10 Things that Should – and Shouldn’t – Be on Your Resume

It’s easy to get carried away on your resume including all of the details from your latest job and every section you’ve seen on other resume examples. After all, you want to show the full picture of who you are and what you can do. But not all information is created equal, and not all of it belongs on your resume. At the same time, there are certain elements you don’t want to skip.

Here are a few dos and don’ts when it comes to crafting your next resume:

Don’t bother with an objective – they add little value and focus more on what you want rather than what you offer.

Do opt for a strong summary of qualifications and solid list of core competencies instead of an objective. Focus on your key skills and what you bring to the position. What strengths do you have that employers are looking for? Use the job opening as a guideline.

Don’t just list your duties and responsibilities, especially when they’re tasks that are expected. Employers are more interested in the impact of what you do and how you’ve made a difference.

Do use action- and results-oriented statements and include metrics when possible. This provides more quantifiable evidence to support your success and capabilities. Focus on what you did, how you did it, and the outcome.

Don’t include your picture, birthdate, marital status, religion, or other personal information. This has no relevance to your ability to do the job and could set you up for unintentional discrimination.

Do include volunteer experience if it is something that you have remained active with. This can show another side of you and your commitment to community and others. It can also demonstrate transferable skills.

Don’t clutter your resume by trying to cram everything onto a single page, using blocks of text, and using a tiny font.

Do leave white space and break up sections using horizontal lines, bullet points, and bold text. Stick with a traditional font choice and leave off any fancy graphics or formatting. Keep it clean, crisp, and easy to read.

Don’t have any typos or grammatical errors. Spellcheck and grammar check are not perfect, so make sure you carefully read through it yourself and ask others to proof it as well. You can’t be too careful and you don’t want a silly mistake to reflect poorly on you or your accomplishments.

Do paint a clear picture with your resume by being consistent with your messaging. Tailor your branding statement and accomplishments to align with the type of role you’re applying for. Using generic or vague statements can work against you and make your professional identity unclear.

Source: B2C