5 things not to include in your resume

Applying for jobs with few interview prospects? Landing that next interview could be as simple as giving your resume a makeover.

Your resume represents your professional identity before you’ve even had the chance to shake hands with a potential employer, so it’s important to perfect its style for killer first impressions.

Now is the time to give your resume the spring clean it’s been yearning for. Begin by stripping it of the following:

1. Outdated fonts and large typefaces. Whether you’re design savvy or not, people respond best to easy-to-read fonts that are a good size when held a metre from eyesight. Choose a standard, sans-serif font such as Arial over outdated serif fonts such as Times New Roman for a clean and sleek look and feel.  
    
2. A list of all your previous roles and responsibilities. While you may have been the fastest server behind the candy bar at the movie cinema you worked for at high school, if you don’t plan on pursuing a career in a related field, it’s best to clean up that clutter. 
    
3. Your salary expectation. Including a salary expectation or any dollar sign on your resume is likely to give off the wrong message. A resume is intended to showcase your professional experience and skills. Salary will come later in the interview process or as part of your SEEK profile.
    
4. More than 2-3 pages. Employers looking to fill a role often have to sift through mountains of applications before narrowing it down to several interview-worthy candidates. This process usually leaves very little time to read more than two pages of one resume. The goal is to crunch and consolidate your very best information into a 2-3 page snapshot.
    
5. Typos. For those with poor attention to detail, incorrect spelling or grammar can be the one thing holding you back from securing an interview. If the written word is not your forte, send your resume off to a trusted friend or family member to look over and scan for typos.