Before you can land an offer of employment, the first thing you need to secure is a job interview. To land a job interview, your application letter and how you compose your curriculum vitae or your resume are critical.
It will be useful if you know what to include and what not to include so that your CV contains all the necessary information about your skills and experience and not the undesirable pieces of information that bloats your resume and create a negative impression from hiring managers.
So here are the things you should avoid including in your resume.
Table of Contents
Irrelevant job experience
If you are applying for a particular position, it is expected that the work experiences you include in your resume be definitely in line with the spot that you are applying for. Sure, you were an excellent barista in a famous coffee shop before, but unless you are using it for the same line of work, leave it out. If you want to apply as a nurse in a hospital, it would be smart to include all of your employment experiences that are related to the position.
Also, do not incorporate experiences that are not true. Today employers usually validate this information from your previous workplace, so if you want to stay out of trouble, be factual in everything that you put into your resume.
Hobbies and interests
Don’t list your hobbies and interests because potential employers do not need to know what these are. If you are lucky enough to land an interview, they may ask you these questions personally.
Unprofessional email address
If your email address is allure_03_prettyme@yahoo.com, it is wise to remove it from your resume, as it may be a reason for your resume to be a laughing stock in the office. Worse, it might cost you the job interview you have been working for. Email addresses are free, and most accounts allow you to have several. It is better to use a more formal email address for it to be professional.
Negative words
Anything that suggests pessimism from your CV is a turn-off. You have to construct a sentence or a phrase that best positively describes you. But be vigilant in using these phrases, as too many flowery words in your resume does not impress either. For example, hard-working may be understood as inefficient and needing to work long hours to accomplish a task. Or quick learner could mean you have no experience at all.
Typographical and grammatical errors
To every document that is being composed and written, the material, especially a resume, must be free of any errors, whether typographical or grammar. You might not notice it, but these errors will stick out like sore thumbs and will disinterest the hiring manager. Grammar and spellchecks are now readily available, so it will be helpful to use them.
The phrase “References available upon request.”
This phrase does not hold the magic it used to possess anymore, so there is no need for it to be seen in your resume. This phrase is more appropriate for inclusion in your cover letter, as this will be used to support your claim as a qualified candidate for the job. Be prepared to show these documents (reference letters, school records, certifications, etc.) if a hiring manager is keen to examine your qualifications.
Salary information
Some people include the wages they earned from previous employment, which is unnecessary and may portray the wrong message. Your resume’s ultimate goal is to flaunt your qualifications and professional experiences and skills. Your possible employer will discuss this with you during the interview phase of your application.
Unnecessary extravagance
Colorful and bold fonts, extreme margins, and pictures and clip art are uncalled for. As the saying goes, ‘simplicity is beauty.’ Reserve your artistic skills when you get the job. Stay businesslike and professional throughout your resume.
Jargon and general statements
Be sure that your reader will understand everything that you put into your resume. Although you may be in the same field, jargon and public announcements are discouraged. These do not deliver a clear and sharp message on what you are imploring, so it is better to remove them as they will take up unnecessary space in your CV.
Does your interviewer know what cross-functional teams, detail-oriented, or team player means? Make your content more specific; instead of “excellent written communication skills,” try “developed 34 press releases in the last four months.”
Personal information
Knowledge regarding your age, date of birth, civil status, photograph, gender, religion, political affiliation, social security number, professional license number, passport information, and the like should not be included in the resume. However, other companies, recruitment agencies, and employers require such information. Just have them printed on a separate page and submit it upon request if need be.
Conclusion
Applying for a job is not only an exhaustive effort for the job seeker. It can also be a draining experience for the employer. Having a CV filled with information not relevant to the posted job vacancy not only creates a negative first impression but can also be a time-waster. Make sure that your resume is a lean document but filled with your career highlights, skills, and qualifications that match well with the advertised job.
Excellent
Most CV’s are bollox……just the writers opinion of himself
Am glad that i don´t need that anymore, coz i think is very so complicated !
Good
Everything is agreeable but irrelevant experiences can be written as well but not magnified… This may signify the jobseeker’s openness to any challenge, adaptability, etc. What is the most important part of the CV is the list of projects handled or at least participated, if the candidate is holding a senior post, you should include accomplishment and value of that project. If you were managing a group of individuals, you have to state that you were supervising for example a group of Engineers, etc. This will show the level of your responsibilities. Do not change jobs, this doesn’t look nice in your CV. For example, you are 30 years old but worked for more than 5 companies in 10 years, your employer will also think that you have short expiration in employment. Important part of the CV in the front line is the Careerline which not everybody is practicing. Careerline is somehow the summary of your CV stating how you started your career up to where you are now, somewhere there, you may mention your greatest accomplishment or legacy. If you couldn’t miss the down side, state how you managed to recover from that downfall. And most most importantly, during the interview… be yourself, be polite, honest but discreet, and imagine a typical day of your job and just consider it as you are just telling a story about your day to a friend.
missing is when you put photo please be professional… do not take it for granted… some photos in CV are taken while driving, don’t use Selfies… it’s better to be in coat and tie for men and blazer for ladies.
VERY HELPFUL…….
Very useful information.
Very useful tips for future job hunting..
Give only what is required on the job description. Nice tip.
best to include your previous employer certificate
i have to update my cv now hahaha
nice
this is very informative, certainly there is fine line between the revealing and irrelevant.
Its no use for me for i’m already running 60.
It is true that it is irrelevant to include a number of personal information but i think gender, date of birth, professional license number and photograph are extremely important.
The last one is not required to nation ho don’t what discrimination but for most thy require it to insure ho is this person that applying.
Thanks for additional information