What not to include on your resume: Advice from a professional resume writer | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

What not to include on your resume: Advice from a professional resume writer

By Bobby Sisk

Posted: Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011

Certified professional resume writer Nathan Adams is moving right along in the alphabet. On his blog, he's outlining the ABC's of resume writing.

He's up to "N," but "I" got my attention based on recent questions from readers. I'm often asked what to include and, more importantly, not include in a resume. Some of Adams' advice may come as common sense to you, but we can all use a refresher. And I found what he says about references particularly interesting.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "P" is for PRIOR

P: Bring PRIOR experience back to life.

One of the strategies in resume writing today is to highlight only your last 15 to 20 years of work experience. Experience older than 20 years is typically outdated or irrelevant to your current career path. Besides, going back farther than 20 years and listing dates of employment will definitely single you out as a “seasoned” professional and let’s face it in this competitive economy, this could be a definite disadvantage for your job search.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "O" is for OBJECTIVE

O: The best OBJECTIVE is not to have one.

Are you still using an objective statement on your resume? Do you still have a flip phone? Are you still paying your bills by mail? Are you still buying music on CD? If you are doing any of these things, then you need to come out from under that rock that you have been living under for the last 5 years and get up to speed. Most music is now purchased online, one song at a time. Bills can be paid online and most banks offer this service free, which is why the post office is losing so much money in lost stamp revenue. And if you do not have a smart phone by now, you are definitely not in the know, but I am sure that there is an “App” for that. So, when writing your resume, be advised that some things have changed here as well, one of them being the replacement of the age-old objective statement.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "K" is for KEYS

K: KEYS to formatting your resume.

It’s no secret that the content of your resume is very important. After all, including good content, i.e., information that markets you as a viable candidate, can definitely help you win more interviews.   Conversely, including bad content, i.e., personal information, dated technical skills, or reasons for leaving past employers (see earlier post for the letter “I”) can hinder your job search and keep your resume from making it to the top of the stack. Just as including the right content is important to writing an effective resume, the formatting of this content is equally important. A visually appealing resume is easier to read and a well formatted resume helps make information on your resume easier to locate. Keep these five keys in mind when arranging the information on your resume.