Being
honest on your resume doesn’t mean having to write a tell-all expose
including the number of times you’ve peed in a public pool. Here are
tips on what you don’t need to have on your resume.
1. Unnecessary Ideological Information
Want to shout out to the world your religious or political views? Maybe
not in your resume. In fact, mentioning either puts the hirer in a tough
spot. Especially if the company is American.
American companies are subject to American labor law [even when
operating outside the US]. They have strict anti-discrimination
policies. So when you bring up such issues, the hiring manager starts to
squirm. Suddenly, interviewing you seems as comfortable as telling gay
jokes on the evening news.
Also, if the hirer interviews and rejects you, are you going to
accuse them of doing it because you’re Catholic, Muslim, or watch
Michael Moore docus? They’re not taking that chance.
Include a strong statement of your beliefs, and the hirer will develop an equally strong aversion to your phone number.
2. Tales of Your Exciting Student Years
If it happened before you were 16, think before putting it on your
resume. It had better be on par with “At 14, I taught myself French with
nothing but a dictionary and a DVD of Vivre Pour Vivre.”
If you’re fresh out of school and never had a job, it’s excusable.
But if you’ve been working more than three years, mentioning your boy
scout merits is just pathetic. The hirer will assume you have no serious
accomplishments, and that your best years ended after winning a smiley
face in the Primary School science fair.
Besides, most hirers gloss over such details. As if they can be bothered calling your old principal to check.
3. How Much Money You Want
A good salesman doesn’t open with the price. You want the hirer to be all psyched up, before you start talking pesos.
If you make it to the interview, you can at least negotiate. But if
you give your quote early, your resume might go straight to the
trashcan.
Try to hold off on salary discussions until you’re asked. If you must
indicate your price, give a range. Most hirers will pick something in
the middle. A better idea is to describe your expected pay without
numbers. You could expect “entry level pay”, for example.
4. Confidential Information From Your Previous Job
Never betray your former employer’s confidence. Don’t mention their trade secrets, inside dealings, or work processes.
Otherwise, under “known conditions” your hirer is going to write “a
big mouth”. Which, as far as they’re concerned, is incurable. This is a
trust issue: Revealing confidential information suggests you lack
integrity. What’s to say that, if they hire you, their multi-million
dollar research won’t end up on Gizmodo’s front page?
Besides, think of the legal ramifications. Do you know what happens
if your former employer finds out? You may as well scrawl “sue me” on
your cover letter.
5. Corporate Speak
It’s great that you improved efficiency in your old workplace. It’s
not so great when you describe it as “re-contextualizing a saturated
praxis”.
If your resume reads like management textbook, maybe you ought to go
write one instead. Because you won’t be getting that job. Hirers get
suspicious of people who use corporate speak; it suggests you’re
pretentious and obscure. At the very least, you might be an ivory tower
graduate.
A bit of corporate jargon is fine, but your resume shouldn’t make the hirer frown and ask: “Are these all real words?”
6. Any Pictures Other Than Your Head Shot
This photo might look good in your Facebook page, but not in your
resume. Actually, you don’t even need a head shot these days. The only
companies that want a lot of pictures are modeling agencies, retail
outlets, and types of businesses I’m not allowed to discuss here.
Including a full body picture of yourself, or a range of pictures, is
tacky. Like you copy-pasted your Facebook page on their screen.
Besides, think of how the hirer feels: If the only six-pack you have is
in your fridge, it’s merely embarrassing. If you’re certifiably hot,
they’ll be accused of hiring you for your appearance. That’s not a spot
you want to place anyone in.
Save the pictures for when they’re requested (and keep them professional).
To response : '3. How Much Money You Want"
ReplyDeleteI would first ask, how much job is offering or what is the salary range for ------post.
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