I’m here on Carnaby street, one of my favorite places to come when I was a kid in the 60’s and 70’s. It’s very trendy. Are you trendy with your resume? Trends change, resume formats change, and CV formats change all the time. You need to keep pace with the trends.
Here are things to avoid putting in your resume to keep it current and trendy:
1. Do not include a photograph.
With the exception of certain countries like Switzerland, a photograph can count you out of an opportunity.
2. Do not include personal details such as whether you’re married, single, divorced, or your date of birth.
Employers are also not interested in the color of your hair or your maiden name. I still see these things on resumes and CVS. But that means your resume is dated and going back to the trends of the sixties and seventies. You want to be current.
3. Do not included the word profile or objective in your resume.
It makes it appear outdated. Instead, I’m interested in a super powerful and impactful statement on your soft skills coupled with your personal brand and your hard skills for the ATS (applicant tracking systems).
4. Do not put “references available upon request” on your resume.
It takes up room where otherwise I, as a resume writer, can sell in that space. That gives me three extra lines to sell my clients. References available upon request went out in the year 2000.
5. Do not have more than three pages.
There was a time when a CV or resume could go beyond three pages, but don’t do that today. A traditional corporate resume has to be a maximum of two to three pages. The rule of thumb here is to fill pages.
6. Do not list your hobbies.
This is a business document and employers aren’t interested in your hobbies. There are some exceptions to the rule, like I’ve had a couple of clients who ran marathons and have been in the top 10 runners. That can tell me this person has a lot of stamina and determination.
7. Finally, your resume or CV should be on white paper only.
Employers aren’t interested in cloudy, wonderful designs or colored paper. They want plain black and white.
Make sure you stand out. If you are outdated, the guillotine will come and you are gone. You only get one chance to impress. A resume and CV is a powerful, impressive document. If you want more information on how I can write your resume or help you with your CV, I’d be happy to help you. Please take a look at my website: www.aneliteresume.com
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