- Your high school education, unless you are applying for your first job after high school. Generally, employers only look at—and care about—your post-secondary education.
- Badly outdated skills. No businesses are currently using WordStar or mimeograph machines.
- Skills you do not have. If your German is not fluent, then say that it is “conversational German” or “basic German.” Do not lie and do not exaggerate.
- Your religious affiliation, sexual orientation, or political party, unless you are applying for a position where that information might be important—for example, secretary for a church or campaign manager for a politician.
- Personal information that employers are legally not supposed to ask you about, such as your marital status, number of children, race, religion, and health. If you will need accommodation for a disability, you can bring that up when it seems appropriate. If you absolutely cannot fulfill the duties of the position (“must lift 50 pounds” or “driver’s license required”), then you should not apply.
- A personal email that sounds too personal, such as greatdude@aol.com. The contact information that you include should be professional.
- Your references. While references may be crucial later on, you should wait until the company asks for them. You do not want your references bothered over every potential position, only the ones where you are an actual candidate.
- Overlong explanations about a job loss or gap in employment. Most job losses do not need to be explained at all. You should be honest about gaps, but a short sentence is enough (“Moved to Los Angeles to care for a relative”).
It can be difficult to sift through content to know what is and what is not important. At Robin’s Resumes®, we know what to include and what to delete. Let us help you choose relevant information for a comprehensive application.