Things that should be left OFF your resume
 

So I am going through the process of hiring new employees for my department and after two weeks of getting resumes and interviewing people, I felt like I needed to post this for all the college ladies and gentleman out there who are preparing resumes to send to potential employers. The examples below are taken from resumes I have actually gotten.

DO: List the classes you are taking or have taken or any "real life" projects you have been involved in that have some relevance to the job you are applying for. Some places do what experience, but a lot of places (like me) will train you on the job.

DO NOT list every job you have ever had on your resume (especially if it has nothing to do with the job you are applying for). I have a web designer position I am looking to fill, and I would rather you say "I have taken these classes in school and I am very eager to learn" then list that you were a lifeguard at your country club pool (where you were named head life guard after only 3 summers) or that you worked at A&F "assisting customers with clothing purchases and suggesting appropriate accessories".

DO keep the mention of extracircular activites to a minimum. As an employer, its not something that really matters in a resume....but perhaps in a face to face interview or sometime down the road.

Don't take up 3/4 on page 1 of your resume (I kid you not) discussing your Greek activities. Although it may seem important in college that you were Pledge President of XYZ fraternity, Rush Chair, Mr March in the ABC sororitys calendar and played a huge part in Greek Week, its not exactly crucial information that a potential employer would need to know. Being active is cool, but it shouldnt be a filler.

I've been told these:

DON'T put any affiliations with your religion. It is great to know that you're a teacher of the Lutheran Sunday school, the president of the Islam seminar in your college, or missionary of the LDS church to Russia for three months, but keep them off. Employer could find it offensive and have prejudice against you.

DO keep your resume one page (if possible), or as brief as you can. Reference can be just stated, "available upon request".

(for design majors) DO show your ability of computer drafting, such as a nice Illustrator design or Photoshop background, or some sketches up in the corner of the resume, and state your computer skills.

Any suggestions for those of us who have been out in the work force for a few years?

aephi alum,

keep your resume fresh. anytime you are assigned a new "duty", put it on your resume. if you like the company you are with but not so much the poistion you are in, keep your eyes and ears open.

also, i got the resume of a gentleman who was in his 40s who had recently decided on a career change. he went back to college and got a degree. he came into the interview very energetic with such a positive attitude. even though we both knew he was over qualified, he let me know right away that he had no problem starting off at the bottom with my company and i knew that with his attitude, he would move up to something in his field quickly and i would love to give him a foot in the door.

personality DOES count. during an interview, a major thing i look at is their personality and if they would make a good fit with our department. if they are eager to work, and flexible with time, if they are personable.

firm handshakes DO make a great impresssion.

DONT list ministers or family members as references. these people cant really give objective but DO list people you have worked with (not just worked who you have worked for).

I definitely agree with only mentioning things that could be relevant to the position that you are applying for.

Yet, a resume is to basically get your foot in the door, put what is important to that position to get your foot in that door. Once in, it is totally up to you because a good personality and a good impression does count, A LOT.

My current resume is only 3/4 of a page long including my references. That's because I have basically worked in the same industry my entire (yet short) working life. It is all applicable to the positions I have applied for.

Blaine

Along with that, I would also say don't list political affilations like "Telephoned and did polls for the ____ Party".
Similarly, don't state things where you volunteered for things like Greenpeace or Pro-Choice or Pro-Life....way too politically volatile. It's just too dicey to go there on your resume.

About references -- it has always been my understanding that you don't need to put "references available upon request" on a resume because, duh, references are always available upon request. If a potential employer wants references, she will ask for them.

I'm sure everybody knows this, but just in case, make sure your references know that you're listing them as references, and make sure that, to the best of your knowledge, they are going to say good things about you. I have had friends who have been (1) caught off guard by being called as a reference when they had no idea that they would be, and (2) irritated when people they don't particularly like and have never worked with have listed them as references.

And yes, especially if you are in or recently out of college, a resume should NEVER be more than one page.

excellent point valkyrie!

the main reason i posted this on greek chat was because i was just dumbfounded (along with my boss and everyone looking over these resumes) that i got one from a recent college grad who took up 3/4 of page 1 of his resume with every single activity he participated in with his fraternity that included favorite parties and every office he held in 4 yrs. to me this isnt something you put on a professional resume.

on a side note he was applying for a job as a graphic designer. he listed "intermediate spanish and humanities" as relative courses and listed his past employment of a phone salesman for olan mills, a saleman at a&f, and a lifeguard.

if you know you have no experience and you arent taking any classes that are even in the ball park of the job you are applying for (especially a technical one in a big company)...dont.

Hrm...I don't understand the "never more than one page" rule. Who came up with that rule anyway? I completely understand the concept of trying to make it so your resume catches the reader's eye in a short amount of time; but, come on! I've been able to keep my resume at one page for 7 years. But now, with my most recent job behind me, it had to go to 2.

All of the jobs listed are very relevant. No dorky jobs here, all are related to my career field. I refuse to take my first job off of the bottom simply to "make room." No. No. and No. :)

So, what happened is the Activities and References line ended up all alone on the second page. To beef up that 2nd page, so it doesn't look so sparse, I added a section briefly stating my research interests and another listing my professional association memberships.

That move worked out for me really well because I work in Higher Education where that sort of thing is not uncommon. Has anyone ever seen a resume for an Academic (professors..researchers..etc)? Those suckers read like phone books! :) It pays to be descriptive in higher education.

Also, though it contains a fair bit of information, my layout still gives the appearance of having a lot of "white space." That makes it easy to read.

My boyfriend is a computer engineer guy. His resume is mega-long even though he's only worked for one company. I guess that people working in computers are obligated to list every last programming language he or she knows lest they not get the job because they didn't put "4 years experience in programming SQL mega-parameter hypernetworking Novell systems in D-plus XV-1 environments."

Anyway, I am very pleased with my resume. It must be pretty good because I have a very high success rate with being called for interviews. I think people need to keep in mind that one's career field may dictate how a resume should be presented. In my case, it appears to be perfectly OK to have a resume that is more than one page.

And, as someone who has studied HR, I agree that it is never a good idea to take up 3/4 of a page talking about your fraternity activities. :)

......Kelly :)

Oh yeah. I also have a little tip. A couple of the things on my resume were long-term internships. Of course, free doesn't pay rent. :) So, yeah, I did have a bunch of lame part-time jobs. NONE of those part-time jobs are on my resume. Instead, I listed my internships along with my education related employment. That makes it look as if I have loads of experience. If asked, I am honest and tell the interviewer that it was an internship. In my experience, I noticed that they never cared that it was an internship; they only cared to know that I have career-related experience. With that said, if you can do something like that, it will be worth your while.


......Kelly :)

My department is also hiring right now, and some of the resumes that we've gotten have been absolutely atrocious. I definitely agree with the advice given on this post, and I would like to add a few more:

Get an email account that sounds professional. For example, janesmith@hotmail.com sounds a lot better than janey-waney@hotmail.com. (Yes, we really did have someone apply whose e-mail address was like that.) It's so easy to do and it will help employers take you more seriously.

Use normal font. We got a resume that was in Stonehenge font, which is hard enough to read, but it was also faxed, so it was damn near impossible to read it.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use spell check and grammar check. Also, have someone who you believe is a decent writer check your resume and cover letter before you send it. It's so distracting to try to read a resume when it is grammatically incorrect.

That's funny volgirl and dwalphagam... These are the people who say things like "The job market is so awful. I've sent out like 100 resumes and haven't gotten a single call!"

I'm glad you brought this up. My friend was going to put her email address on her resume. Her email address is:

SEXYLADY69@HOTMAIL.COM :EEK:

I still shudder at the though of that!

I personally have two email address: 1 for "business purposes" (i.e. resume, contacts, etc.) and then of course to goof around with.

My boyfriend is working on his resume right now, he's applyhing for jobs as an electrical engineer. A neighbor of mine that's a rocket scientist gave him a sample resume to work off - it was 3 pages!

So josh worked hard to get this lengthy description of stuff, burying his degree and certification deep into the thing and then showed it to me. In all of my business education, I was told "unless you're going to be a professor, keep it to 1 page, especially if you've just graduated!"

What is everyone's philosophy on all this? I feel like a 3 page resume will get put in the round file pretty damn fast when they figure out that none of the jobs listed are in engineering - they were summer internships where he worked as a code monkey. Or as a survey boy.

I personally dont mind getting a resume more than 1 page. I think if you have stuff to say, and it takes more, then that is just more I get to read about you and your experience.

That is excellent advice about the email address. I had two like that from stacked_shit@hotmail.com and candypanties@aol.com

I do have a question for everyone reading this post - do you list all your fraternity/sorority activites, offices etc? I got in another resume yesterday from a girl who listed stuff like this on her entire first page. It listed stuff like Rush Chair and XYZ sweetheart and under interests she put the various socials that she enjoyed going to. I could totally see listing your fraternity/sorority 's name under interests or hobbies or affiliations etc etc...but is anyone else putting the in depth stuff on their resumes? It made a very bad impression with some folks here...I guess since she listed all these parties, they were wondering when she would have time to actually work.

Thoughts?

When I was looking for my first job out of college, I listed my sorority with my other activities. I mentioned the highest offices I had held, but didn't go on and on about socials etc. I think it took up all of 2 lines.

My current resume does not mention my sorority. I had to prioritize what went on that one page, and I felt it was more important to flesh out my job experience.

Mentioning a GLO can backfire... suppose the recruiter went to a school where your GLO was represented, and either (a) the chapter had a bad reputation, or (b) the recruiter wanted to join that GLO and didn't get in and is bitter... just a thought.

I have my sorority on my resume but that's it. Just the name. A resume should be only one page and if I were to list all the activities I have done then I'd be way over. Plus, unfortunately, some employers do have biases against fraternity/sorority members. My manager said he's laugh when he'd get resumes from people who took up a page by listing everything they had done in their fraternity/sorority. He said he chose to interview me because all I did was just listed Zeta. Then, during the interview, I explained to him exactly what I had accomplished within my sorority.

advice
 

I'd just like to add in my own two cents here. I don't believe you shouldn't list your work experience even if it's for another field. I am willing to go as far as to say that is wrong. I base that on advice I have gotten from recruiters, thevault.com, and our career placement office.

The point of a resume is to make you appealing to set skills. For example, if you worked at a hospital doing data entry as part of your work but mainly dealing with patients and giving them food, you provide a spin on that if applying to a more business/office type position...emphasizing that you have computer experience and the ability to communicate and interact well with others.

The best advice is listed at thevault.com and wetfeet.com

- Rudey

I think the point was you dont have to list every job you have ever had especially if it is not related in any way to the job you are applying for.

for instance, a guy sent his resume in for a graphic design position. he listed that he worked as a life guard at a country club pool, and a salesman at a clothing store. as an employer thats of no use to me. when i actually called him (I do call everyone who submits a resume) he said he did in fact do some internship work in graphic design...but he since it wasnt a paying job he didnt list it. most companies would have looked at his "job experience" and laughed.

when i applied for the job i have now, i knew i would mostly be working with computers, so i lised only the jobs that included that. i dont think my boss really cared if i worked at movie theater in high school or a bookstore in college.

i think the best advice might not be found at a website...but from people who are actually in the field and are hiring people. advice from places like that should be used as a tool, not the gospel.

I think you could list past job experience not related to your field, if that's the only work experience you have, say if you're a freshman or sophomore in college, and have had no interns. i listed DQ and moving office furniture on my first resume. it's better to show that you had a job, even if it wasn't related, showing that you can work with/for people, than for them to think you're just a spoiled lazyass

True, but if you are a freshman or sophmore you probably arent looking for a full time job in a large corporation. I know sometimes people do - but they usually arent able to get the job that they will be qualified to get after graduation being a 1st or 2nd year student.

How about if you're just a college sophomore and want to apply for internships? Can I mention the year-long internship for a law firm I had my senior year of high school?

internships are great

Ok, thanks. I was just wondering, because by the time I apply for internships, the law firm one will have been from three or four years before.

It doesn't matter how long ago you did the internship. What matters is that you did one. And that looks great. In fact, I do not include the dates that I have worked at certain places on my resume. If the company wants that information, I will give it to them. Usually, on an official application, they will ask for that information. I do not put my manager's name and I definitely do not put how much I was paid. I feel that no matter how much you were paid, it will work against you by putting it on your resume. If you were paid $5.15 at the local McDonald's, the employer might think, "Oh, well, I may have paid her $7 per hour but looks like she's willing to work for less." If you put that you had been paid $15 an hour at an internship, the employer may think, "Wow, $15 an hour, I can't affod that. I'm sure that's how much she'll want here. I guess I can't hire her."

What a helpful thread!
 

Should I apply for 'permanent' positions if I'm only considering working there for, say, six months? if so, should i mention the length of time i intend to stay?

Definately tell them how long you are available to work. Permanent usually means long term. Otherwise its not fair to let them spend the time and money on training someone that they think will be there for at least the next few years...but really will stay for a small amount of time.

And what about "Salary History should be included with Application packet".. WTF? How is that handeled. Career svcs on my campus was like duh...... Do you type up something simple on Word and include it, Do you get letters fom former emplyers, HR? I am assuming its the former. Anyone done this??

I'm bumping this thread because we have an entry level opening in our office and I can't believe some of the things I've seen on resumes. (This is directed at recent college grads - someone applying

- Do NOT put your SAT scores on your resume. Potential employers don't care if you got a 1000 or a 1600. (I've seen this on three resumes already!)

- Same thing goes for GPAs in most cases. Put down that you graduated with honors, cum laude or any awards, but if you graduated with a 3.2 we don't care.

- Don't write lengthy paragraphs about your job experiences. Summarize your accomplishments in bullet points.

- Unless you have years and years of experience, keep the resume to one page. If that means cutting your "interests" off your resume, fine. The only things you really need on your resume are experience, skills and education. Only list interests, or activities if you have something particularly interesting or remarkable to talk about.

- Don't feel pressured to include an "awards" section. If you've received several great awards, list them, especially if they're relevant to the position you're applying for. But we don't care that you were "Student of the Year" in eleventh grade or that you won the "Excellence in Music Performance" award in your high school choir. (Both true examples)

- PROOFREAD!

I'm sorry but for many positions, especially the competitive ones, your SAT/GMAT/LSAT/MCAT/GRE/WHATEVER are a necessity along with your GPA.

You don't suddenly come out of school and nothing you did then matters anymore. Both your school and what you achieved while there are stuck with you forever.

-Rudey

What about seminars and retreats? I went to several for student life and APO. I was taught how to market our organization and activities to other students in almost all of them. I'm trying to get a job in advertising.

Check out vault.com. They have really good insider guides for that field...

-Rudey

Great thread! Especially for me because I will be graduating from college in Spring 2005! Ive heard from friends that it is very hard to find jobs right after graduation. A friend of mine graduated from OSU (Ohio-State University) with a BA in Political Science and now she works at JCPennys. :(

QUESTION FOR EMPLOYERS ONLY!

How important is GPA?
Is mentioning that you study abroad revelant for a resume? If so where would this be placed on the resume?

thanks:p

I have helped in recruiting efforts for our firm. To us GPA was important. You went to school right, so why wouldn't it? But keep these things in mind:
1) As you grow older your gpa is less in focus because you will have other experience. For now it's a little more important.
2) If you know a job has a gpa cutoff for interviews and all that and you don't meet that cutoff, leave it off. If you can't even get an interview for a job or turn them off asap, it is a bad idea.

As for your study abroad, I would place that in your education area. I don't know what kind of resume you're creating but mine had education at the very top and you can include your study abroad school or program in there.

-Rudey

I've always been told that if you're entry-level or if you only have 1-2 years work experience, put your GPA on your resume. It is important at many companies. It's an unspoken rule that if you have below a 2.8 GPA that you do not list it on your resume. If you don't include your GPA on your resume, a company might assume that your grades aren't spectacular and may not hire you based on that. It would suck if you really had a 3.8.

I agree. I think you should put your GPA on your resume, as long as it is above a 3.0 or so. If the hiring manager doesn't care about GPAs, then they will just ignore it, and if they do care, at least it will be on there. It's better to be on the safe side and include it. My company doesn't have a minimum GPA, but if the GPA is included, it is one more thing to help me weigh the candidates. However, do not send in your transcript unless the company specifically asks for it, which some do. (We got some girl's transcript the last time we were hiring, and I had no idea why she sent it, unless she really wanted us to know that she got an A in History of Modern Dance.)

Study abroad should go in your education section, as Rudey said. Also, as you gain more experience and you're out of school longer, your education section should move to the bottom of your resume and your work experience should go at the top.

One point that really irritates me: Please customize your cover letter for each company. Same goes for fax cover sheets. We had this one guy apply a few times, and each time he faxed in his resume, he had scribbled out the name of a different company on the fax cover sheet and wrote in the name of my company. His resume went right in the "No" pile without us even reading it.

We're hiring again, so I'm sure I'll have some more gems to share in a few weeks.

Well I guess it goes to show you, it really depends on the job and the office. I can say that in my office, any resume with SAT scores on it is getting tossed (that's the consensus of the screening committee, not just me). Post college exams are a little different, but we really don't care what you scored on a test you took at least five years ago. It just makes you look either pretentious or stupid.

And the GPA thing - why would you want to draw attention to the fact that you graduated with a 3.0? My opinion is, if you had a particularly high gpa, you're going to have the awards to to with it (honors, cum laude, whatever) so list those. But every time I see a resume saying 3.2 from State U, I think "who cares?" All we care about is that you have the degree. But we're also focusing more on the work experience than the education - I imagine a law firm is going to be different and is going to care more about the education.

We actually had one resume just come in that lists the high school GPA. Now that's definitely excessive.

Definitely list study abroad experience (under Education) - it looks great.

Oh and on the seminars and retreats - one thing I've seen on entry level resumes that I like is a "Relevant Training/Coursework" section which would be a great place to list that info.

I think SATs are like high school marks - not really needed on a post-college resumé. However, GPA can be very important - many places will specifically ask for it if you're fresh out of universiy (as in, everywhere I applied did). I have mine in my resume, but it's not highlighted by any means.

I still have to disagree with this one page thing. I was in a co-operative ed program, and to make my resume one page, I'd basically only have my last two positions on it. I think perhaps the length of your resume should be perhaps porportion to the amount of work experience. My resume is 2 pages and has always been deemed a good length when I get it reviewed.

I work in the Career Services for an MBA Program. I don't know much about other fields, but for business students...

For the first job or so GPA is good to have...we've also been told by recruiters that they think if its not on there that it is below a 3.0. As for SAT scores...I'm personally not a big fan, but we don't deal with that since we are working with graduate students (at this point it should definately not be on there). But every now and then we'll see a student put their GMAT on there. If you insist on having a score...it would be better to put 99th percentile on the GMAT rather than the actual score.

As far as Greek activities...
Work experience (related to the job) is always the priority and since space is usually an issue Greek stuff should be limited. But some things can be relevant....you want to be an event planner...you coordinated recruitment or socials. Word it in a manner than highlights what you did over the social aspect. Always use numbers to quantify activities (and work experience)--managed a 10,000 budget or something along those lines. If if isn't quantifiable, then it probably won't help get you the job and should be seriously considered before putting it on the resume (there are always exceptions).

I haven't read this whole thread, but I used to attend interviews with my old Director. Some things he looked for were length of time at particular jobs. If someone skipped around a lot he wondered why and got a negative feeling about them right away. Also please make sure your resume matches the position you are applying for. For example, people will hand in resumes at my agency that they want to do a mental-health related job but nothing they list on their resume has anything to do with mental healthcare. In a case like this, I think it is better to hand in a resume where it is stated somewhere in a professional way that you are looking to change fields or gain more experience in a particular field. And also keep in mind that if you are changing fields, most often, you will have to be willing to accept an entry-level position and work your way up by gaining experience. Just because you were the manager at McDonald's for 10 years doesn't make you automatically qualified to be a psychotherapist or capable of supervising staff in a clinical setting if you get my drift......