Career Advice

10 Resume Don'ts

In the article How to Write a Resume, we discussed tactics for creating a clean document that showcases your skills and experience effectively. It may go without saying that there are some items that just don't belong on your resume but we'll assume you have no idea what those no-no's could possibly be. The following is a short list of information you should NEVER include on your resume. Not only are some in poor taste, they may cause you to be overlooked. Why? They each can be use to discriminate against you! The EEOC or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces the Federal Antidiscrimination Law that protects you from hiring discrimination. This law prevents employers from using certain information as a basis for hiring or firing employees. Plus, none have any bearing on how well you can or will perform the job. So, don't place yourself at risk.

Physical Characteristics
Avoid including characteristics such as height, weight, hair color or race as a part of your resume.

Family Information
In the U.S. it is not customary to include your date of birth, nationality, marital status or whether you have children as a part of your resume.*

Sexual Orientation
Just as you wouldn't include your marital status, never include your sexual orientation.

Religion
Including your religion or spiritual affiliation or lack-thereof is not customary in the U.S. So unless you are applying for a position that is actually religious in nature, leave it out.

Age
Unfortunately, ageism exists. Passing over a potential employee because of age is illegal. Never include your age on a resume.

Political Affiliation
Unless you are applying for a position in local or state government, including whether you are a Liberal or Republican, Whig or Torrey is a no-no.

Social Security Number
For safety reasons, never include your SSN. If you are required to complete an application or hiring paperwork – you will have an opportunity to include this personal information directly to the company's HR department.

Health Issues
Employers have no legal right you know your health status. Do not include any information regarding your health. The only questions about health an employer can ask legally are job-related health questions such as “How many pounds can you lift?”

Prejudices
Advertising that you have prejudices against certain groups or individuals, races, sexual orientations, nationalities, etc. is not acceptable.

Criminal Histories
Generally the question of criminal record is a matter for HR. It is always good to be transparent about your history however if HR has any sort of policy on criminal record, they'll inquire during the interview process.

There are a number of other items you wouldn't include on a resume, such as lies about your education or job experience, what you disliked about your last job or co-workers, irrelevant work experience and so on. Take some time to re-evaluate your resume and if you find any of these offenders, remove them. To learn more about creating a killer resume that sells your skills, read How to Write a Resume.

We also discuss such job search essentials as 10 Resume Dont's, How to Write a Resume, How to Write a Cover Letter, and Negotiating Salaries as a part of this series brought to you by PCDI.

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