10 Things That Shouldn't Be Included In the Resume Under Any Circumstances

By Sylvia Giltner

Your resume is crucial to your job search, and you know it. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, and how well you can nail an interview if you can’t get your CV passed through. This way, you need to ensure that some things will never be found there. They are deal breakers and send your resume straight to the bin without any further look. At this stage, you must be wondering what is it that you need to know. Good. Now that I have got your attention let me walk you through it.

# 1 - Hobbies that aren’t relevant

OK, it is great that you can swim so well. Or that you play airsoft. Hobbies are highly valuable to anyone looking for become successful, as they can give you the break that your brain needs to refresh. But, seriously, does it has anything to do with the job?

If it does, then, by all means, make sure that it is there. Let’s say that you are looking for a job in that very same industry. Or that you won a significant prize – even though it might be better on your cover letter. But if it doesn’t, delete it without thinking twice.

# 2 – Headshot or any other photo of you

Except if you are applying for modelling, photos of you have no place in your CV. And even if you are modelling, you are better off attaching a portfolio to it anyway. How you look like is not relevant when it comes to the quality of the work that you can deliver.

The only place where you should care about your photo is your LinkedIn profile. There you must have a photo, or nobody will consider checking it. However, your resume certainly doesn’t need it so that you can skip it.

# 3 – Personal details

Your age, where you live, your marital status, and gender should not be added to your resume. Again, it is the type of information that can’t tell if you are a good professional or not, so you don’t need to provide them.

Plus, you should know that companies aren’t even allowed to ask you those things, as it can be considered as discriminatory. All that you have to inform is your name, phone number, and an e-mail address. And your home address is only relevant if you are applying for a company based in a different location.

# 4 - Inappropriate e-mail address

Yes, you will add your e-mail address to your CV as many companies prefer to screen candidates through it first before a phone contact. But have you took some time to check if the handle of your e-mail is appropriate to the task?

Nicknames, funny names, or over-18s names should not be in the e-mail that you will give to your future employer. It will give the impression that you aren’t very professional or that you just don’t care about your image – and they will think that you will feel the same about the company.

If something like this is all that you got, then you should create a new one as soon as possible. It only takes a few moments to get it done on Gmail, for instance, so no excuses were taken.

# 5 – Your Facebook account

Yes, if you are looking for a job in the social media industry, you might think that adding the URL to your Facebook profile and other networks is mandatory. But it is not true.

First, because you probably don’t use them professionally, and your recruiter isn’t interested in your birthday pictures. Second, because if they want to check them, they will, and they just need to Google you for it.

And if you are applying for a job on Facebook, don’t worry about it either. They know how to find your profile, have no doubt.

# 6 -  An “innovative design”

When it comes to CV, less is more. That is to say that there is no need for you to spend your time trying to create a design that will wow your recruiters. Everyone is expecting the very same format and they won’t hold it against you. But if you overdo your creativity here, you will get in trouble.

So better be safe than sorry and stick to well-known templates of resumes. The exception here is if you are a graphic designer, of course, as the company will be expecting that your CV becomes a part of your portfolio.

# 7 – Salary history

How much you have earned in your previous jobs isn’t something that you should add to your CV. It is something considered as private, especially at this stage of the job application. Meaning that if your employer believes that needs to know it, it will be asked during your interview. And it will only be about your most recent job.

Same happens to your salary expectations. Except if you have been strictly prompted to add it to your CV, leave it out. It should better be discussed face to face and when you know more about the job requirements, your future tasks, and possible benefits offered by the company.

# 8 – The third and fourth page

If you are looking for your first job, or if you have little work experience, your resume takes probably just one page to be done. And if you are a seasoned professional, it will take two. And that is it. Avoid to the best that you can have a third or a fourth page, as you know that nobody has the time to read more than it.

Yes, it is possible to go up to page number three if you really have a lot to say. But make sure that all info included is 100% relevant. Also, check if it is not the design template that you chose that it is getting on the way. But page number four is out of the question.

# 9 – Your middle-school achievements

Your education should be treated very carefully in your CV. Generally speaking, only the most recent matter. So if you already got a degree, what happened in high school shouldn’t be there. Technical courses, workshops, seminars, and others, also should only be included if they added value to your career.

But, in any case, your middle-school achievements shouldn’t be listed on your resume. Even if you still are in high school, and looking for an entry-level opportunity. Except, of course, if you got something really big to say.

# 10 – Unrelated work history

Usually, this is the cause of very long CVs. Candidates want to prove that they are experienced, and decided to list everything they have done since job number one. And, in the end, they get a resume six pages long.

Never do it. List in your CV only the previous jobs that have something to do with the one you are applying at the moment. If you are concerned about the gaps, list them under the title of “Relevant Work Experience” so people will know that you got more than that to tell.

The bottom line

So there you got a list of ten things that you should never include on your resume. They are all information that aren’t relevant or that won’t add any value to your candidacy. And they definitely won’t catch your recruiter’s attention so they are better left somewhere else.

Now get your current CV and check if you can find any of them on it. If you do, there is no point in getting angry with yourself. Just fix your resume so you can increase your chances to get a job from now on.

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