5 Things Not to Include in Your Resume

5 Things Not to Include in Your Resume5 Things Not to Include in Your ResumeYour resume is typically the first impression a potential employer has of you, and usually the fundament by which they make the decision to offer you an interview.It can be tempting to put as much information as possible in your resume, but there are some things that are better left for the interview.Giving out too much information in your resume can distract from the important information, overwhelm the reader, and even increase the chance the reader will find something that raises a red flag for them.Here are five things you should leave off of your resumeHobbies and interestsYour hobbies and interests are excellent bits of information to share during your interview, or even after starting the new job. However, theyre not necessary on a resume.Chances are, your affinity for model rocketry or collecting Ninja Turtle action figures will not help you land a job. That is, unless you happen to be applying for a job selling model rockets and Ninja Turtle action figures.Your non-professional hobbies and interests can be helpful during the interview. Its common for interviewers to ask the interviewee for something about them they wont find on their resume. This is where this information can absolutely come in handy, as long as your hobbies and interests arent a detriment to your chances at landing a job.Unrelated jobsYou might be tempted to list every job youve had since you were in high school. Dont do this, especially if you are applying for a position that isnt related to prior roles.You are submitting your resume because you believe that you are qualified for a specific position. Lets say youre applying for a job as a Web developer.The first question you should ask yourself before listing previous employment is, Which jobs have I had that would demonstrate my qualifications for this position?Once youve done away with the unrelated jobs, you should further narrow down the list to include r ecent employment. A typical guideline is to include roles from the fruchtwein recent 10 years.This rule doesnt count if you are new to the job market and have only worked at one or two places. In this case, feel free to list them all.Try as hard as you can to keep your resume down to a single page. Your employment history is likely the single largest part of your resume.Soft skills without contextEven the most sought-after soft skills are meaningless to employers if you simply list them alongside hard skills, such asproficiency in Photoshop or JavaScript programming expertise.They are great skills to have, and you should relay these qualities in your resume, but doing so directly by listing them among hard skills can take away from your experience. A few examples of soft skillsEffective communicatorDependableDetail-orientedHigh-energyOrganizedConvey soft skills in your resume by framing them with specifics. Organization, for example, can be implied when you list your reorganization of the companys database to improve efficiency in your work experience.Make a list of your soft skills and, instead of putting the list on your resume, ask yourself what you have done to demonstrate that you possess these skills. List those accomplishments instead. An optimal resume features concrete accomplishments, not just a list of job duties.Soft skills are different from hard skills because they generally cant be taught. A resume is a great place to share what youve done and what you know, but what you are is something that is best established during the interview.Personal informationThere are many anti-discrimination laws on the books that employers must abide by. In most places in the United States, an employer cant discriminate against you based on your age, race, sex or gender, political affiliation, religion, marital status, or whether or not you have children.By listing this information on your resume, you open yourself up to discrimination (even subconsciously) by the e mployer.Personal information that can be used for identity theft should also be left off. If you get the job, you will undoubtedly be given a mountain of paperwork to write your Social Security number on. Your resume is not the place for it.Here are some personal details that should be on a resumeNamePhone numberCity and stateWebsite URLLinkedIn profile URLObjective or summaryThere was a time when writing a resume objective was all the rage in the employment world. It gave you the opportunity to express what you wanted to get out of your next job, and where you wanted to go in your career.However, those days are behind us.Space on your resume is precious, so dont fill it up with this. Instead, cover letters are a great opportunity to express your desire to work for a particular team.If you have limited job experience, and your resume seems a bit bare, adding an objective can be tempting.There are other ways to make your resume seem more complete. For example, a profile which gives a t-a-glance information about you as a professional is a great modern replacement for an objective.Profiles take advantage of the fact that most hiring managers spend only a few seconds looking at a resume before deciding whether or not to read it in its entirety.A profile includes a list of skills and keywords which make your case for being the right fit for the job. Additionally, a profile can makeyour resume more likely to get past an applicant tracking system (ATS).An ATS is a software application used by employers to filter through resumes and find candidates. Keyword frequency and relevance are both critical to getting past an ATS. To see whether your resume keyword usage is targeted well, try Jobscans resume analysis tool.Your resume is a snapshot of you as a professional. It has to be compelling, yet concise. At the end of the day, what makes an optimal resume can come down to what you choose to leave off of it.