What to Remove From Your Resume

Ever wonder why your resume isn’t landing interviews? It’s not because of what you didn’t include... …it’s because of what you left in. After coaching thousands of professionals, I’ve narrowed it down to 10 things you should delete today: • Graduation dates – Age bias is real. Don’t give them ammo. • GPA – Unless it’s a 3.9+ or truly differentiates you, it’s a waste of space. • “References available upon request” – Of course they’ll ask, don’t state the obvious. • Objective statement – Your objective is to get a job. Use that space to show impact instead. • Unnecessary soft skills lists – “Detail-oriented, proactive, results-driven” is filler. Show proof instead. • Every single job you ever had – Nobody needs to see your summer camp gig from 2004. Focus on relevant experience. • Excessive formatting or graphics – Flashy fonts, borders, icons; most ATS systems hate them, and humans get distracted. • Excessive personal pronouns – “I” is unnecessary; resumes should read like results-focused statements. • Overly long bullet points – Keep bullets to 1–2 lines; clarity beats wordiness. • Full address – Your street address isn’t necessary; state is enough. A strong resume isn’t about cramming in everything you’ve ever done. It’s about removing distractions so your impact stands out. Share this with someone who’s job searching!

What You Should Remove from Your CV: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: Your relationship status doesn’t contribute to your qualifications or ability to perform the job. Employers are more interested in your skills and experience. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧: This is another personal detail that should be left out. Focus on your professional qualifications and avoid unnecessary information. 𝐇𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭): Including hobbies like "traveling" or "reading" won’t improve your chances of getting shortlisted unless they directly relate to the job. For example, if you're applying for a position at a travel agency, mentioning travel could be relevant. Otherwise, omit them. 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬: Your email address creates a first impression, so ensure it's professional (e.g., using your first and last name). Avoid casual or inappropriate addresses, and always double-check that it's typed correctly to ensure you're reachable. 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬: Keep your CV easy to read by avoiding large chunks of text. Use bullet points to summarize information succinctly and in a clear, structured way. This makes it easier for recruiters to scan through your qualifications. 𝐈𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: Tailor your CV to the job you're applying for. If you're seeking an accounting role, there's no need to include previous sales positions unless they provide transferable skills relevant to the role you're applying for. 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Always provide a reliable phone number. Additionally, adding a link to your LinkedIn profile enhances your professional presentation and offers recruiters more context about your career journey. 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐕: Adding extra information to make your CV appear longer is counterproductive. Please be sure to stick to relevant achievements, qualifications, and experience. A concise, well-organized CV is more impressive than one filled with unnecessary details. 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: Your CV should reflect your professional qualifications and experience. Keep it concise, relevant, and to the point to improve your chances of landing the job.

The longer your resume, the more experienced you look. This is one of the most common mistakes I see from senior professionals. They add every role and every responsibility they've ever touched. And wonder why they are not getting callbacks. A long resume does not make you look more experienced. It makes you look unfocused. At the leadership level, hiring managers are not reading your resume line by line. They are scanning for three things in under 10 seconds. → Can this person solve my problem? → Have they done it before? → Are they operating at the right level? A resume packed with tasks and responsibilities answers none of those questions. Having reviewed 1000s of resumes as a hiring manager and now as an executive coach, here are 6 outdated practices to remove from your senior level resume today. ❌References available upon request: hiring managers already know this, use that space to show what you have accomplished instead ❌ Your full address: not necessary and creates privacy risks, your city and province/state is enough ❌ An objective statement: this focuses on what you want, replace it with a professional summary that communicates your leadership value immediately ❌ Writing in third person or huge paragraphs: your resume is not a biography, keep it sharp, punchy and results focused ❌ Listing skills without context: if you cannot show where and how you used them, they add nothing ❌ Including every job you have ever had: anything beyond 15 years adds noise not value, focus on relevance not quantity Your resume is not a record of everything you have done. It is a marketing document for the role you want next. Less is more. Clarity wins.

If your resume has these mistakes, You’re getting rejected before a human ever sees it. I’ve reviewed thousands of resumes as a hiring manager at Riot Games. And I saw the same unforced errors every single day. Let me be blunt: Your resume’s job isn’t to tell your life story. It’s to get you an interview. That’s all. Here are the three biggest mistakes killing your chances: Bad Judgment Calls - Flashy designs, bright colors don’t make you stand out. - They make you look unprofessional. - Even if you’re a designer, keep the art in your portfolio, not your resume. Bias Traps - Remove anything that gives recruiters a chance to judge you unfairly. - No headshots. - No marital status. - No age, religion, or personal info. - Just your city and time zone. That’s all they need. Irrelevant Oversharing - Nobody cares what you did 20 years ago. - Cut outdated jobs, GPA, club memberships, and filler “skills” like “Microsoft Office” or “passionate about gaming.” Every word on your resume should earn its place. Because simplicity isn’t weakness. It’s CONFIDENCE. Or as Da Vinci (and apparently Leonardo the Ninja Turtle) said: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Your resume isn’t a biography. It’s a marketing document for the most important product you’ll ever sell: YOUR CAREER. If you want to see real examples of what to cut (and why), watch this: 👉 Remove These from Your Resume (Ex-Riot Games Hiring Manager Explains Why) - 🎥 https://lnkd.in/gDPekXTR You’re one clean edit away from more callbacks. Cut the fluff. Keep the wins. Get the interview.

I used to think adding more to my resume would make it stronger. But the real game-changer? Removing the things that weren’t helping me stand out. Once I cut out the fluff and focused on what really mattered, the interview calls started rolling in. Here’s what I changed: 1️⃣ Objective Statement ❌ Removed: Generic fluff like “Seeking a challenging role where I can utilize my skills.” ✅ Instead: I got straight to the point: "Data Scientist with 7+ years of experience building scalable ML models for finance and e-commerce. Improved fraud detection accuracy by 30% at [Company Name]." 2️⃣ Soft Skills Section ❌ Removed: Overused buzzwords like “Hardworking, Team Player, Good Communication Skills.” ✅ Instead: I proved my skills with impact: "Led a cross-functional team of 5 to implement a credit scoring model, reducing loan default rates by 15%." 3️⃣ Unrelated Work Experience ❌ Removed: Old jobs that had nothing to do with my field. ✅ Instead: Highlighted transferable skills: "Customer Service Associate (2016-2018) – Developed strong analytical skills by managing customer feedback data, leading to a 20% improvement in service efficiency." 4️⃣ Long Paragraphs ❌ Removed: Dense blocks of text that made my resume hard to skim. ✅ Instead: I made it easy to read with bullet points: Optimized ML models, improving fraud detection accuracy by 30%. Automated reporting in Python, reducing manual effort by 50%. 5️⃣ “References Available Upon Request” ❌ Removed: This unnecessary line taking up space. ✅ Instead: Used it to highlight a key achievement: "Awarded ‘Employee of the Month’ for leading a high-impact fraud detection project." 6️⃣ Fancy Designs & Graphics ❌ Removed: Infographics, charts, and multi-column layouts that confuse ATS systems. ✅ Instead: Kept it clean and ATS-friendly with clear sections. After making these changes, my resume was sharper, clearer, and got real results more interviews, faster. 🚀 #LIPostingChallengeIndia #Resume #Resumebuilding #ATSFreindlyResume #JobSearch #CareerCoach #ResumeWriting

I recently came across a resume where the candidate had added their 𝐀𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐚𝐫 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬, 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬’ 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. I was in complete shock and thought to myself… 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔? 😅 Your resume is not a matrimonial biodata. It’s a professional snapshot of who you are and the value you bring. Here’s the reality 👉 Your resume is circulated in multiple companies and seen by many people. (Even if you are not getting calls back) Not all of them may be authentic or trustworthy. Oversharing personal information can put your privacy and even your safety at risk. So let’s get this straight: ❌ You do NOT need to mention your passport number, Aadhaar ID, full date of birth, home address, gender, marital status, or family details. ✅ What you SHOULD include is simple: - An active phone number - Professional email ID - Your city & state (not the full address) - LinkedIn profile link (Customise it and remove the numbers) - Website/portfolio link (if you have one) That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. A few pro tips from me: ✨ Use a clean, professional-looking email ID (not “name123@gmail.com”). ✨ Stick to one phone number across job portals to stay consistent. ✨ Hyperlink your LinkedIn profile, that makes it easy for recruiters to check you out instantly. 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: Recruiters are not judging you on your family background or your horoscope 😅. They are evaluating your skills, achievements, and potential value. Your resume should protect your personal details and highlight only what matters. So go back, edit it today, and keep it simple, safe & professional. To your growth, Aditi Sharma

Let me say this clearly: Your CV is not a biography. It’s a marketing document. It’s not about listing everything you’ve ever done. It’s about showing the right things to the right people. Here are 10 things you should NEVER put on your CV if you want to stand out and get interviews: 1. “Curriculum Vitae” as Your Heading Everyone already knows it’s a CV. Use your full name as your header — big and bold. Let them remember who you are, not what the document is called. 2. Unprofessional Email Addresses If your email is still something like: sexydamsel@yahoo.com or freshboy_1997@gmail.com Start over. Use a simple combination of your name. Example: firstname.lastname@gmail.com Recruiters are judging — and this one is easy to fix. 3. Age, Gender, Religion, or Marital Status Unless the job specifically requires it for legal reasons (which is rare), leave it out. These details can lead to unconscious bias. Let your skills and experience speak first. 4. A Full Residential Address No hiring manager needs to know your house number and street. Just include your City & Country. That’s more than enough — especially for remote roles. 5. Your WAEC/NCE/SSCE/Primary School Results If you’ve graduated from the university, no one cares about your SSCE again. Focus on your most relevant and recent academic qualification. Don’t turn your CV into a transcript. 6. Outdated Skills or Tools Nobody is hiring for MS-DOS, CorelDraw, or Typing Speed in 2025. If it’s no longer useful in the job market, take it off. And if it’s a skill you can’t defend, don’t claim it. 7. Generic Objectives “I am a dedicated and hardworking individual seeking to contribute to organizational success.” Sounds nice. But says nothing. Instead, use a 1–2 sentence personal statement showing what you do, who you help, and the impact you’ve made. 8. Lies or Exaggerated Titles You were not “Head of Strategy” in a 3-person volunteer group. You were not a “Senior Product Manager” after a 3-week internship. Hiring managers will test it. If you can’t defend it in an interview, don’t put it on paper. 9. Irrelevant Work Experience If you’re applying for a digital marketing role, your job as a class prefect in secondary school doesn’t help your case. Focus on transferable experiences. If it doesn’t support the role, delete or reduce it. 10. References (Or “Available on Request”) Hiring managers will ask if they want them. That line is outdated and takes up space. Use that space for something that shows your value. Final note Your CV is a doorway. Don’t clutter it. Don’t confuse them. Don’t make them work to see your value. Make it easy to say: “We need to interview this person — today.” Save this. Share this. Rework your CV.

After reviewing thousands of resumes, I can tell you that even brilliant candidates are often filtered out for simple, avoidable mistakes. Your resume has one job: to secure an interview. It’s a marketing document, not an autobiography. As a hiring manager and coach, here’s my "Dirty Dozen" – the top resume pitfalls that push applications to the "no" pile: 1. The Headshot. It introduces unconscious bias and wastes valuable space. Your skills should be the focus. 2. Personal Information. Your address, age, or marital status are not only irrelevant—they’re a red flag for modern hiring     practices. 3. An Obvious Objective Statement. I know your objective is to get this job. Use that prime real estate for a powerful summary instead. 4. Font Chaos. More than 3 font sizes or 2 typefaces is distracting. Keep it clean, professional, and easy to scan. 5. Long URLs. Hyperlink your LinkedIn profile and portfolio. A full text link looks messy and amateurish. 6. Self-Ranked Skill Bars. Rating your own skills as "Expert" or "Beginner" is subjective and meaningless without context. Show, don't tell. 7. Excessive Lists. Long lists of patents or publications can go in an addendum. Your resume should be a highlight reel, not a comprehensive log. 8. Naked Soft Skills. Listing "communication" or "leadership" without proof is empty. Demonstrate them through your accomplishments. 9. Three+ Pages. For the vast majority of professionals, two pages is the maximum. Concision is a skill in itself. 10. Repetitive Pronouns. "I," "me," and "my" are implied. Start bullets with strong action verbs: "Managed," "Launched," "Increased." 11. Lack of Accomplishments. This is the biggest mistake. Responsibilities tell me what you were supposed to do; accomplishments tell me how well you actually did it. The golden rule? Quantify your impact. Instead of "Responsible for social media," write "Grew social media engagement by 150% in 6 months." What's one resume tip you swear by? Share it in the comments! #JobSearch #ResumeTips #CareerAdvice #Recruitment #Hiring #LinkedIn

🚫 Stop Including Your Date of Birth and Home Address on Your CV! In both my recruitment company and my career coaching sessions, I often see candidates including personal details like their date of birth and home address on their resumes. While this was common practice in the past, it's no longer necessary and can even be detrimental to your job search. Here are some reasons why: 🔒 Privacy and Security: Including your home address and date of birth can expose you to identity theft and privacy breaches. Protect your personal information by leaving these details off your resume. 🚫 Age Discrimination: Your age is irrelevant to your ability to perform a job. By not including your date of birth, you minimise the risk of unconscious bias and age discrimination during the hiring process. 🌍 Location Irrelevance: With remote work becoming more common, your exact home address is less relevant to employers. Indicating your general location (e.g., city or region) is sufficient. ✨ Focus on Skills and Experience: Employers are interested in your skills, experience and qualifications. Use the space on your CV to highlight these aspects rather than personal details which do not add value to your application. Your resume is your first impression to potential employers so keep it professional, relevant and secure! If you need further guidance on crafting a standout resume, please write RESUME in the comments. #CV #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #ResumeTips **************************************************** Hi, I am Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions and Nicola Steel Career Coaching. I have 25 years' experience in tech recruitment across 2 hemispheres! Besides my family 👨👩👧👧 and exploring the world 🌏, my passion centres on placing the power in people and having a positive impact on everyone that I interact with. I help grow tech teams in purpose driven companies and help people have more rewarding careers in tech.

𝟱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺) If you're struggling to land a job, your resume might be the problem. As a PM mentor with 6+ years of experience, I’ve reviewed thousands of resumes. Some were great. Many were terrible. If your resume: 🚫 Is stuffed with buzzwords but lacks proof 🚫 Reads like a wall of text 🚫 Includes things that don’t add value You need to redo it to make it more impactful. Here are 5 things to remove right now—and what to replace them with: 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 ❌ Remove: “Hardworking, team player, strategic thinker.” ✅ Replace: Show results instead of making claims. ↳ For ex. - “Led a cross-functional team to launch a feature that boosted retention by 25%.” 𝗩𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 ❌ Remove: “Managed projects, coordinated with teams, oversaw execution.” ✅ Replace: Focus on outcomes, not tasks. ↳ For ex. “Drove product launches, improving time-to-market by 30%.” 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 ❌ Remove: “Helped improve revenue.” ✅ Replace: Use hard data to prove impact. ↳ For ex. “Increased revenue by $500K in 6 months through strategic pricing changes.” 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗼𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 ❌ Remove: “Loves hiking and watching Netflix.” ✅ Replace: Showcase relevant extracurriculars. ↳ For ex. “Volunteer at PM Community, conducted mock interviews with industry PMs.” 𝗨𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 ❌ Remove: “Worked as a cashier during college.” ✅ Replace: Highlight transferable skills. ↳ For ex. “Ran social media for a local business, increasing engagement by 3X.” Your resume is your first impression. Make it count. Which mistake have you seen the most? Drop a comment below! 👇🏻