Your Resume: 10 Items To Remove Immediately

Marie Raperto, The Hiring HubResumes are extremely hard to write.  As you begin the resume creation process, you must decide if you want the same type of job or something different.  This will determine what skills you will list, how long it will be, etc.  What you don't want your resume to be is a job description of everything you have done over your entire career.  While a professional can work with you to eliminate items and help you focus on what should be included,  you are the one who ultimately must decide what represents you.  Here are some general rules to follow on what you should eliminate from your resume:

1.  Non-applicable items.  Today, you need to customize your resume for every job.  You want to highlight the keywords and disciplines an employer is looking for and be as concise as possible.  You must review your resume and eliminate or limit the information on items not required.
2. Past jobs.  You will probably get a new position based on the work you have done in your last two jobs.  Your past work history is important, but what you did ten years ago is not.  The company, job title and dates may be all you need.
3. Statements.  Your resume statement must reflect the job you want, and not be general.  It also needs to be short and concise, for the reader to scan it quickly.  Two to three lines, maximum.
4. Images.  Charts, graphs and boxes don't scan well and disrupt the reader's attention.  Your resume must be easy to read/scan and not crowded with images.  This goes for colors, mixed fonts and clip art.  Remember, U.S. resumes should not have your picture.
5. References.  The names of references should never be on a resume and "References Upon Request" is outdated and should not be used.
6. Interests.  While interests and hobbies can strike up a conversation with an interviewer, they should be kept to a minimum and used only early in your career.
7. Education.  The basic information only, unless you are an entry-level candidate.
8. Addendum pages.  You may have extra information on addendum pages.  These should not be included when submitting your resume.  The can be used if an employer asks for additional information or during the interview process.
9. Social Media.  While some candidates list their LinkedIn profile to provide additional information, your other social media addresses are not necessary.
10. Jargon.  Employers have become very critical of jargon in resumes.  Use words that describe what you do, not ones like trustworthy, team-player, results-oriented.

Just keep it clean and readable!