What should and shouldnt be on a resume

Your resume is your first opportunity to present yourself to an employer as a professional, so you better have a professional email address. One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your resume is not getting it reviewed when you're done writing it. Need some help? G et a free resume evaluation today from the experts at Monster's Resume Writing Service. You'll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review of your resume's appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiter's first impression.

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By continuing, you agree to Monster's privacy policy , terms of use and use of cookies. Search Career Advice. What you should never put on your resume A well-written resume can turn you into a contender for a job. Avoid any confusion by streamlining your contact information. Include one — and only one — phone number on your resume. I suggest listing the number for your mobile phone so you can control the voice message, who answers each call, and when.

Do not include on your resume social media accounts that host unprofessional content, do not support your current job goals, and are not regularly updated. If you're going to include the URL to a social media account on your resume, make sure it reflects your personal brand and serves to demonstrate why you're qualified for the job.

In addition, create at least one professional online profile on sites like LinkedIn or GitHub depending on your line of work and include the link at the top of your resume. If you work in a creative field, consider creating an online portfolio or blog that has a mobile-responsive design so employers can access your site from any device. There's no need to include personal information on a resume such as your social security number, marital status, nationality, sexual orientation, or spiritual beliefs.

In fact, it is illegal for employers to ask for these personal details. If you're unsure whether to include a detail about yourself on your resume, consider if the information is relevant to the job you're targeting. If it doesn't demonstrate your qualifications for the role, it doesn't belong on your resume.

Unless you're a TV celebrity or your career requires a professional headshot, there is no reason why your resume should include a picture of you. Your photo will likely reveal your nationality, gender, or age — among other factors — that could inadvertently lead to discrimination. There's no need to provide an employer with those details until they've considered your application based solely on your qualifications.

In fact, some recruiters have been known to automatically dismiss a candidate whose application includes a headshot because they don't want to be accused of discrimination. Also, some recruiters see candidates who include headshots as egocentric at best and lacking sound judgment skills at worst. While it's important to include in your resume relevant keywords from the job descriptions that interest you, it's not a good idea to stuff your resume full of fluffy buzzwords. Make sure you incorporate keywords in a way that sounds natural when you read your resume out loud.

If you deliberately stuff keywords into your resume or use a bunch of annoying buzzwords, it will be painfully obvious to the recruiter — not to mention a big turnoff.

Instead, write your resume in what is known as the absent first person, where all pronouns are dropped from the sentences. When it comes to selecting a design for your resume, less is more. Not only do elaborate designs and unconventional formats confuse most applicant tracking systems, but they also annoy recruiters who are accustomed to quickly scanning a resume for specific information they expect to find in particular spots within the document.

Don't make recruiters hunt for the information they care about. Play it safe and stick to a clean resume design with a clear hierarchy. While these design elements may look nice to the human eye, resumes with embedded images become a garbled mess, or get completely omitted from your application, after they pass through ATS.

In addition, recruiters don't want to see a pictorial — and rather subjective — representation of your skills like the second resume I review in this video. Save your creativity for your online portfolio and don't include images in your resume. However, with a little effort, you can easily avoid this resume deal-breaker.

Print your resume out in a different font, read it aloud, and ask someone with impeccable writing skills to edit your resume for grammar.

Related: 5 Ways to Proofread Your Resume. If you're new to the workforce, it's time to remove all references of high school from your resume. Another important order of business is to decide whether you want your CV to be chronological or functional.

And remember, achievements are more important than responsibilities, so if you have to pick one to cram onto your CV when discussing a certain bit of research you were a part of, go with the flashy success marker as opposed to the tired job description. Keep your formatting in check, as well. That means 12 point font—and no weird fonts—as well as standard one-inch margins.

Also, be sure to include headers and bullet lists for sake of readability and the illusion of brevity. So pay close attention to what not to do.

No goofy email addresses, no typos or grammar issues, and no formatting faux pas.