Tips On What NOT To Include In Your Resume

You don't want to give the impression that you are old fashioned or out-of-date! If you haven't looked for a job in awhile, expectations for resumes have changed!

Do NOT include:

• Age, marital or health status, ethnicity, weight, number of children or other personal information.
• Do not list "References Upon Request." It is assumed that you will provide references, so why waste your valuable space saying so?

Many consider listing an objective on your resume to be wasteful and obsolete. Typically, your objective is to get the job! If you are using your resume for networking, a targeted skills or accomplishments section helps the reader narrow your interests and skills.

Do not list your salary history!

A resume is not a place to try to tell your life story.

Omit articles (a, an, the) from your job descriptions. These are "stop" words that cause the reader to pause. Excluding them helps you get the most from the 10-20 second glance your resume is likely to earn on a first review.

Unless you are applying for a job in a creative field (art, entertainment, graphic design), keep your resume's appearance conservative. Avoid using courier and all script or decorative fonts that may be difficult to read or scan.

Spelling, grammatical and other careless errors (such as omitting your zip code in your address or leaving off a year in your descriptions) are your resume's kiss of death. Most hiring managers will assume a careless error indicates a careless worker and send your resume straight to the circular file.

Make responsible use of bold and italics to help guide the reader's eye. Don't use bold in the second line of a description, as it confuses the eye and makes it more difficult to quickly glance at your resume.

Avoid large blocks of text. They are difficult to review quickly and may frustrate the reader. Use bullet points and white space to your advantage for an eye-pleasing document.

Don't start your bullet points with tired phrases such as: Assisted, Contributed, Supported or Responsibilities included. Don't simply list what you did - describe how you did it!

Large, unexplained gaps of time call negative attention to your resume.

It should go without saying, but don't lie on your resume. Present the most positive image consistent with the truth.

Your resume may be your only opportunity to put your best foot forward with an employer.

This list is from Keppie Careers