If you're applying for jobs right now or thinking of making a career move soon, a recruiter has revealed resume red flags and what information you should never include on your CV.
There are parts of your resume that actually may be hurting your chances of getting an interview and landing the job so this could be a game-changer for you!
Narcity spoke with Emily Durham — a recruiter and career coach who also posts videos on TikTok about applying for jobs, getting hired and shining at work — to find out all of the details you need to know about resume red flags.
That includes what work experiences you don't need to share and other resume hacks.
Not only can these tips save you time when you're putting together your resume but they can also help you get noticed and actually get the job you're applying for.
@emily.the.recruiter HOW CAN YOU MAKE YOUR RESUME STAND OUT?! ✨ #jobhunting #jobapplication #careertips
So, let's dive into four things that you should never have on your resume, according to a recruiter and career coach!
Lack of data
"The biggest gap I see on resumes is a lack of data and it's something a lot of people don't think about but the best way to showcase the quality of your work is to use data," Durham said.
"[Showcase] what the outcomes were, so did you raise productivity by 10%? How many people did you support? Did you support a team of 15 coordinators? What was the size of the customers that you supported?"
"Leaning into data is one of the most important things that you can do," she said.
But using data doesn't just mean putting a bunch of numbers on your resume, according to Durham.
She said that the red flag on not having any data also includes how your resume is formatted.
"The second biggest mistake I see is when people are writing their resumes, they're often forgetting to include a bullet point outlining specifically what their job is."
When it comes to explaining your work experiences, you should start with a basic sentence that includes your role and the company you worked for and then have a list of your responsibilities in the role.
"That is such a great level set so the recruiter is on the same page about what your job is because a title at Facebook can be a totally different job with the same title at Google," Durham shared.
Including your photo
Durham said that you should never include a photo of yourself on your resume if you're applying for a job in Canada or the U.S.
"Different countries have different best practices and different cultural norms so I'm speaking from a North American lens," she explained.
"A lot of people put it on because it adds an element of personalization and can help you stand out and as much as I love that, you're also opening the door for bias that we know, unfortunately, still very much exists."
If you're wondering why you shouldn't put your photo on your resume when you have a profile photo on LinkedIn, you're not the only one.
"People tend to say, 'Well, like I have LinkedIn, what's the difference?' Great question. There's no difference," the recruiter noted. "But it's important for us to remove bias as much as we can to protect ourselves."
"So, I would say that's one thing I would eliminate," Durham said.
Sharing non-relevant experience
While you might think padding your resume with lots of work experience makes you look better to recruiters and hiring managers, that's not actually the best thing to do.
In fact, that could actually hurt your chances of landing an interview and getting hired for the job, Durham revealed.
"On your resume, if it's not relevant, take it off. Take it right off," she said.
"Recruiters review resumes for less than a minute before they decide if you're going to get an interview."
That means if half of your resume is filled with experiences like working at Starbucks for three months and working at a daycare for a year, but you're applying for an IT job, it shouldn't be included.
"It's not relevant to your career and you don't see transferable skills," Durham said. "It's completely appropriate to take that off."
You can include those work experiences on LinkedIn instead of on your resume though, according to the recruiter.
That's because it's typically a site where people go "to proactively source talent or to build relationships," which means including all of your jobs makes sense there.
"You never know what a common ground is," Durham said.
It could be that you and the hiring manager both worked at The Gap while in university or at Tim Hortons as teenagers and that shared experience could lead to future job opportunities.
Having your address
"Don't put your address," Durham said in terms of the information you shouldn't include on your resume.
Doing that could actually lower your chances of getting an interview and even getting hired.
So, if you're based in Toronto and living in The Beaches but the job you're applying for is all the way in the west end, a recruiter or hiring manager might skip over your resume after seeing your address.
They could think that it's too far of a commute but they might not know that you enjoy long drives and are fine with commuting, according to Durham.
Also, putting your address on your resume could compromise your personal safety.
"I personally haven't seen this in my career, but you hear horror stories of people printing out resumes and then just throwing them out on the side of the street," Durham said. "Suddenly someone has your address."
If you're looking for more job application tips, another recruiter recently shared the dos and don'ts for a resume, including how long it should be and what you shouldn't have on it.
They also revealed that your email might be a red flag and could even impact your chances of getting hired for the position.
Hopefully, this can help you level up your resume if you're looking for work right now or are thinking about applying for a new job!
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
A Recruiter Reveals All Of The Red Flags On Your Resume & What You Should Always Leave Out
Source: News Article Viral
0 Comments