For people who are looking for jobs, LinkedIn accounts and resumes are often crucial to showcase your experience and skills. However, there’s definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about using them. Take a look at this list to see what to leave out of a LinkedIn profile or resume.
1. An unprofessional photo
Although LinkedIn is a form of social media, it’s more professional than Instagram or Twitter. The first place to start is the photo. A photo of you at the park might be good for Instagram but not for LinkedIn because it can imply a lack of professionalism. Instead, find a professional photo or headshot and use that as your profile picture. Many schools (UCSB included) offer free headshots most days of the quarter, so it’s pretty easy to get one done.
2. Blind connections
When you connect with others on LinkedIn, it’s important to have something in common. Maybe you worked for the same company or have mutual connections. Don’t get too connection happy and start connecting with everyone. There’s a chance most will deny the request, and quality is a lot more important than quantity anyway.
3. Not having the app!
The LinkedIn app makes it a lot easier to connect and edit without having to constantly be on your computer! Make sure to turn on notifications if possible.
Resume
1. Don’t title it “resume”
For most resumes you don’t even need a title because it’s implied that it’s a resume. Just start with your name, email, home address, LinkedIn and phone number.
2. References
I started leaving references out of my resume recently because they took up extra precious space and most employers will ask for them if you move forward, but they don’t need them before. You can put “references available on request” and have some available but it’s not necessary to have them on the resume.
3. Second page (It depends)
This one depends on how much work experience you have, but it’s definitely possible to fit most resumes on one page, especially if you’re just starting out in the workforce. I had so much extra information on my resume once that it was two and a half pages, but I was finally able to get it down to one. You can change the formatting or the font, or combine two positions that might be part of one organization. As long as your resume says what you want it to say, it’s pretty easy to make it down to one page.
4. Objective
This is another one of the unnecessary portions because your resume should speak for itself and show what you have to offer. This might be different if you’re seasoned in the workforce and you have a lot of experience, but if you don’t, there’s no need to stress yourself out and think about an objective.
Both
1. Personal/extra info
On resumes it’s alright and probably expected to put your email, address and phone number, but these aren’t super necessary on LinkedIn. Since you might not be applying directly to jobs on here, it’s not important that people know where you live or how to contact you. LinkedIn messenger works just fine. Also, on both LinkedIn and resumes, leave out your birthday, age, zodiac sign, and anything else that you wouldn’t tell an employer.
2. Overused words
These are words that are used on most resumes and can get old after a while. They include “team player”, “hard worker”, “detail orientated”, “successful” and “driven.” Although these are awesome qualities to have, there’s no need to waste space with them because it’s implied that you have them already. Go for more specific words!
3. Poor format
This can include improper formatting or awkward fonts. Sorry, Comic Sans, but you can’t be on a resume either. These mistakes distract from your resume, so try to be clear and consistent.
4. Multiple jobs
This one is a bit tricky because some people work multiple jobs. For about a month, I worked two jobs and trained for another. It probably looked awkward on my LinkedIn and resume, but it was true. With that being said, don’t put multiple jobs if you aren’t working them all. Sometimes people don’t update in a while and that’s okay! You really only need to update LinkedIn and resumes if you just got a new job or left one, but make sure everything is legitimate.
5. Leaving stuff out
This tip is essentially the opposite of number four because while you don’t want to have multiple jobs, you don’t want to leave things out. On my resume, I definitely struggled with what to include. I was applying for an internship and I didn’t feel like my customer service jobs were essential to show to a potential employer, but I decided to keep them in. Spoiler alert: I got the internship! I left them in because a lot of jobs have super applicable skills. For example, I worked as a courtesy clerk and I learned a lot about customer service, retail, sales, and teamwork. These can definitely be helpful for any job or internship and you should be proud that you worked your jobs! Don’t be ashamed because it seems like they don’t fit with what you’re going for because there’s something you can learn from any position.
6. Lack of direction
Resumes are for specific jobs and it’s important to show what you have to offer. If you don’t have direction, it can be difficult for employers to decide if what you have to offer is worth it.
7. Silly mistakes
Make sure to proofread your entries! Sometimes we miss things like bad grammar, incorrect spelling or wrong punctuation. These are issues that can easily be fixed with a few look-overs.