Resumes are hard to write. Not only do you have to worry about formatting and font, you also have to take your life into perspective–should you have done more internships? How do you make “getting coffee for other people” sound more exciting? Why is there all of this blank space (or if you’re lucky, how do I make this all fit?!)?
Whether you’re trying to fit 9 internships onto a single page of paper or to expand on classwork to make it sound applicable, there are some definite things not to put on your resume. These eight things should be avoided when crafting the latest greatest version of your resume:
1. Your objective Your interviewer already knows your objective is to get a job at the place you’re applying to–duh. Use the space on the page wisely, not to reiterate your interest in applying.
2. Paragraphs According to the Huffington Post, the average employer only spends six seconds looking over your resume. Bullet points can get a lot more information across in that short of a time period, as they are much more concise and way easier to read.
3. A list of tasks as your previous job description Instead, use action verbs such as “managed” or “designed” to show off your biggest successes and strengths in your previous job. Your future employer would much rather hear about what you did well in your last job than a reiterated job description.
4. Anything from high school (unless you’re a college freshman or maybe a sophomore). College is the time and place to gain experience in a “real world” setting–whether it’s through an internship or taking classes in related fields. Being the best fish flipper at Mickey D’s in high school? You can do better than that. (Freshman and sophomores: you haven’t had as much time to gain experience, so high school experience is more acceptable in your case. Try to identify a transferrable skill–i.e., working at DQ led to being capable of multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment while maintaining excellent customer service–that will make it seem relevant to the company you’re applying to).
5. Speaking of high school…if you haven’t already, get rid of your kittensROXmySOX123@hotmail.com email address you made when you were 13. Create a professional sounding e-mail and make sure it’s the one that goes on your resume. You could have all of the experience in the world, but what employer would want to send further questions to “daddies_gurl33?” I have friends that have two emails–one for personal emails and online shopping offers, the other for professional workplace dealings. Make sure you check your professional one consistently if that’s the case for you, though!
6. A bad GPA Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by including your 2.1 Grade Point Average. Anything less than a 3.5 (arguably 3.0) should be kept off your resume. If employers are curious, they will ask, but don’t give them any reason not to like you as a potential candidate from the get-go.
7. References Your interviewer will know to ask for references, and when he does, you will have them ready (right…?!). In the mean time, most employers assume you have references, so don’t take up valuable real estate on your resume that could have been another job experience, for example.