals and objectives. The alignment of expectations can be postponed until the job interview.

As mentioned above, it isn’t necessary to specify details that don’t contribute critical information at this early stage. The resume is your professional business card and must provide the reader with the information that will help them determine your suitability for the job - no more and no less. Therefore, you can waive details such as the names of your spouse and children (if you choose to state marital status), hobbies or talents that are irrelevant or not helpful to your professional work, personal opinions (e.g., on politics), and so on.

While temporary and casual jobs are part of a person’s practical and work experience, if the job you’re applying for is in high-tech, for example, you don’t need to list all the casual jobs you did during school like waiting tables or DJing. Instead, you can state on the resume that during year X you made a living from casual work. That way, you can avoid time gaps on your resume without tiring the employer with irrelevant information.

In addition, a candidate who has changed numerous short-term jobs (e.g., 5 jobs in two years) might signal a limited employment horizon, which does not sit well with employers who invest time and resources in training new employees.

However, as mentioned in our guide on writing a resume with no work experience, some job seekers should also specify the temporary or less-relevant positions. For example, new job seekers who haven’t built up a great deal of work experience yet, or applicants who’ve changed professions and don’t have enough relevant experience in their new field, can list their previous jobs to show the employer or recruiter that they have some work history.