As the year wraps up, you should take inventory of your achievements for the year. This will help in your plans and preparations for the next year. On top of the list of things to review for the year is your resume. It’s time for an update.
As we prepare to write a resume that wins for the year 2018, here are 13 things your resume should not contain in 2018.
Lengthy paragraphs
Paragraphs that are too long are rather exhausting to read. Recruiters are looking for brief attention grabbing paragraphs. Keep your paragraphs restricted to short sentences that speak volumes.
Many bullets
Bullets are highlighters meant to draw attention to very important detail. When your resume is filled with bullets it makes it seem like you’re drawing attention to the entire page which defeats the whole purpose. When everything is highlighted it connotes that nothing is really important.
Inconsistent fonts
Stick to one font all through your resume and try to use fonts that are trendy not outdated fonts; inconsistent fonts depict lack of attention to detail and makes your resume look rough.
Fancy fonts
Keep in mind that you’re going to be hired on the basis of skills and qualifications not on how well you designed your resume. Rather than draw the right kind of attention to your resume, fancy fonts show lack of seriousness.
Unprofessional email address
You should strike out any email address that does not sound official. It’s always best to set up an email using your name and surname rather than nicknames. If your email is something like [email protected] or [email protected], you should definitely strike it out. Setting up a new email is easy and fast.
More than one phone number
It might have been trendy at some point but it simply fills your resume with junk. There really is no reason to have more than one phone number on your resumes since most recruiters are probably only going to try one number. Put one number that is sure to be available at all times.
Too personal details
There are details that are classified as too personal and should not be an influencing factor in getting a job. There’s really no need for your resume to contain your marital status, your health details or your religious preference.
Hobbies
Please if your hobbies do not show relevance to the job you’re applying for or your chosen career path, strike it out. Imagine applying for a banking job and mentioning cooking as a hobby; it just doesn’t make sense. Also if your hobbies are generic like reading and writing, you should probably also leave them out.
Salary
There really is no place for salary details in your resume, be it previous salary or salary expectations. This should wait until you nail the job.
Why you need the job
This information is irrelevant at this point. Rather than state the reasons why you need the job, make your skills attractive enough for the position.
Why you quit your previous job
At no point in the process of job hunting and recruitment should you mention this detail unless personally asked. Even then, your response should be carefully coordinated.
Irrelevant work experience
There really is no need to load your resume with junk. All information on your resume is meant to sell you as the best candidate for the job. Work experience that does not showcase additional skills for the position you’re trying to snag is not relevant.
Spelling errors and grammar mistakes
These are the most common mistakes on many resumes. It’s time to go through your resume over and over again. Find and correct spelling errors and grammar mistakes. Reading your resume out helps a lot in dictating such error.
After striking these out from your resume, let’s write it again. With this version of your resume, you should have better luck getting a job in 2018.
