Writing Your Resume: What's Out

You have had a great four years (or more). You were a superstar in high school, prom king, captain of the golf team, National Merit Scholar, and camp counselor of the year. You are a heck of a guy. But it’s time to move past the glory days. Most of this should not go on your resume.

High School – Don’t put the high school you attended, the date you graduated, your GPA, or any other thing that reminds the recruiter that you are old enough to remember who you sat next to in third period Algebra.

Hobbies and activities – Unless you are applying to work at a resort, don’t put down your interest in tennis, your golf handicap or any other non-work related item. Mara Flores of the Millennium Group notes, “No potential employer cares that you can do a marathon and a triathlon in the same weekend.” Well, Nike might, but let's call that an exception.

Clubs – Unless your club relates directly to your job, offers specific related experience, or you have nothing else to offer an employer but your heavy activity load, leave these off. Again, a case can be made for keeping them on if you are competing against other students, as noted above in education.

Religion, gender, height, weight, marital status, familial status, or any other item that is deemed illegal for the recruiter to know. Knowing too much about illegal things makes recruiters nervous. That means that if you were the president of the Campus Crusaders for Christ, you should probably leave it off your resume.

Photos – Don’t include a headshot unless you are applying to be an actor. Note: many foreign countries to require photos with their applications, but they are not appropriate in the United States.

Personal websites – Personal and family websites may seem like a great way to introduce yourself, but most recruiters feel they are tacky. There are very few situations where this might be appropriate. Use personal sites only when you are in a visual business such as web development, architecture, or design. In those cases, sites can be used to provide a portfolio of your work. Make sure the site is up to date, does not share unnecessary personal information and has all the links working.