Thrivas, a leader among staffing agencies, has some resume writing advice. Learning how to write a resume means knowing what not to include. As you prepare this document, something that has to wow potential employers before you ever step through the door, you’ll want to remain aware of things to leave off your resume.
When it comes to creating your resume, it’s best to think of this document as a marketing campaign. By phrasing your talents and experiences in just the right way, you’re marketing yourself to potential companies as someone who is absolutely essential.
When you understand this, it becomes easier to take note of the things to leave off your resume.
What To Leave Off Your Resume
Knowing how to write a resume goes beyond knowing what to say. You also need to keep in mind the things you shouldn’t say. When it comes to what not to include on your resume, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Objective statement:
Old resumes used to make room for an objective statement, which was designed to summarize the resume itself. The problem is, why are you wasting valuable resume space on something your potential employer already knows? The employer already knows you want the job. Use that space instead to create a headline for why you deserve the job.
References available upon request:
This is another thing that’s a waste of a resume space. Your employer inherently assumes you have up-to-date references that are available upon request. When they want them, they will know to ask you.
Photograph of yourself:
Unless the job demands a certain physical look, employers do not want resumes that include photographs. A picture can indicate to your employer how old you are, what you look like, your ethnic background, and more. All of those things can potentially create discrimination accusations later on, so employers prefer to simply disregard applications with photos altogether.
Physical attributes:
Unless the job specifically requires certain physical demands, you don’t need to mention any physical attributes whatsoever. In the first place, your employer doesn’t care. In the second place, your employer doesn’t want to be part of anything that can potentially open them up to discrimination accusations later on.
Age:
Of these 5 things to leave off your resume, this is one of the biggest. Again, what not to include on your resume ultimately comes down to wondering if your potential employer really cares. When it comes to age, they are almost never going to be interested.
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