You may wish to leave out the following items to allow the recruiter to narrow in on the more important scope.
As the year is coming to an end and a new one is just about to roll in – you may be already making career progression plans for 2020.
But before you start job hunting and sending off your application, now is also an excellent time to update and refresh your resume.
As you may have accumulated a decent amount of job experiences, you may wish to leave out the following items to allow the recruiter to narrow in on the more important scope.
Opening statement
A quick search for resume templates and you will find that a standard feature is an opening statement or an objective, usually placed at the top of the document.
When a recruiter scans your resume, he is looking to best match your skills and competencies to the job role. The statement usually gets looked over by the hiring person and it might even be a minor distraction.
It is not necessary to have one, especially if your resume contains an adequate amount of information.
Too many personal details
Identification number, marital status, and home address – these are some items you can and should leave out of your resume.
Your resume is a document detailing your work history and skills. If it does not apply to the role, you can choose to omit. These details are too personal and not relevant to the job.
E-mail, contact number, and date of availability are some of the pertinent information you should give.
Past experiences
A resume should ideally be one or two pages long. Therefore, it is not necessary to list out all the roles and responsibilities you did in your previous jobs.
If you have worked in six different jobs, you can choose to write about the first three or four in detail and fill in a summary of the rest.
Another tip is to beef up the job role, which is most relevant to the one you are applying to.
Also, irrelevant work experiences like part-time jobs are best left off the resume unless you are a fresh graduate.
Hobbies and interests
Are you an avid gardener or a passionate traveller? Interesting, but what does it say about your capabilities?
A common occurrence in resumes these days is people listing down many courses that they have taken, which may be fun to read but not relevant to the job.
It can show that the person is a holistic learner, but such certificates and courses are not supporting factors to get you shortlisted. Your job experience and skills are still essential factors for success.
Such information can be left out but can be brought up during your interview to showcase your personality traits and values.
Flowery language
A resume lists facts and figures.
You may wish to leave out punch lines or flowery adjectives and language to highlight your capabilities. Such wordings can confuse or mislead the recruiter and give an exaggerated impression of the applicant.
If you wish to say you are a successful salesperson with a proven track record, you can back it up with facts and sales figures, or awards to affirm your capabilities.
Bad grammar and typos
A sure way to make you look bad? Bad grammar and typos.
Your resume is the first impression you give to the hiring manager before they even meet you. Spelling mistakes can be seen as a sign of carelessness and sloppiness.
A good way to avoid making such mistakes is to run your resume through a spell-check programme or have a few friends proofread it for you. The more eyes, the more chances mistakes can be discovered.
