Two Items that Age Your Resume

Two Items that Age Your Resume When sending a resume, there are certain items that “age” your resume. And, in today’s extremely competitive job market, it is important that prospective employers perceive you as being up-to-date with the latest trends in employment. What was once the popular thing to do and perceived as being “correct,” may no longer be the case. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to include or not include these sections. These are not “rules,” but they are generally accepted guidelines that are well-known in today’s employment sector. First Item Over the past month, I have had several people send me resumes which contain an Objective. I tend to immediately eliminate this section. In my opinion, the objective is to get a job. Why else would you be sending a resume to the employer? The objective is to find a new job that will help you leave your current position, eliminate your lack of a job (a.k.a. unemployment), or provide a new challenge to you. Second Item Many people end their resume with “References Available Upon Request.” Of course they are! This does NOT need to be added to the resume. At one point, this was used to maintain confidentiality of references and to also know when the potential employer may contact your references (allowing you time to give each of them a “heads up”). Another point to remember about references…many companies/people are not able to provide much of a reference today. Because of liability and legal issues, they can verify dates of employment and any further information is extremely limited. In a way, references are almost becoming a lost art to the job search. However, it is always a good idea to have a separate electronic file or hard copy of references. This shows you are proactive and have the information available when the employer requests it. The bottom line is this: know the latest trends when creating a resume. Not realizing certain accepted guidelines can make it appear that you are not keeping up-to-date on resumes and the job search process. And, more importantly, this can translate into thoughts about you not being proactive in your career field. Unfortunately, whether or not that is true is irrelevant; it is the perception that counts.