Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
What are some things not to include on your resume
There are many things you should include on a resume, such as your education. However, there are many more things that you shouldn’t include on a resume. Excluding these details from a resume will make it much easier to read and let employers know that you’re the best candidate for the job.
Irrelevant Skills and Experience
Skills and experience are two essential components of a great resume. This is true with one major caveat-- you should tailor your skills and experience to the job you’re applying for. This is especially the case if you’ve had a major career change. If you’ve taken on retail jobs in the past and are trying to become a computer programmer, for example, you would exclude them from your resume.
According to a study from TheLadders, recruiters will spend an average of 7.4 seconds initially scanning your resume. Recruiters may not want to read a resume in detail if it’s cluttered with irrelevant information. This is if a human initially reads the resumes at all-- many companies use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to narrow down the best candidates. Either way, excluding unnecessary skills and experience from your resume will give you the best chance of landing the job.
High School Education
Most of the time, including your high school education is unnecessary, especially if you are attending college, have any professional certifications, or have a college degree. Having further education will automatically imply that you have a high school diploma, so there’s no need to include it. The only exception to this is for recent high school graduates who do not have any form of higher education.
Excessive Personal Information
Unfortunately, job scams are on the rise. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, job scams caused a financial loss of over $59 million in 2020. Keeping this in mind, you want to be careful that your resume doesn’t have too much personal information. Criminals may use fake job listings to collect these details and possibly commit identity theft, among other crimes. Generally, you also don’t need to include your home address. Your city, state, and zip code are typically sufficient.
Even if the job listing is real, you generally shouldn’t include details such as your age, your marital status, your sexuality, or any similar details. Companies may discriminate based on this information. In addition, including too much personal information can clutter your resume and detract from your skills and experience.