Five Things You Should Never Include In Your Resume

Writing a resume would seem pretty straightforward: Who you are, what school you went to, what you’ve done. Still, there are certain details that would seem like a bed in the living room if they appeared in your resume. Here is a quick list to distinguish the clothes cabinets from the couches.

1. Your resume is your marketing tool, and just like any other tool, it can function without the word “Tool” inscribed on it. Your potential employers know that it is a resume. You don’t have to put the word “Resume” on top. Would you want your F-150 with “This is a truck” painted on its doors? I thought so.

2. Avoid including information that is too personal. Details such as your date of birth, marital status, religious or political affiliation, race or ethnic group, and number of children are better left out. Putting your Social Security number is also a bad idea, while your vital statistics–including your height, weight, and health information–are not too vital when applying for that management job. The bottom line is, whether or not discrimination still exists, those just don’t belong in your resume. Further, unless you’re applying for a modeling, movie or TV gig, your resume should not include your picture. In fact, even in those cases, it would be better to put your photos in a separate portfolio.

3. While it might be interesting to know that you’ve once caught a White Sturgeon while on vacation or that you can play Flight of the Bumblebee in your spare time, don’t let your hobbies occupy the precious real estate that your resume is. They’re better suited for small talk during the interview

4. Salary information is another thing that is best discussed during or after the job interview. This includes your previous and preferred salary. Instead of placing salary information on your resume, you can talk about it in person, where you can use it as a bargaining chip. By the way, detailing in your resume why you quit your previous jobs is also a no-no.

5. It is no longer required to insert the address and phone numbers of your references in your resume. However, neither is there a need to put “References available upon request” at the bottom. It’s taken for granted that you will provide your references if and when the hiring manager asks for them. You may, however, want to print your references on a separate sheet of paper, so that you can easily hand it out when asked.

In the end, the clincher in determining what to put in resumes can be summed up in one word: relevance.