In today’s competitive job market, recruiters receive hundreds of resumes for the same job position. On an average, a hiring manager spends no more than seven seconds to scan a resume. That is why it is important to add just the right kind (and amount) of information on your resume. A majority of organisations now-a-days use software known as an Applicant Tracking System – ATS to screen applications and eliminate the least qualified applicants.
While drafting your resume, you must keep in mind the phrase “Less is More”. The focus should only be on keeping information that is clear, simple and that supports your personal brand. It is a balance of having just enough information to draw the interest of an employer while leaving room for you to further explain during an interview.
When your job application is facing the seven-second resume test, it is important to not include information that will distract the hiring manager from seeing your true qualifications. But, how to decide what to include in a resume and what to delete?
Below is a checklist of the things you should remove from your resume to optimize it and ensure your job application does not end up in the trash can.
- Objective Statement
I am sure you have seen or even added the generic statement, “looking for opportunities that will allow me to leverage my skills and grow professionally”. This statement is a waste of space on your resume and does not necessarily add any value to it. The recruiter already knows you are looking for a job and your goal is to grow professionally. Rather than adding that statement, add a short summary of your hard and soft skills. A paragraph that depicts your capabilities and strengths in a nut-shell is appreciated way more than a generic “want to grow and add value to the organisation statement”.
- Unprofessional Email-Id
Avoid adding emails like queen.bee@gmail.com or slay_onster@gmail.com or any other quirky email address. This may have seemed like a fun name in college or school, but it is considered highly inappropriate to use for formal or professional purposes. Create an email id that is exclusively reserved for your job-related activities. If possible, try to create an email address that incorporates your name as it appears on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- Full Home Address
You are most likely to not receive any communication at your physical address and hence adding your full home address is pointless. You may add your city if you would like, but that is not necessary either. Just make sure you have your phone number and a professional email address, and you are good to go.
- Multiple Phone Numbers
The more contact options you provide, the easier it is to miss an important message from a prospective employer. Avoid any confusion by streamlining your contact information. Include one and only one phone number on your resume. You can also add your email address and LinkedIn id for communication.
- Generic Skills
Avoid adding generic skills such as “Good communication”, “Team player”, or “Good command on English”. Instead, spend some time understanding what other values you can offer to the organisation and the skills you possess. Add them in a manner that highlights how you can potentially be an asset for the company if hired.
- Elaborate Charts and Designs
When it comes to selecting a design for your resume, less is more. Elaborate designs and formats take away the focus of the recruiter from the main information about you and the resume becomes all about its design. They also do not pass the ATS software and usually end up getting rejected, even if the candidate was a very skilled one. Do not make the hiring manager rack their brains to find some basic information in your account. Play it safe and keep your resume design simple but crisp.
- Spelling and Grammatical Errors
Spelling and grammar mistakes are a big disappointment for hiring managers. Triple check every headline and bullet point. Remove or change any word or sentence that does not go with the flow of the document. Do not mix up tenses or third and first person perspectives. This really breaks the flow of the reader and creates a bad impression. You can use various tools online to make sure the data on your resume is grammatically correct and has zero spelling errors.
- References
Avoid adding a list of references or the line “References available upon request”. This information is not really necessary because if the hiring manager does want to see your references, he can simply ask you for it sometime in your hiring process. This is like stating the obvious and thus, it wastes space in the resume.
- Weird Hobbies or Interests
Do not add your quirky or weird hobbies and interests in your resume. Hiring managers may form a negative perspective about you judging on the basis of your quirky areas of interests. Instead, add interests only if you think they support your overall job application and improve the chances of your selection.
- Lies
Do not at any cost lie in your resume about your skills, accomplishments, education background or work experiences. While you may think of that as a brilliant idea, this may come as a shocker to you that hiring managers often verify the information provided in your resume. In case you get caught lying in your resume, not only are you going to get kicked out of the hiring process, you may even get blacklisted.
Editing a resume can be tough. People tend to be quite attached to certain things they have done or accomplished professionally, but you have to understand the importance of adding only the necessary data on your resume. Be brutally objective, cut the meaningless talk and leave off all the data that may potentially harm your chances of getting selected.