When trying to brush up your resume you can sometimes be tempted to add too much detail, unnecessary information and sometimes just plain old garbage. We are here to help. The following are some things you should not put on your CV.
Career Aspirations
While it is great to come across as ambitious and driven, avoid writing down your career objective in any detail. It shows the company how you are using them as a stepping stone and if it doesn’t match the job description perfectly it is a reason to cut our resume from the pile. Consider yourself as open to any opportunities but heading in a certain direction. For example, don’t say you want to be a data scientist for a multinational corporation, instead, say you hope to work in a senior position that involves data.
Soft skills
Soft skills are arguably more important than hard skills in finding a new job, but there is a better time and place to discuss them. With hard skills, you can bullet point them and they will be easily understood. If you do this with soft skills it comes across as vague. To properly show soft skills you need to be able back it up with hard examples. This is why it works best in the interview or the cover letter.
Photo or home address
While you may feel like you are being open, it is too much information and not required. In fact, it can lead to discrimination. Instead, link your LinkedIn account which will have a professional photo already.
References
The most common mistake is to still list references or write the sentence “references available upon request.” That day and age is over. Today everyone knows you have references so just let them ask for them. Generally, a good rule is to avoid putting down information that is obvious to the reader.
