Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid

By Anna Chisholm

ABC Lifestyle

Topic: Career Advice

Experts say there is information that should be included and omitted when putting a resume together.

When it comes to resumes, it's not just about what to put in. What you leave out is also important.

Here's what three experts recommend you leave off your resume for the best chance of securing an interview or landing a role.

What not to include in a resume?

There's consensus between our three experts on whether to include a picture in a resume.

Their advice? Don't do it. Don't include a picture.

Natasha Hawker, the managing director of a human resources and recruitment service, says there are countries where it's considered mandatory, but in Australia, recruitment agencies will often remove them.

Natasha Hawker says clarity should be your first priority when writing and formatting a CV.

Often those photos are not professional and believe me we've had all sorts.

Pictures, tables and graphs also make a resume harder for AI systems and recruiters to read, Ms Hawker says.

Similarly, Jon Gorgioski, the director of a resume consultancy practice, says photos and graphics don't generally belong on a resume.

And he says attaching other documents — such as university transcripts, reference letters and certificates — to your resume document is also unnecessary unless they are requested.

Anything that creates distraction, privacy concerns, any bias or confusion probably doesn't belong on a resume.

This includes date of birth, marital status and full home address, Mr Gorgioski says.

Ms Hawker also says not to include the details of your referees and write 'referees available upon request' instead.

I am a referee for so many people [and] I do not want unsolicited phone calls when I'm not prepared for them.

Career coach Annique Teycheney agrees, 'unless it's specified in the job ad'.

Applicants can then 'word up' their references when they are asked to provide their contact, she says.

AI mistakes to avoid

People are increasingly using generative AI tools to help write resumes, but Ms Hawker says there are some common mistakes emerging as a result.

Some people forget to remove the parentheses or square brackets that often come with AI generated responses when they are copying and pasting them, she says.

Experts warn you should take a cautious approach when using generative artificial intelligence to apply for jobs.

Ms Hawker says to take the time to check and personalise responses and make sure you can speak to the information you've included in the resume if you do get an interview.

While AI can write professional content well, Mr Gorgioski says the content can also be too generic.

That can become a bit of a red flag when we're reading something that doesn't actually tell me anything about how a person works, even though it may be written very well.

Stronger resumes tend to show what happened because you were in [a] role.

Disparity between the positions listed on a resume and LinkedIn can also be seen as a red flag and recruiters will generally just move onto the next applicant, Mr Gorgioski says.

What about hobbies and volunteering roles?

Volunteering experience can be helpful when relevant, Ms Hawker says.

For example, having volunteered at the zoo or a dog shelter if the job related to animal welfare could move your resume to 'the top of the pile', even if you have comparable skills to other applicants.

Annique Teycheney says to keep the contents of your resume as relevant and concise as possible.

Mr Gorgioski says hobbies can be a helpful talking point or have a relevant link to the role.

We try and find where there's some sort of a positive link to the work that they're applying for or where it adds a bit of texture around who they are.

Ms Teycheney says if a hobby or volunteering experience is directly related to the industry, it could be worth listing under experience instead.

Should I still include being house captain in my resume?

Ms Hawker says positions such as school captain are great to include if you're in the early stages of your career, but you shouldn't be relying on them when you have more experience under your belt.

The time frame for including these positions probably falls between five and 10 years, she says.

Mr Gorgioski says, 'the relevance does fade over time' but if someone has recently left school it might be their strongest leadership example.

My rule of thumb is, if an older achievement genuinely supports that person's story or career direction it may still have a place.

What to include and how to make your resume stand out

We still see far too many resumes that are just thrown at the role, Ms Hawker says.

Mr Gorgioski adds you shouldn't have to write a new resume every time you apply for a job, but it should be tweaked or tailored to each position.

Ms Teycheney agrees that these are the resumes that stand out.

She also recommends getting someone else to look over it for you.

Having someone skim their eyes over your resume for you to provide that feedback is worth its weight in gold.

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