Every 21st-century job seeker would agree that getting hired for a job gets harder and harder by the minute. So, everyone gets overly enthusiastic as early as writing their resume. They put numerous details on their resume— even the unnecessary ones—because of the belief that the longer the resume, the better the impression it sets upon the reviewer.
Well, it may set an impression; sure, but it is not always a positive one. After all, most job marketing sites reveal that an average employer reviews a resume for just six to ten seconds. This means that they do not have time to read a five-page resume that is full of bluffs.
The key here is to make your resume lean and clean. Here are five things to avoid in writing a resume and what to put instead:
Personal Details
The resume serves as a business representation and not as a bio data. Avoid listing details (i.e. age, marital status, family data, etc.) that are otherwise listed on your online profile. Remember, they have very limited time and you have limited space.
Instead, include your residential address, contact number, and link to your LinkedIn profile. This provides an opportunity for the reviewer to get more information about you.
Personal Attributes
Unless you are applying for a modeling job, your personal attributes (i.e. height, appearance, etc.) have no place in your resume. After all, employers do not usually care about your appearance.
Instead, dedicate more space for more important business-related details such as training, workshops, and conferences attended. Affiliations with groups are also worth including when applying for certain job posts.
General Objectives
In an attempt to impress employers, some applicants tend to include flowery and generic objectives to introduce the resume. Generic statements such as “I am looking for a challenging position…” have been overused and turn off employers.
Instead of stating what you intend to do, write what you have already done and area of expertise. Replace the generic objective with an executive summary with “what am I” tone. In this way, the resume reviewer shall have a better understanding of your overall appeal.
Long List of Jobs
An unbeatable resume is characterized by quality and not quantity. A long list job does not please employers, especially if most of them happened 15+ years ago and irrelevant to the current position that you are applying for.
Instead, include only the most relevant ones that give you the opportunity to use specific keywords (i.e. customer service, forecasting, etc.) that employers are looking for.
List of Tasks
Most resumes simply include a list of specific tasks and responsibilities from past jobs. While this is necessary, it does not provide any additional information to the employer. They are very much aware of what responsibilities are expected from certain positions.
Rather than a generic list of responsibilities, it is more compelling if the list also quantifies expectations and results. For example, if the job responsibility includes fixing the file system, then you can add that that what you did increased productivity by 10%. If a fixed a quantity cannot be identified, then simply state that what you did make it easier for the others to look for the files they need. The key here is to indicate the results of your efforts.
Overall, anything that is not worthy of limited resume space should be replaced by details that make the resume leaner and yet, more compelling. Keep in mind the fact that employers only have six to ten seconds—make the most out of it.
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