Ditch these outdated details to streamline your resume
When you think about improving your resume, your first thought might be to add to it: more experience, more skills, more words. But sometimes, removing things can be just as effective. The best resumes are succinct, easy to read, and quickly show employers why you’re the best candidate for their job.
We polled our team of career advisors – here are the top things you should be taking off your resume.
Can you spot the mistakes in this person’s resume template?
- Your high school diploma. Once you’re in college, only list your completed or in-progress college degrees in the education section of your resume.
- Dual columns. Stick to a simple resume format. If the employer is using automated job application software known as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to process your resume, the ATS might fail to properly scan a two-column resume, and your resume could get rejected because the ATS couldn’t read it! See our library of sample resumes for examples of good one-column resume formats, or use the VMock resume tool for pre-formatted templates.
- Your physical address. These days, most recruiting communication is done by phone or email and a mailing address is not needed. Include just a city and state instead.
- A quirky email address. Your email address should be simple, professional, and easy to associate with your name (not a nickname, hobby or online handle). Your OSU email address is a good choice until after graduation. If you’re about to graduate, make sure you plan ahead and create a personal, professional email address.
- References. If an employer wants references, they’ll ask for them separately; don’t make your resume longer by listing them. The exception to this rule is a federal or government resume, when references must be included.
- Personal information. In some countries, it is common to include personal details like sex, gender, age, marital status or religion on a resume – leave those off when applying for jobs in the U.S.
- An objective statement. Including a statement about the kind of job you’re looking for is no longer a common resume practice. You can leave this off or replace it with a Professional Summary section. If you do include this, let the job description guide you. Keep your summary short (2-3 sentences) and tailor it to the job you are applying for. Use this space to showcase how your unique combination of skills and experiences makes you the best candidate for this particular job.
- Stumped? Try taking some of your relevant resume bullets along with the job description, and prompting an AI tool to help you draft a summary statement, then edit the best version it produces yourself. Remember: never upload personally identifying information like your full resume to ChatGPT or other AI tools.
- See AI prompting tips to help in your job search.
- Photos. Keep the focus on your qualifications; including a photo of yourself on your resume is unnecessary. Automated job application software may also mistakenly reject resumes that include elements like graphics or images.
Need resume help? Make an appointment, get instant resume feedback with OSU’s VMock online resume tool, or explore our resume and CV resources online.
