What To Remove From Your Resume In 2017

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1. Too Much Detail About Your College Years

If you’re not a recent graduate, the section about your education belongs towards the end of your resume rather than at the top. But being at the bottom of the page doesn’t grant you a license to stuff that section full of extraneous detail.

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While some experts say there are no hard rules when it comes to providing educational history, as a hiring manager I always wondered why someone a decade out of school was still reporting college club memberships on their resume. Of course, if you graduated with academic distinction or were the class Valedictorian, it’s fine to proudly note this, but a GPA from the last decade just doesn’t matter that much anymore.

Moreover, adding outdated details -- such as specific coursework you had, the subject you minored in and your extracurricular activities -- can make you look like you aren’t living in the results-oriented present.

2. Languages You Speak (Even Fluently)

You may be (rightly) very proud that you took an immersion course in Spanish while you volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, but that doesn’t mean there’s a place for this on your resume. Unless you are working or applying to work in a position where this language is actually necessary or useful, it’s a waste of space for something that you can put on your LinkedIn profile or your personal website.

An interview is the time to signal that you’re an interesting, multi-faceted person, so don’t feel like you need to cram in that detail into your resume. Instead, save some more resume space for describing your recent career accomplishments.

3. Fellowships, Internships and Prizes (With a Few Exceptions)

Again, less is more. If your accomplishments are (a) relevant to the positions you’ll be applying to, and (b) widely recognized, then by all means add them to your resume. But if you weren’t recently a White House fellow and didn’t win a prestigious award in your field of scientific research, ask yourself whether the accolade is something that really improves your resume. Remove anything that risks being a bunch of words someone will skim over without really understanding.

4. References and Personal Names

Experts generally have mixed views about name-dropping during the interview process, but it’s a practice that doesn’t generally belong on your resume. Unless you are the personal assistant or Chief of Staff to a celebrity personality or you work directly for a world-famous business executive, name-dropping on your resume can be off-putting.

If someone is interested in your references by name, they will ask for them at some point during the recruiting process. You also don’t need to write “References available upon request” since that’s a line that states the obvious and takes up valuable real estate for the accomplishments you really want to highlight on your resume!

Having a world-renowned mentor or well-known industry supporter is fantastic, and you should ask them for their help in getting your resume into the right hands and for help landing meetings with the right people. This is much more useful and practical than name-dropping on your actual resume.

5. Any Dates or Years That Could Create Ageist Assumptions

While you don’t have to assume the worst of people, you also don’t have to give them more information than they need when it comes to your age. Some experts even go as far as to suggest youpost more youthful-looking images of yourself on social media profile pages if you are worried about age discrimination.

Sticking to just your resume, however, it is wise to come to terms with the fact that decades of experience is not necessarily an asset. Remove years and dates if you think they may hurt your chances of getting a position that doesn’t require as much experience as you have. Some hiring managers make assumptions about the salary requirements someone with extensive experience may have. Moreover, in certain fields (e.g. social media marketing analytics), experience is only relevant if it is recent.

Trim the fat when you update your resume in the new year, and it’ll be a lot easier to make sure you’re highlighting all the latest and greatest accomplishments that matter to your job applications!

Georgene Huang is CEO and co-founder ofFairygodboss, a career and job community for women, by women.

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