Resume: My Top 5 Elements to Eliminate

It's valuable to know the elements that make a resume attractive to potential employers in order to get the job interview. However, it's also important to know some details that may take away strength, clarity and credibility from a professional resume or CV. Before going into my list of pet peeves, let me emphasize two assumptions:

The main -if not the only- objective of a resume during the recruiting process is to get the prospect an interview with the potential employer, andThe HR personnel receive and review many resumes, so they need to dismiss large quantities in a practical manner.

Because of this last point, I believe you should avoid or carefully review the following details in your job search materials, based on my experience and listed according to my own criteria from least to most important:

5. Long descriptions of "standard" skills/ expect by the market. Unless the role you're after calls for specific technical skills, you don't have to enumerate all of the software packages and languages you know. For some positions, you should be punished if you mention Microsoft Office and Outlook as something distinctive, it's expected in many jobs as standard. In the language section you shouldn't add those that you barely know (e.g., "Two classes of Mandarin") or give out too much detail (e.g., where I studied, all of the tests I've done, etc.).

4. Information that is not relevant for the position. This is fairly frequent: there are many resumes that list every single course taken and certifications obtained throughout the candidate's life, from the Quality Seminar to the Football Clinic. It's also frequent to see interests mentioned having no relation with the job or the interview process. Your job search materials have limited space and if you use it in information that will not get you to the interview, it's wasted (or it becomes a fun story for the HR team). In addition, it's possible that these topics may come up during the actual interview, where you could give them more context and impact.

3. Descriptions of jobs (vs. achievements) or achievements from long ago. If recent skills are not highlighted, your resume won't catch employers' attention and may even raise suspicion (e.g., employment gap?).

2. Achievements or activities performed by a team (not by the owner of the resume). The recruiter is interested in knowing YOU as a potential employee. If the activities described in the experience section are not specific or have a scope that can't be attributed to you, they don't help to know you better.

1. Generic objective/ target or not related to the position. "Continue my development within a global institution in constant growth" may very well be a default text in word processors that I (fortunately) don't know given the frequency in which this phrase is used. The Objective or Summary section of a resume, and even more so for an experienced professional, is a vital component. The text should be specific to the match between the position and the potential employee. It's important to adapt the resume or CV to differ industries, companies, and positions; this is the section that should change the most.

In the job search, it's indispensable for the candidate to stand out. Having said that, this should happen for the right reasons: for his/ her skills and experience. Having some of the previous points in mind, the resume should not be discarded for communicating irrelevant or unprofessional topics. This way, it focuses the reader's attention on your achievements and skills as they bring value to the company you're applying to and will get you closer to the interview.

Hugo M. Breton is a business writer and job search coach specializing in resume writing, career coaching and B2B Copywriting. He holds an MBA and M. Eng. from the University of Michigan. Hugo shares his job search advice and provides services through http://www.resumesforimpact.com/, helping prospects improve the impact of their efforts.

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Resume: 5 Other Elements to Eliminate

In another article, I shared five elements that diminish the impact of a good resume. The following list has five other components that may not be as critical but you should consider when creating or editing your job search materials:

1. Unprofessional contact information. It should be obvious but worth reinforcing that even if the e-mail you provide is personal, it should still have a professional air to it (e.g., avoid teddybear82 at mail dot com). It's not necessary to provide multiple contact options, only the most effective one. If you want to add a long URL (e.g., a LinkedIn profile), only do so if it provides additional information that is critical. Finally, you don't have to provide contact information for past employers; if it's required, you'll be asked for it explicitly during the process.

2. Photograph. It should only be included for acting and modeling roles, in a very specific format. The rest of us have to fight the temptation of sharing our good looks. However, this is different for Internet profiles, where a picture is actually expected.

3. Personal data. If the employer needs this information, he will ask for it at some point in the process. You shouldn't point out in your resume your date and place of birth, marital status, number and name of your children, etc. It's important to mention that in some countries it's even illegal for a company to ask some of these elements.

4. Spelling errors. Unacceptable if you're looking for a job where the employee is expected to know how to write or if anyone can help you proofreading. Remember that the spelling correction in your word processor is not infallible. You should carefully review before sending out.

5. Unusual formatting. The resume should jump out due to its content and not because of an "attractive" font, special paper or inserted pictures. For candidates who are just entering the workforce, a single-page resume format should be enough, two or three for experienced professionals, and even longer for a technical resume or CV (e.g., including a list of publications). Be careful not to have too much or too little blank space, any of these extremes has its disadvantages. Although it's not common, you don't need to include an index. If the information is clear, labels like "Title" and "Company" are redundant.

Although the use of these elements may vary by industry or function, do assess their effect on recruiters as you build your job search strategy.

Hugo M. Breton is a business writer and job search coach specializing in resume writing, career coaching and B2B Copywriting. His objective is to help professionals become more effective during their search efforts. Hugo shares his job search advice and provides services through http://www.resumesforimpact.com/, helping prospects improve the impact of their efforts.

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