It’s easy to apply to jobs in droves online, but if you don’t have a solid resume, you’re not making the most of your efforts.
A specific detail is cause for instant rejection, says Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at Resume Builder.
“If I see a picture, it’s unclear,” says Haller, who has more than 30 years of experience in staffing and recruiting.
Including a headshot on your resume invites ageism and snap judgments based on appearance, she says, and shows that “that person is out of touch with the way we do things today.”
Recruiters are critical of anything that feels dated, says Haller, and certain details can add bias to the hiring process. Here are other details that should be left off your resume, according to Haller:
- An objective: Including an objective on a resume is a waste of space when recruiters are looking at your document for roughly 6 seconds or less, says Haller. The purpose of your CV should be clear – to provide your qualifications for a stated job – so you can save this point for a cover letter.
- A street address: Including your specific home address and ZIP code can lead to discrimination if there are socioeconomic differences by neighborhood, Haller says. Plus, if you don’t live where the business is based, a hiring manager may deprioritize you as a candidate knowing you’ll need to relocate. Instead, just include your city and state. And if you’re open to remote roles, you might notice that in your location as well, Haller adds.
- An AOL email address: It’s been years since the AOL email domain fell out of favor, so using it can make it look like you’re not up to date with technology. Instead, opt for a free Gmail account, says Haller.
How to format your CV
Another CV tip: The simpler the better.
Don’t add creativity if it comes at the cost of readability, says Haller. Keep your text in one column with clear sections and short bullet points, which is better for both human readers and teams using AI readers.
Recent graduates with no professional experience in their field can lead with their education section at the helm.
After you’ve been in the field for a year or two, put your professional experience section first, in reverse chronological order of your jobs. Then each section should list your accomplishments and accomplishments in order of what’s most relevant to the job you’re applying for.
Keep a separate skills section to list all the technical skills and certifications you have under your belt—again, it can be valuable to rank them by what’s most critical in the new role you’re up for.
Stick to a one-page resume if you’re early in your career in your 20s, Haller says, adding that one to two pages will work for most people throughout their careers.
Employees with more than 20 years of experience can stick to listing their job highlights from the last decade, says Haller. “No one is hiring someone for what they did 20 years ago. It can be part of your history and there without dates, and for CEOs it can be important,” but generally, you can edit them some of these choices.
C-suite executives, meanwhile, can stretch their resumes to three or four pages.
How to tailor your CV for any job
Finally, hiring experts often recommend tailoring your resume to each job you apply for. Haller agrees, but with a caveat: “Everyone should have a good, basic, compelling resume that you use 90% of the time,” she says. For the other 10%, you can rearrange the highlights of your experience to suit the needs of the role you’re applying for.
It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, says Haller.
Every job seeker should have “a compelling personal template that you need to fine-tune,” she says, “but it doesn’t take too much fine-tuning.”
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