Another major resume mistake you could be making

October 1, 10:08 AMSF Job Search ExaminerMegan Pittsley

Due to the overwhelming response to my previous article "The biggest resume mistake you could be making",
I've decided to fill you all in on another extremely common and
critical issue that many job seekers (at all career levels) are having
with their resumes.

 It's
called information overload or TOO MUCH INFORMATION! (You've heard the
term, ‘TMI' maybe?) This is one of the most common issues I've seen
from the 50-80 resumes I redo each month. ‘Resume TMI' portrays an
image of a long-winded, old fogey job seeker who is perhaps a bit
self-important or just completely doesn't get the way the world works
today. Don't let people make that poor assumption of you! Resume ‘TMI' manifests itself in a variety of ways....  

1.)    Your Resume Length is Too Long
One to two pages maximum
please! Unless you're in academia or science and absolutely require a
CV, it's likely that you should probably skip the 3-page or more
resume, or at least save it for presentation during an interview. Keep
it short and sweet to get interest and stay within the expected
boundaries of recruiters and the other poor folks sorting through
thousands of resumes these days. I hate to be the one to break it to
you, but you're not that great that any recruiter will
be on the edge of their seat to read your 3 or 4 page resume. Not going
to happen. You're not an exception. Sorry.  

2.)    Your Experience Goes Back Too Far
So
you've heard about the staggering increase in age discrimination within
the hiring process, yet you have your work history going back to the
70's or 80's on your resume still? Maybe you even list your college
graduation dates that are older than your children? You might want to
rethink that!  In a flooded job market and an economy like todays, companies are seeking high-performers with recent knowledge
and experience, and likely aren't going to settle for less. So take off
the college graduation dates. And within your experience section, focus
on maximizing and highlighting the last 10-15 years of experience you
have and cut off the older stuff. It's only weighing you (and your
resume) down.  

3.)    Your Job Descriptions are Too Long
No
one needs to know the ins and outs of every movement you made within
that position every single day for your entire career there. Keep it to
a few sentences summarizing your general responsibilities, and a
handful of bulleted accomplishments. Weave important keywords
throughout, but don't go too overboard.  

4.)    You Have Too Much Personal Info Included
I
can't tell you how many people STILL have religious, political, and
demographic information listed on their resume. It's still a no-no,
people! Another thing to be careful with is activities. No one cares
that you like fishing, unless you're applying at a company that
involves fishing products. Even then, why waste valuable resume real
estate space when you can mention it within your cover letter if it's
relative?  

Warning:
Other side effects of "Resume TMI" include tiny font size,
insignificant page borders, and overall lack of employer interest and
response. So, cut to the chase already people. No one wants your
complete life story. Give them a focused, achievement-based taste of
what you can do for your next employer and get them to want to call you
to ask for more information!

For more info on resumes check out: "The biggest resume mistake you could be making"