Resume Mistakes That Could Cost You

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Free Resume Articles : Resume Mistakes That Could Cost You by Dawn Summerdale

Accepted resume practices change over time, sometimes due to preferences of hiring managers and other times due to changes in technology. Using outdate resume techniques can make you look like you don’t keep up with the times, or even that you are unwilling to learn new skills, which of course will not work to your advantage in your job search. So what should you avoid including in your resume?

References First, employers really don’t need this information at this stage of the game. Second, even the “references available upon request” tag is outdated and generally assumed by employers. Save this space for information that will set you apart from the competition. You should have your list of references available on a separate sheet for the interview process.

Salary Information Salary information is personal, and frankly not an indicator of worth. Your current salary could be high or low, so letting a potential employer make a judgment based on your current salary without knowing the circumstances could do you more harm than good. You will likely have to divulge this information, but do so in the interview, no in your resume.

Personal Information Employers are very way of any personal information that could end up in a lawsuit under fair hiring laws, so don’t include information on your personal interests, marital status, children, race, age, height, weight, sexual preference, religion or ethnic heritage. While in some countries this is common practice in CV’s, it is inappropriate in the United States.

Photo Unless you are applying for a position where headshots are typically requested such as acting roles, there is no good reason to include a photo on your resume.

Reasons For Leaving Your resume is your chance to provide positive information on your background, so including this information is counterproductive.

Work or Inappropriate Email Address Using your work e-mail address compromises not only the ability to keep your job search efforts from your current employer, it could show your potential employer that you don’t have a problem using their resources for personal gain. If your personal e-mail address contains any inappropriate terms, like hotmama@email.com, it would be best to create a separate e-mail for your job search efforts.

About the Author
Dawn Summerdale is Chief Resume Officer of http://www.freeresumereviewonline.com, an online resume firm for Executives.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=870019