Employers want to avoid any chance of discrimination about age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital and parental status, and ethnicity. The less you say on the resume, the more likely you make the cut. Each word, phrase and sentence needs to be carefully selected to prove that you are the right person for the job. Specifically, here are some things to take off your resume:
Personal section
Resumes of the past often included personal information such as marital status, family members and even church membership. All of that information is illegal to collect, so don’t include it. Also eliminate references to hobbies, clubs and political views. A “Community Work” section can show your leadership skills, but stick with noncontroversial organizations such as Rotary, Lions, the Chamber of Commerce and recognized nonprofit organizations.
Photos
These may not be on your resume, but once a potential employer has your full name they might as well be. Polish all social networking profiles and remove any unprofessional or embarrassing photos. Ask your friends to clean up social networking profiles for you, too. If you are gray or balding, you might consider removing your photo during your job search.
Graduation dates
Include your degree, major (if it is relevant) and the institution. But take off the date. Age discrimination is a concern for many people looking for work. Avoid tempting reviewers to do the math to discover your age. Make it simple.
Irrelevant Experience
If you are applying for SAP Materials Management (MM) job vacancy and you have substantial experience in SAP Business Intelligence (BI), downplay the irrelevant experience and create new achievement statements that support your experience with clients. Make your SAP BI experience sound more like SAP MM. Shorten job entries that don’t support your SAP MM role.
Jobs in the Dim, Dark Past
The rule of thumb is to include your last 10 to 15 years of experience. If you need to prove expertise you gained long ago, you might use the title “Other Relevant Experience” and describe your achievements, without the dates of employment. Baby boomers should be careful not to include 30 years of experience. Why give hiring managers a clue you are over 50 until they meet you in person?
Gaps in History
Eliminate gaps in your work history by filling in with short, truthful statements. “Homemaker sabbatical” will explain a five-year work gap and allow the interviewer to focus on your history. You can also fill gaps with part-time jobs, part time software development positions or consulting projects.
Your resume is designed to present the professional in you. Write it with a job description in mind, avoiding any details that might detract from your single-minded pursuit of that job.
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