Things that should be left OFF your resume

[RUgreek]

Looks bad on resume cover letters:

1. I'm really keen to work for you, I hear the drugs are good.
2. I regret that I have no references. Unfortunately, every company I have worked for has since closed down.
3. I'll kill myself if I don't get a job.
4. I know where you live.
5. Any sentence beginning with "I was recently acquitted."
6. I'm really tall, so I think I'd be well suited to this job.
7. Happy faces.
8. By the way, I understand that you have unmarried daughters.
9. I'm confident that I'll get this job. The voices told me.

[Beryana]

I think this probably has been mentioned before, but I didn't read the entire thread so excuse me if I offer advice that has already been offered!

I actually have a section on the bottom of my resume for volunteer experience where I go into more detail about offices held, etc and a separate memberships section. Volunteer experience has my specifics for AOII and Rotary with dates/years while memberships are those orgs that i'm just a member of (Girl Scouts, Sons of Norway, NTHP, reenacting, etc - and I didn't list EVERYTHING I've a member of).

I also have a separate format for more field related positions rather than just your everyday pay the bills jobs. I also have my CV separate to be sent with the resume for those positions that would need that kind of info.

Sarah

[bekibug]

Originally posted by aephi alum
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 am currently working on a resume with the lady in the business school who well, helps students with resumes and other writings. She said it's alright to put "social sorority" on a resume, but not which specific one because she's seen people be discriminated against based on their affiliation. So my resume now says "Social Sorority - 2002-present," instead of "Alpha Xi Delta Social Sorority - 2002-present." Have any of y'all ever seen this in practice?

[RedRoseSAI]

Originally posted by volgirl2376
firm handshakes DO make a great impresssion.

YES! Why, oh why do so many women have "dead fish" handshakes? It drives me crazy to no end when I shake hands with a college member (or worse, an alumna) and she's got a weak handshake. My impression of someone is so different if she's got a firm, solid handshake.

[DGMarie]

Do not ask me if you can go home early if you get bored.

This is what a candidate asked me last week during the interview. I wanted to tell her she could go home now.

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by cash78mere
i checked and fixed my student teacher's resume today.

her advisor in college insisted that she include "references available upon request" at the bottom of the resume. i said to take it off because of course your references are available if they ask you. i feel that most people use that as a filler to make their resume look longer and you don't need it. i told her to have a nicely typed paper with her contacts' names and addresses and phone numbers on it that she can give out when they ask her.

what are your thoughts on the "references available upon request" line on your resume?

Completely agree with this -- when I first graduated, I had that line included on my resume. Now that I have real work experience, I don't have room for that line, let alone other things.

[adpiucf]

Leave off your resume

- GPA
- Test Scores
- Political, Religious and Ethnic Affiliation
- References Available Upon Request
- Hobbies and Interests

Entry Level or Interns KEEP
- Anticipated Graduation Date if you are an intern
- Relevant Course Work
- Community Service or Campus Involvement that demonstrates teamwork, leadership, your particular job skill set


DO
- Be concise and learn to spell
- Tailor your cover letter to the opporunity
- Keep it to one page unless you are in academia. Entry level or intern prospects have not had a career worthy of 2 pages!
- Font size shouldn't be smaller than 11 point
- Don't use comic sans or any scripty graphic fonts for your headers and body copy. If you're a designer, you know better anyway, to do something stylish at the top.
- Get a variety of people to proof read your resume
- Keep a sheet of 3 references handy to take to interviews or submit following an interview
- Always hand deliver a thank you note or send an email the day after an interview. Always, unless you are going for a gov't position that states the contrary.
- Shake hands firmly, smile and if you are interested in the job, tell them, "I'm very interested in this position!"


KNOW... As your prospective employer, I am going to take about 8 seconds to read your resume. No lie. Capture my interest with a cover letter written to me, telling me why you're interested in my company. And don't tell me because it would be a "great opportunity." Show me you've done some homework to learn more about the place and it's mission.

Did I mention sending a thank-you note? It's the best way to affirm your interest, show you have some manners and it will keep you top-of-mind above the other candidates who did not send me a note!

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by adpiucf

Did I mention sending a thank-you note? It's the best way to affirm your interest, show you have some manners and it will keep you top-of-mind above the other candidates who did not send me a note!

This is really good advice, depending on the field.

When I had an interview back in April, I shot off a quick email to the person who interviewed me (who also happened to be a professor, and we had been going back and forth on email). She replied--with a job offer.

Okay...everyone says not to put "References available upon request." I've never done that. What about those of us who have portfolios? Is it okay to put "portfolio available upon request"?

[roqueemae]

Originally posted by RedRoseSAI
YES! Why, oh why do so many women have "dead fish" handshakes? It drives me crazy to no end when I shake hands with a college member (or worse, an alumna) and she's got a weak handshake. My impression of someone is so different if she's got a firm, solid handshake.

LOL--I teach a babysitting class to 11-13 year olds during school breaks. One of my topics is "how to shake hands properly" I tell them to grasp hands firmly, shake a couple of times (but not too hard), look their employer in the eye and smile. I then go around and shake each child's hand and give them tips to improve it.

[adpiucf]

Originally posted by Munchkin03


Okay...everyone says not to put "References available upon request." I've never done that. What about those of us who have portfolios? Is it okay to put "portfolio available upon request"?

I'd work that into your cover letter, as in "I'd be very interested in meeting with you further to talk more about the position and share my work portfolio."

Remember, your cover letter is so important! Take the time to make it shine for each job prospect!

[jubilance1922]

Originally posted by adpiucf
Leave off your resume

- GPA

I'm in the sciences/engineering, and I've been told by SEVERAL recruiters that having your GPA on your resume is crucial if you are looking for an internship/entry level position. The only time it should be left off is if your GPA is lower than 3.0. Is listing your GPA a bad thing in other fields?

[adpiucf]

I work in marketing and business development-- we really don't care about your GPA-- we just want to see that you're a good fit for our group, you have some decent work experience and you're intelligent.

I can see where in hard science careers it might be necessary to list GPA, but once you're past internship and your very first job, it's not about GPA anymore-- it's about your career experience.

[blueangel]

I'm often in the position to hire people, so I can give you some general tips from my point of view. I'm involved in broadcast journalism, so some is career specific.. but hopefully most will be of help to everyone reading this.

Broadcast journalism is an extremely competitive field, so the extra touches will win you favor.

1. I prefer candidates to snail mail me a resume with a cover letter. It's classier, and I feel it makes a more polished and professional impression. It tells me that you're serious about the position, and that you took the time to print it out, address an envelope, put a stamp on it, and walk it to the mail box. That takes a lot more effort than mass e-mailing.

The cover letter should be short and tell me in about three sentences why you're qualified for the job... and what you can do for me.

2. Take the time to find out my name. A "Dear Sir/Madam" tells me you were too lazy to research. I don't want lazy journalists! I want journalists who can dig!

3. Less is More. I'm one of those "keep it to one page" fanatics. Why? A cluttered resume sends the message that:

- You're trying to overcompensate with quantity rather than quality

- You don't regard my time. I want to be able to scan through each resume quickly and be able to get right to the point. My resume could easily fill five pages because I've been in the business more than 20 years. I leave out the small market radio and TV gigs, and only list the most important jobs that are eye catching.

I have no objection to a second page which lists "Awards" if they're pertaining to your career, and fairly impressive. Journalists tend to have a lot of these-- State and National Emmy nominations, Writing awards, etc.

4. BE HONEST! If you lie, we'll catch you. My company does background checks.. most do.

5. Contrary to what some said here.. I don't care what your GPA or SAT score was. Peter Jennings never even went to college. Leave those things off.

I want to see where you worked and what you did. If you're applying for your first job in broadcasting, then tell me what you did on the school paper, and on the school TV station. Where did you intern and what did you do? I don't care that you were a stock boy at Walmart. That just makes you look silly.

6. Hobbies can work for you IF they're memorable...but it could go either way, so use your judgement. It's a great way to start an interview. "So Mary, I see you're the state champion in kick boxing...." It's a good icebreaker, and it helps the interviewer remember you. Of course, make sure it's not "too out-there"-- you might not want to list that you make balloon animals and ride a unicycle!

A follow up phone call is fine, but, I'm often crashing on news stories. Before you say anything, please say, "Is this a good time to talk?" I appreciate that!

7. If you come in for an interview... please dress appropriately. Years ago, a man named John Malloy wrote a book called "Dress for Success" and "A Woman's Guide to Dress for Success." Although some of the material is outdated, it's still worth looking at.

Be neat and clean. Dress for the interview not for a night out in a bar. Men-- a conservative suit and tie-- well pressed in navy blue with a matching tie.

Women-- you can't go wrong with a conservative skirted suit and nice blouse.
Keep the jewelry to the minimum-- nothing that clanks or dangles. Pearls are always appropriate, or a nice gold chain. If you're going for a PR job or something in the art field (or are going for a job at MTV)-- of course, you'd want to dress more trendy.

I always brought a black leather portfolio case with me-- not a purse. It looks more professional and can hold everything you might need (extra resumes, etc).

Broadcast journalist candidates should bring a resume tape and writing samples. If your profession involves art or design, by all means, bring your portfolio with you! Everyone should bring at least two extra copies of their resume to the interview because you may be interviewing with more than one person.

Don't chew gum... please TURN OFF THAT BLASTED CELL PHONE BEFORE you walk in the building.

Smile and shake hands firmly.

Watch your language. Don't use words like "Dude" "Awesome".. etc. That makes you look very immature and unprofessional.

Be positive in your interview. Don't EVER say anything bad about a past employer-- even if he was the devil himself.

Be confident about yourself. Tell what you can bring to the company and why you should be hired.

Don't bring up money first. Wait until you're offered the job.

NOTE TO WOMEN! For some reason, women tend to shy away when it comes to talking money. If you're asked, "How much do you require?" You should already have done your homework and know the salary range. Ask for the top of the range. Wait and see the reaction. If it's "No way"-- then slip in, "But I'm negotiable." If you don't value yourself, why should we value you? I am more impressed by someone who asks for a lot of money right off, then someone who says, "Oh, whatever you're paying." Ask high, and be willing to negotiate down a little.

Be sure to have lots of questions to ask during the interview. Not, "What are the health benefits?" but, "So, I see your station moved from number two in the market to number one. How did you change your news strategy to win over more viewers?" This tells me you have researched the company and are interested to be on a winning team!

As soon as you get home, write a thank you note. Once again, snail mail it. That means so much more.

If you get the job, write another thank you note. If you didn't, write a note saying how much you enjoyed the interview and that you'd like to be kept in mind for the next opening. And of course, be sure to keep in touch from time to time if you don't get the job offer. You may be right for something else down the road. A little secret... it's not always the most qualified person who gets the job, it's the person who walks in first when there's an opening! So DO keep in touch-- but not to the point of being a pain or looking desperate.

And.... read some books on cover letters, interviewing, and negotiating.

I hope that helps!

[CarolinaDG]

I just went through hiring, and put specifically in the ad to direct the resume' "Attn: Amy." You wouldn't believe how many sir/madams I got as well as bulk e-mails. HELLO... Do NOT bulk e-mail your resume'. We can see that!

Don't tell us your sob story about why you need the amount of money you do. I am a firm believer that every raise I get should be merit-based; however, I also know how much I really need to keep up with my cost of living (*cough* my $450/month in student loans!).

I'm going to reitterate the be honest thing. Not only for the employer, but for you as well. Keep in mind that the employer knows the job better than you do, and if you're right for the job, you'll get it. If you're wrong for it, you may be more miserable if you lie just to get it.

[summer_gphib]

I once had a resume submitted that had OBJECTION, instead of OBJECTIVE.

There is much to be said for proofreading, as I know has been said many many times.