Your resume is a critical document when you’re seeking out new opportunities. Generally, your application serves as an initial introduction, a form of greeting that lets the hiring manager know what you bring to the table.
While most candidates know what they need to have on their resume, what you don’t include is equally – if not more– critical to the success equation. Here’s an overview of what you should remove from your resume as soon as possible.
Lies, Exaggerations, or Half-Truths
Lies, exaggerations, and half-truths have no place on a resume. Even if the hiring manager doesn’t notice the falsehoods right away, they’ll typically figure it out as you proceed through the hiring process. Your answers to interview questions may reveal you aren’t as savvy in an area as you claimed. A reference may fail to attest to a capability you claimed to have on your application. Discrepancies between what’s listed on your resume and what’s found on your social media pages also sow doubt.
Once a hiring manager spots a lie, exaggeration, or half-truth on your resume, they’ll typically remove you from contention. However, even if you’re hired first, that doesn’t mean your safe. Discovering a falsehood later can lead to your immediate termination. As a result, a lack of honesty on your resume is always a no-go.
Irrelevant Old Jobs
When you’re first starting out in your career, you may need to list every past position you’ve held to fill out your resume and highlight transferable skills. However, once your career is underway, many of those old positions are no longer necessary.
With a resume, you want to focus on relevant experience. As a result, it’s fine to remove old job entries that don’t align with your current path. Along with keeping your application focused, that strategy gives you more room to discuss achievements that highlight skills the hiring manager wants to find, which works in your favor.
The only exception here is positions that explicitly require job entries from a specific period, such as the past ten years. In that case, include the roles that fall in that time range; just keep the details from the less relevant jobs limited to save space.
Photos and Images
While photos or other images may seem to add an artistic or human touch to your resume, they aren’t something you should include. Photographs can reveal certain demographic information, so it’s best not to have one as a means of avoiding discrimination
Images like infographics, charts, and tables aren’t readable by many applicant tracking systems (ATSs), so the information within isn’t factored into an automated screening. As a result, the ATS can’t accurately assess your qualifications, which could cause it to eliminate you as a candidate before the hiring manager sees your resume.
Essentially, it’s best to keep your resume simple and in a traditional format. Along with helping the ATS, it reduces your odds of encountering discrimination.
Ultimately, removing everything listed above from your resume is essential. If you’d like more assistance with your job search, PrideStaff wants to hear from you. Contact us today.
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