Resume don'ts: Here's what not to put on a resume so you can score the job

Claire Small
Authored by Claire Small
Posted Tuesday, January 29, 2019 - 10:54am

You’ve found your dream job.

It’s what you love to do, the hours are great, and the industry is sustainable. You’re ready to have a career that’s more stable—both financially and emotionally. No more coming home stressed and hesitant to go back the next day.

The only thing is, your resume isn’t up to par. In fact, you can’t remember the last time you updated it.

Rather than go over everything you should include, we’ll go over the opposite. This way, you know what to avoid to better your chances of landing your dream job.

Ready to know what not to put on a resume?

Here we go!

Irrelevant Work Experiences

You don’t want to overwhelm your resume with all of your work experience. Chances are, what you did five or ten years ago isn’t relevant to the job you want today.

That’s why you’ll want to include only the experiences which are relevant. Relevant experiences showcase skills that’ll come in handy to the position you’re applying for.

Unrelated Social Media URLs

Since we’re living in an age where social media is at the core of everything we do, it’s best not to include every link to every social media site you’re on. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are out of the question unless the position you’re applying for calls for them.

Instead, link to your LinkedIn page. Or, include a link to your online portfolio or your successful blog. Anything that’s relevant and that’ll help showcase your skills is recommended.

References

References are better left off your resume. If an employer is really interested in hearing what others have to say about you, they’ll ask.

You can use the space you’d use for references for better things like relevant experience.

Hobbies

Unless your hobbies are directly related to the position you’re applying for, leave them out. Employers don’t care if you play video games regularly or go sightseeing every month.

What they do care about is how your hobbies improve your skills for the job.

Physical or Personal Descriptors

It’s illegal for companies to discriminate against potential employees. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t avoid potential employees they don’t want working for them.

So don’t give them that chance, it’s best to leave out these physical or personal descriptors:

  • Gender
  • Religion
  • Race
  • Age
  • National origin

Grammar and Spelling Mistakes

If you list “detail oriented” as one of your soft skills, your resume needs to be error-free. Double check spelling and grammar to ensure there are no mistakes.

Even the littlest mistakes can land your resume in the “no” pile.

If you don’t have the time to write your resume, check out this article on the Top Rated Resume Writing Services. This allows you peace of mind knowing your resume is error-free.

Here’s What Not to Put on a Resume So You Can Land Your Dream Job

Since you know what not to put on a resume, you can rest assured knowing you have a better chance of landing your dream job.

Remember, your resume is the place to show relevant work experiences and skills. Keep it simple and avoid overwhelming the reader with useless information.

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