Resumes & cover letters: Resume mistakes: 5 things to leave out

1. Anything negative

   Even if a previous position was unpleasant and you had a difficult manager, you should never badmouth employers on your resume (or in a job interview!) as it just paints you in a negative light. Remember, this is a document marketing you and your skills, so keep it positive. If you need to share why your last boss won’t be providing a reference, you can do so in person if you get further along in the interview process.

2. Irrelevant job experience

   Be discerning about what job experience to include. Depending on what stage your career is at, some early work experience may be unnecessary to list, and may distract from your more pertinent employment history. Promoting yourself and your experience in the best possible light means making your CV clear, concise and relatively current.

3. A bad photo</strong
   

   Depending on your industry and location, you may elect to add a photo to your resume, but if you do, make sure that it is a great one. It should be high-resolution, professional-looking and current: grainy scanned images from your last holiday won’t make the right impression. You may even wish to invest in a professionally taken head-shot. You should also use this photo on your LinkedIn and other social media profiles, so you have a consistent online image.

4. Your current work email address

   Create a new, professional sounding email address while you’re job hunting. This works much better than listing your current company address, which could raise issues if anyone within your company sees emails about interviews and job offers. You can even purchase a domain name that’s your actual name, which also solidifies your personal brand.

5. Career objectives

   objectives are frequently unnecessary, since they are usually indicated by the fact that you’re applying for the job. If you want to add personality to your resume, you may wish to include a brief personal statement, to give a flavour of your interests and passions.

Ready to start writing your resume? We’ve developed a number of resume templates to help you with basic structure and content.