Crafting a winning resume is an art. Knowing what to add is math. But, understanding what things to remove from your resume is a mix of science and human psychology.
In today’s changing and challenging work environment, creating a compelling resume that outshines is essential. Most people focus only on what to add to a resume. However, only a few know what to delete from a resume.
Hence, to shed light on this topic a little more, we have curated the top things to remove from your resume instantly.
Here’s the list of 10 things that can prevent your CV from getting noticed. Remove these things to craft a resume that stands out.
10 Things to Remove From Your Resume
1. Ditch the Career Objective
Adding the same career objective statement for different opportunities will only create misalignment between you and the job opportunities. Instead, according to the current approach, adding a professional summary in a concise section where you can highlight your skills, experience, and accomplishments will make you the perfect fit your potential employer is looking for.
2. Exclude Irrelevant Work Experience
Don’t make your resume extra lengthy by adding all the job experiences you had so far. Control that urge to showcase all your job titles in your professional resume. Including positions irrelevant to current jobs can distract the recruiter, which may hinder your candidature in that organization. Stick to the relevant work experiences that align with your candidacy in the current organization.
3. Wipe Out Discriminative Information
Stop the urge to reveal everything about you right now. You must omit details like marital status, religion, age, and nationality from your CV. Adding too much of your personal information may lead to intentional or unintentional hiring biases. It is not only irrelevant to the job application. It also appears unprofessional. Save the space for valuable information like your Name, Email Address, Primary Phone Number, and City.
4. Cut Off Complete Addresses of Past Employers
Providing the complete name, city, or state is enough. Adding complete addresses of each past employer will clutter the space and make your resume look unprofessional. Make the best use of the space by highlighting your experience using bullet points.
5. That Professional Headshot is Outdated Now
Unlike industries like hospitality, where appearance is mandatory for the role, avoid adding your photo to your resume. Adding a professional headshot to a resume is banned in some countries to prevent hiring biases. However, research well before adding a professional headshot to your CV because, in some countries or industries, it is mandatory to add a photo.
6. Get Rid of Those Long Paragraphs
Breaking information in bullet points increases the readability score of your resume for both the ATS and the human recruiters. Craft your introductory summaries and responsibilities short. Make sure to cut short the bullet points if a single sentence becomes a paragraph.
7. Avoid Overusing Buzzwords
Avoid using generic phrases or buzzwords like team-player and hard-working, as they sound so common these days while adding little to no value to your resume. Instead, showcase specific achievements through quantifiable results using action words like accomplished, gained, and achieved.
8. Don’t Add Graphics
Adding graphics can make your resume look attractive, but your resume may lack the valuable information needed for the role. Moreover, some ATS systems may struggle with graphics, so avoid using logos, charts, and tables that may hinder the initial scanning.
9. Leave Hobbies and Interests for the Interview
Although including hobbies and interests may add a personal touch to your resume, they seem to filler content in your resume. So avoid including irrelevant hobbies and interests.
Besides, you can add hobbies and interests that align with your current job. For instance, if you like writing and applying for a copywriter’s role, you can add these hobbies and interests instead of riding a bike.
10. Delete the Unprofessional Email Address
Using a quirky or informal email address or your email from your previous employer in the resume is unprofessional and a waste of space. Use a decent email address that consists of your first and last name, i.e., firstname.lastname@email.com.
Conclusion: Step Ahead in Your Career Ladder with Remark AI Resume Builder
Utilize these tips and remove unnecessary and unorganized information from your resume to increase your chances in your job search journey. If you are still confused about how to craft a winning resume, register with the Remark Jobs and let our AI resume builder create your professional resume.
This resume will be visible to the recruiters searching for the role you have applied for while keeping you ahead of the competition. To know more, download the app or visit our website. Start your job search with Remark.