There is so much conflicting information out on the Internet as to what you should or should not include on your resume. Well, let’s talk about some of the things you should not attempt to include on your resume.
• Telling too much can be detrimental. For instance – your birth date, religion, race or sexual orientation. It is against the law to discriminate based upon race, age, sex or religion anyhow so why bother?
• Never put anything negative about a previous company or colleagues – no matter what the circumstances.
• Irrelevant job experience: if you are applying for a healthcare position, the employer doesn’t care that you worked as a dishwasher when you were 16!
• Speaking of that – do not include EVERY job – only include the most recent experiences.
• Never, ever include your social security number, driver’s license number or any other form of identification.
• Education that is not verifiable or just simply is not true. Job seekers are afraid they won’t get a first look without it. Maybe but it’s even worse if you lie about it.
• Unless your resume is for a modeling position – you shouldn’t include a photo or any other description of your physical attributes.
• Never include anything about health issues or about health issues with family members.
• Do not include relational status – especially an item such as being a single parent.
• Do include any criminal activity.
• Don’t try to fudge the dates on your work experience. Companies may not be able to find out what kind of a worker you were at your last job, but they can determine that you were an employee at the company and can verify the date you were hired and your last work date.
• Do not include a GPA for your schooling. If the job posting requests that tidbit, you can include it on your cover letter.
• Do not include skills that you do not have! Just like with fibbing about education, if you tell them you have skills that you don’t have – you are going to get caught!
• Do not try to pad your resume with tasks that you have not completed. For example, if you have never worked as a manager, don’t try to add a task indicating that you have!
You have to know that with the advent of social networking, companies can find out so much about you without ever meeting you. And so and so always has a colleague who knows someone you have worked for. Just write a straightforward factual resume and you will do fine!
By: Nancy Anderson, Staff Writer
As fas as criminal activity is concerned, i've always been told, and makes sense to me, is not include anything unless the application specifically asks for it, and they're not allowed to unless it relates specifically to the job. And it is also illegal to outright ask if you have ever been incarcerated. Those last two aren't just from what I heard. But feel free to check it out on your own. Other things that are illegal are your age, marital status, parental status, health status, GPA
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