Concerned about making Resume Faux Pas? Although some resume tips and rules may stay valid over the years, here are a few that are actually ok to break.
Writing in First Person
Everyone knows the resume belongs to you. Go ahead and write in first person if you prefer.
Tailoring Your Education
Although you can’t falsify your education, there is nothing wrong with not including certain aspects of your education You do not need to include every degree you have; if you have an advanced degree, it may make sense to not include it. You also don’t need to include your major if it isn’t in the field you’re currently in. Lastly, you don’t need to include the year of your degree as it could cause you to be discriminated against.
Including Your Photo
Although it’s still not widely used, it’s becoming okay in some industries to include a photo on your resume. If you want to include an artistic photo of yourself for a graphic design role, that’s up to you.
Using Color
Color has been a major Faux Pas in resumes of the past. Now, for a wide variety of creative roles, colors are perfectly acceptable. However, make sure that printed copies are still legible and bring in a color version for any interviews.
Not Including an Address or Including a Second Address
Not including address used to be a Faux Pas. However, if you’re looking to move to a specific city, it’s ok to leave it off and note your upcoming move.
Industry Jargon
Although some resume tips may tell you to cut out the industry jargon, this is not good advice for IT professionals. Instead, you should include key terms and skills in your job descriptions, not just in a static skill list.
Scrapping the Objective
But how will they know your career objective if you cut that section out? Well, you did apply for their job so you’re already showing them your objective is to get that job. It’s much better to take out the objective and not have to worry about changing it for every job you apply to. I have yet to see a really awesome objective, instead, most are so generic or very confusing they are a detractor.
Having More than One Page
We’ve all heard that it’s a major Resume Faux Pas to go over one page. Don’t fall for this, if your resume needs to expand to multiple pages, it’s perfectly acceptable, especially in certain industries like Technology.
What are some of your resume tips?
