What NOT to Include on Your Executive Resume

Alison Doyle writes some very insightful and savvy articles about different aspects of job search, and one she penned last month about The Top 15 Things Not to Include in a Resume was excellent.

She is correct that what you DON’T include can be just as important as what you DO include. You want to avoid providing any content that might lead the potential employer to doubt your qualifications or commitment to the job.

Among the top items that can mean trouble for you are:

1) Long, dense patches of text that do not invite the reader to delve in and can also bury key qualifications.

2) A “Me” oriented objective or summary, that’s all about what you want to get out of the relationship, not what’s in it for the employer.

3) Boring general or overly detailed lists of your duties, with no indication of how well you performed those duties. (And rife with phrases like “Responsibilities included…”)

4) Irrelevant, long-ago experiences that can also expose you to age discrimination.

5) Photos of yourself… Definitely a no-no in a discrimination conscious environment in which your resume may be rejected BECAUSE it has a photo.

6) Reasons for leaving employers… This is not a job application.

7) TYPOS!! – No need to explain this one.

To view the other 8 items NOT to include on your executive resume, see the full article at:

15 Things Not to Include on a Resume

For more advice on what to exclude from your resume, see my LinkedIn Post on What to LEAVE OUT of Your Executive Resume