5 Things Not to Include in Your Resume

5 Things Not to Include in Your Resume5 Things Not to Include in Your ResumeYour resume is typically the first impression a potential employer has of you, and usually the basis by which they make the decision to offer you an interview.It can be tempting to put as much information as possible in your resume, but there are some things that are better left for the interview.Giving out too much information in your resume can distract from the important information, overwhelm the reader, and even increase the chance the reader will find something that raises a red flag for them.Here are five things you should leave off of your resumeHobbies and interestsYour hobbies and interests are excellent bits of information to share during your interview, or even after starting the new job. However, theyre not necessary on a resume.Chances are, your affinity for model rocketry or collecting schattenkrieger Turtle action figures will not help you land a job. That is, unless you happen to be applying for a job selling model rockets and Ninja Turtle action figures.Your non-professional hobbies and interests can be helpful during the interview. Its common for interviewers to ask the interviewee for something about them they wont find on their resume. This is where this information can absolutely come in handy, as long as your hobbies and interests arent a detriment to your chances at landing a job.Unrelated jobsYou might be tempted to list every job youve had since you were in high school. Dont do this, especially if you are applying for a position that isnt related to prior roles.You are submitting your resume because you believe that you are qualified for a specific position. Lets say youre applying for a job as a Web developer.The first question you should ask yourself before listing previous employment is, Which jobs have I had that would demonstrate my qualifications for this position?Once youve done away with the unrelated jobs, you should further narrow down the list to inc lude recent employment. A typical guideline is to include roles from the most recent 10 years.This rule doesnt count if you are new to the job market and have only worked at one or two distributions-mixs. In this case, feel free to list them all.Try as hard as you can to keep your resume down to a single page. Your employment history is likely the single largest part of your resume.Soft skills without contextEven the most sought-after soft skills are meaningless to employers if you simply list them alongside hard skills, such asproficiency in Photoshop or JavaScript programming expertise.They are great skills to have, and you should relay ansicht qualities in your resume, but doing so directly by listing them among hard skills can take away from your experience. A few examples of soft skillsEffective communicatorDependableDetail-orientedHigh-energyOrganizedConvey soft skills in your resume by framing them with specifics. Organization, for example, can be implied when you list your r eorganization of the companys database to improve efficiency in your work experience.Make a list of your soft skills and, instead of putting the list on your resume, ask yourself what you have done to demonstrate that you possess these skills. List those accomplishments instead. An optimal resume features concrete accomplishments, not just a list of job duties.Soft skills are different from hard skills because they generally cant be taught. A resume is a great place to share what youve done and what you know, but what you are is something that is best established during the interview.Personal informationThere are many anti-discrimination laws on the books that employers must abide by. In most places in the United States, an employer cant discriminate against you based on your age, race, sex or gender, political affiliation, religion, marital status, or whether or not you have children.By listing this information on your resume, you open yourself up to discrimination (even subconscio usly) by the employer.Personal information that can be used for identity theft should also be left off. If you get the job, you will undoubtedly be given a mountain of paperwork to write your Social Security number on. Your resume is not the place for it.Here are some personal details that should be on a resumeNamePhone numberCity and stateWebsite URLLinkedIn profile URLObjective or summaryThere was a time when writing a resume objective was all the rage in the employment world. It gave you the opportunity to express what you wanted to get out of your next job, and where you wanted to go in your career.However, those days are behind us.Space on your resume is precious, so dont fill it up with this. Instead, cover letters are a great opportunity to express your desire to work for a particular team.If you have limited job experience, and your resume seems a bit bare, adding an objective can be tempting.There are other ways to make your resume seem more complete. For example, a profile which gives at-a-glance information about you as a professional is a great modern replacement for an objective.Profiles take advantage of the fact that most hiring managers spend only a few seconds looking at a resume before deciding whether or not to read it in its entirety.A profile includes a list of skills and keywords which make your case for being the right fit for the job. Additionally, a profile can makeyour resume more likely to get past an applicant tracking system (ATS).An ATS is a software application used by employers to filter through resumes and find candidates. Keyword frequency and relevance are both critical to getting past an ATS. To see whether your resume keyword usage is targeted well, try Jobscans resume analysis tool.Your resume is a snapshot of you as a professional. It has to be compelling, yet concise. At the end of the day, what makes an optimal resume can come down to what you choose to leave off of it.

3 Job Search Strategies to Prioritize in 2017

3 Job Search Strategies to Prioritize in 20173 Job Search Strategies to Prioritize in 2017A new study from Hired disdeckblatted that many people find looking for work to be more stressful than getting a root canal. With this eye-opening fact in mind, its smart to abflug the year off right as a job candidate by knowing some key job search strategies to help you find a job in 2017.Here are threekey jobsearchstrategies foryouto employ in 20171. Ditch boilerplate job applications.If you want to stand out from the crowd in your online job search, its important to prep your materials properly. Gone are the days when you could send out the same cover letter and resume to multiple employers, changing only the recipients name at the top.Since recruiters and hiring managers are flooded with more applications than ever online, its important to customize every application you send.That means taking the time to thoroughly review the job requirements and desired skills, and then translating the em ployers needs into how you position your resume, cover letter, and any other materials and communications that you send to the company.2. Check for flex options. has found that around 80percentofemployers offer some type of flexible work arrangements. And since weve also found that about 82 percent of millennial workers care about workplace flexibility when evaluating potential jobs, its important to find out how your potential employer handles this issue when youre considering a new position.While you dont want to ask too soon about benefits including flexibility, once you have an offer on the table, its fair game to find out what you can.3. Understand how to avoid the resume black hole. Many job seekers have experienced the disappointment of submitting their job search materials online, only to have them disappear into a seeming void. Research has shown that nearly two-thirds of employers dont bother to notify candidates when they are no longer being considered for a particular jo b.To have a better chance of avoiding the job search black hole, remember to include keywords that are relevant to your title and industry in any online applications. You should also closely follow the formatting instructions when submitting your resume through an applicant tracking ordnungsprinzip (ATS), which is the system that most companies use for accepting Internet-based applications.Dont upload any materials until youve verified the exact requirements, or else the online system may not be able to properly register them.It can be challenging in a competitive job market to stick it out until you find work that you want. But knowing and using these top three current job search strategies can help break the logjam and get you noticed by employers.Starting Searching for a Flexible JobReaders, what job searchstrategies are you going to focus your efforts on in 2017? Share your plans below

Onboarding a new employee Follow these 11 effective strategies

Onboarding a new employee Follow these 11 effective strategiesOnboarding a new employee Follow these 11 effective strategiesThe Forbes Coaches Councilhas a new article on what to do to create great employee experiences in onboarding. 11 top tips from 11 Forbes council members, including our own CEO, Kristy McCann.Onboarding new hires is a crucial- and sometimes regularly repeated- process for businesses.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreNot having a concrete training plan in place can cause anxiety and confusion for both the incoming employees and those tasked with training them.You not only need to be sure you dont overwhelm new gruppe members in their first days, but also that you give them all the information they need- including the small, everyday details that can sometimes be taken for granted.If you want your new team members to receive the best grounding for their roles, b ut you dont want to sidetrack seasoned employees with complicated and repetitive training stints, you need to develop effective and efficient onboarding processes.According to members ofForbes Coaches Council, here are some aspects of your business that must be covered by a good training program, as well as strategies you can use to effectively and efficiently onboard your new team members.The 11 tips for better employee experience in onboarding, provided by the Forbes Coaches CouncilThe 11 tips for better employee experience in onboarding, provided by the Forbes Coaches CouncilCover The Cultural Aspect, TooPut Their Role In The Context Of The Big PictureTreat Your New Employee Like A CustomerHave Multiple Employees Serve As Resources For The New HireShare Expectations Honestly, Openly And DirectlyBe Clear And Consistent In Your Steps And ProcessesExpose New Hires To Every DepartmentGive Them A Safe Space To Ask QuestionsAccommodate Different Learning StylesAssign Them A BuddyShare The Load And Take Your Time 3. Treat Your New Employee Like A Customer- Customers dont show up for long orientations or a coffee mug. They show up to invest in you- KRISTY MCCANNThis article first appeared on Go Coach.