When creating a resume or LinkedIn profile, it can be tempting to include lots of details about your work history, skills, and qualifications. However, there are certain things that should be left off a resume or LinkedIn to ensure you put your best foot forward.
Personal Information
Personal information like your age, gender, race, religion, political affiliation, marital status, and nationality should not be included on a resume or LinkedIn. This information is not relevant to your qualifications and could open you up to potential discrimination.
Age
Your age should never be listed on your resume or LinkedIn. Some people include graduation years for their education, but this will reveal your approximate age. Age discrimination, although illegal, still happens, so don’t provide any info that gives away your age.
Gender
Your gender should be obvious from your name in most cases. Do not include pronouns or gender identifiers on your resume or profile.
Race
Your race or ethnicity has no bearing on your ability to do a job. Leave it off your resume and profile.
Religion
Your religious beliefs are a personal matter and irrelevant for a job application. Exclude any mentions of religious affiliations or volunteer work done through religious organizations.
Political Affiliation
While your political views do not belong on a resume, membership in relevant professional associations is fine. Just avoid mentioning any political parties or causes you may support.
Marital Status
Whether you are single, married, divorced, or have children should not be included on a resume. This information can lead to discrimination.
Nationality
In most cases, your nationality will be assumed based on where you went to school or previously worked. Do not include your nationality unless you are applying for a job that requires that candidates have a specific citizenship status.
Irrelevant Work Experience
Your resume and LinkedIn profile should only highlight work experience that is relevant to the job you are applying for. Including unrelated roles distracts hiring managers from your most pertinent qualifications.
Jobs From High School or College
Once you have over 5 years of professional work experience, you can remove any part-time jobs you held during your high school or college years. The exception would be if you are applying for a similar role in the service industry.
Unrelated Industry Roles
If you are applying for a marketing position, a previous job waiting tables or working retail would be irrelevant. Take off any jobs that do not demonstrate skills or experience for the role you want.
Short-Term Jobs
If you held a position for less than 6 months, it may be worth removing, especially if you have other more substantial roles to showcase. The exception would be contract work, which is understood to be short-term.
References Available Upon Request
It is now standard practice to not include full reference contact info on your resume. Simply state “References available upon request” at the end of your resume, or leave this statement off altogether. You can provide references later during the interview process.
Photos
Unless you are applying for an acting, modeling or television role, do not include a headshot photo on your resume or LinkedIn profile. Photos can lead to bias and discrimination.
Lies or Exaggerations
It may be tempting to embellish or stretch the truth on your resume to make yourself seem more qualified. However, getting caught in a lie will eliminate you from consideration immediately. Always be truthful about your experience, skills and education.
Overstating Previous Experience
If you list experience with skills that you barely used in a previous role, it may become obvious in an interview that you lack expertise. Represent experience accurately.
Invented Accolades or Awards
Forge achievements will be fact-checked and uncovered. Do not claim honors or awards you did not actually earn.
Stretched Education History
Lying about your degrees, certificates, or training programs will disqualify you. Do not claim you have a degree unless you can verify it if asked.
Reasons for Leaving Roles
Avoid listing why you left previous jobs, even if the reasons put you in a positive light. Disparaging past employers or divulging private company information can create legal issues.
Bashing Previous Employers
Speaking negatively about past companies or managers comes across unprofessionally. Take the high road and leave the reasons for your departures vague.
Private Company Details
Sharing confidential corporate information from previous roles puts you at legal risk. Avoid mentioning any proprietary details about former employers.
Salaries
Listing your previous salaries can work against you if they are lower than average. Decline to provide your salary history.
Lengthy Job Descriptions
You want to provide enough details about each of your jobs for context, but avoid going overboard. Keep the duties brief and relevant.
Verbose, Dense Details
Long blocks of text will not get read. Try to summarize each role in 3-5 concise bullet points for the most important responsibilities.
Overly Technical Jargon
While some industry terms are expected, avoid overusing technical acronyms and jargon. Keep language simple enough for any hiring manager to grasp.
Listing Every Responsibility
You do not need to account for every single duty you performed. Pare it down to the most meaningful and impactful ones.
Weak Skills Section
The skills section is your chance to showcase your proficiencies. Make sure it is robust and keyword-optimized to get past digital tracking systems.
Too Short
A short skills section signals to recruiters that you lack specialized abilities. Expand your list to showcase all your technical and soft skills.
Lacking Keywords
Keyword stuff your skills section with industry terms and software names from the job description. This helps boost your application visibility.
Soft Skills Only
While soft skills like communication and teamwork are important, you want to see hard, technical skills too. Include abilities like software, coding languages, tools, etc.
Visual Design Choices
Formatting like colors, images, charts, and text boxes can help make your resume stand out. But some design choices should be avoided to maintain professionalism.
Hard-to-Read Fonts
Fancy script fonts are difficult to parse visually. Choose simple, clean fonts like Arial, Calibri, Cambria, or Times New Roman.
headers
Avoid resume headers that span the whole page with large text. Use simple, smaller headers for each section instead.
Low-Quality Paper
For printed resumes, use high-quality, thick paper and avoid textures like linen. Plain white or ivory paper works best.
Too Many Colors
While highlights of color can help, too many overwhelms the reader. Stick to one or two accent colors in moderation.
Comic Sans
This font immediately signals unprofessionalism. Always choose a simple, easy-to-read sans-serif or serif font.
Lackluster LinkedIn Profile
Your LinkedIn presence is just as important as your resume. But there are common LinkedIn mistakes that can hinder you.
Missing Photo
Adding a professional headshot helps you stand out and build rapport. Your photo humanizes you.
Short or Empty Bio
Flesh out your bio with richer keywords, work history, skills, and achievements. Treat it like your written resume.
Sparse Media
Include relevant photos, videos, slide decks, or other media that highlights your work. Visuals attract attention.
Few Connections
The more connections you have on LinkedIn, the better. Aim to collect at least 500+ connections to expand your reach.
Radio Silence
Regularly post updates, links, Q&As, and other content to demonstrate your thought leadership and expertise.
Conclusion
Crafting a strong resume and LinkedIn profile is all about putting your best foot forward. By avoiding inappropriate, irrelevant, or distracting information, you keep the focus on your top skills and achievements.
Use the checklist below of what not to include on your resume and LinkedIn:
What Not to Put on Resume or LinkedIn |
---|
Age |
Gender |
Race |
Religion |
Political affiliation |
Marital status |
Nationality |
Irrelevant work experience |
“References available upon request” |
Headshot photo |
Lies or exaggerations |
Reasons for leaving roles |
Overly verbose job descriptions |
Weak skills section |
Hard-to-read fonts |
Giant headers |
Low-quality paper (for printed resumes) |
Too many colors |
Comic Sans |
Sparse LinkedIn profile |
By removing these items from your resume and LinkedIn profile, you present a professional image free of distractions from your strongest qualifications. This puts you in the best possible position for your job search and career advancement.