No matter if you are applying for a job or submitting your application to a foreign university, a good resume is all you need. A good resume can make or break the deal for you. But what is a resume? A resume talks elaboratively about your education history, skills, and work experience. However, the real question is how to build a good resume? Or, more importantly, what not to include in a resume?
Any good resume will immediately take you through relevant details of the person. When we say relevant details it does not only mean relevant to the resume-holder but to the person going through it i.e., HR managers for instance. Thus, knowing what not to include in a resume is really very important.
Drawing from the relevancy notion let us understand more about what could be relevant for your resume. You do not need to put every minute detail about yourself. More importantly, you need to put in only those details which revolve around the job position you are applying for.
Avoid writing long paragraphs
When someone from the company goes through your details they simply wish to see crucial factors. They are not interested in long paragraphs with descriptions of exactly how you did what. Hiring managers are more concerned about what you were able to do and not how you did it. Thus, instead of making them feel lost, help them scan your resume easily and more efficiently.
Do not forget to add value to your job descriptions
It is great that you have experience of working in diverse situations and whatnot. However, you need to put across what value those job descriptions added to your life. Or, how any particular job has added skills to your arsenal. Thus, the more you personalize
Avoiding personal details
Resumes are not personal scrapbooks. Avoid giving personal details in your resume because it’s not necessary at all. Your name, email address, phone number, and Linkedin account details are enough to fill the contact details section. You don’t need to mention your home address, place of birth, nationality, or political beliefs.
Do not attach your photograph
To begin with, pasting a picture of yourself in your resume will do you no good. Nobody will want to give you admission to a prestigious college just by looking at your photograph. Thus, refrain from putting a photograph up in your resume.
Read Resume Writing – All You Need To Know!
Now shifting our focus from what not to include in a resume, let’s discuss what are the things you need to be careful of while writing your resume.
Formatting your resume
There is nothing worse than a clumsy and untidy resume. Thus it becomes absolutely essential for a candidate to format their resume properly. Since the main goal is to grab the attention of the person viewing your resume, you must format your resume to serve this purpose. Give enough space between two sections so that your resume looks tidy. Select a professional font style like Times New Roman or Arial or Calibri in the font size 11 or 12.
Proofreading your resume
Do you want your interviewer to find spelling and grammatical errors in your resume? If not, then proofreading your resume is the only way to make a pitch-perfect resume. Keep re-reading and re-checking your resume again and again to eliminate any slight spelling errors or grammatical mistakes.