5 Ways Your Resume Makes You Look Out Of Touch

By Catherine Conlan

Monster Contributing Writer

 

If you’ve been in the workforce for a while and are thinking of looking for a new job, you’ll want to make sure that your resume doesn’t make you look out of touch with today’s workplace. Age discrimination is, of course, illegal, but it’s still a good idea to make sure your resume gives the right impression about your skills and experience.

 

Scott Vedder, author of “Signs of a Great Resume,” says he once saw a job candidate whose resume made him look completely out of touch: It listed the names and Social Security numbers of each of his six grandchildren. “It’s never appropriate to talk about your age or family status on a resume,” Vedder says. “And it’s certainly not appropriate to send a recruiter your family members’ Social Security numbers!”

 

You probably haven’t made that mistake, but consider these other ways your resume may be making you look out of touch.

An epic work history

 

There’s no getting around it: If you’ve been in the workforce a long time, you’ll have a long work history. Keep in mind, though, that you don’t need to list every job you’ve ever had — especially early ones that are no longer relevant.

 

Frame your experience as a benefit: “Recruiters frequently look for candidates with a proven history of success,” Vedder says. “Look for hints in the job posting which indicate a company is searching for a ‘seasoned executive,’ a ‘mature leader,’ or an ‘established professional’ or for jobs which require ‘10+ years’ experience. Then give specific examples to explain why your background makes you a great fit for the job.”

Your social media presence

 

For most jobs it’s OK to leave social media information off your resume, but hiring managers may still search for you online to get more information. You want them to find a strong presence that makes you look dynamic and engaged. “Even if your Facebook or Google+ profile is set to private, people can still see your main profile picture,” says Erik Bowitz of Resume Genius.

 

Make a great impression by choosing an attractive, professional photo. If you decide to be a little more public with your social media, make posts that show you’re plugged in to your industry by sharing timely articles and interesting news.

Your file format

 

Even the type of file you send your resume as can make you look out of touch. If you're using an outdated form of Microsoft Word on an old computer and send your resume as a .doc file, you risk pegging yourself as out-of-touch, Bowitz says.

 

Beyond keeping your own tools up to date, there’s no universal “right way” here. Your best bet is to find out which format is best for each employer and their application system and and use that.

Outdated phrases

 

Resumes have evolved over the years and things like “references available upon request” can make you look less than current, says Alyssa Gelbard of Resume Strategists Inc. “Another giveaway is if they have a separate ‘Interests’ section that includes things like travel, cooking and reading.”

 

Cut the fat from your resume and keep it focused on skills and experience. In addition, highlight the value you can bring to the company.

Signs of being stuck in a tech time warp

 

Not having a personal email address is a mistake, says Tony Palm, president of Military Professionals LLC.He adds that listing proficiency in Microsoft Office, “the Web,” or other standard office technology don’t make you look current.

 

Brush up on your tech terminology to ensure you’re making the right impression. Consider a class that can help you get up to speed on what you need to know.

Avoid the Top 10 Resume Mistakes

By Peter Vogt, Monster Senior Contributing Writer

It's deceptively easy to make mistakes on your resume and exceptionally difficult to repair the damage once an employer gets it. So prevention is critical, whether you're writing your first resume or revising it for a mid-career job search. Check out this resume guide to the most common pitfalls and how you can avoid them.

1. Typos and Grammatical Errors

Your resume needs to be grammatically perfect. If it isn't, employers will read between the lines and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you, like: "This person can't write," or "This person obviously doesn't care."

2. Lack of Specifics

Employers need to understand what you've done and accomplished. For example:

A. Worked with employees in a restaurant setting.
B. Recruited, hired, trained and supervised more than 20 employees in a restaurant with $2 million in annual sales.

Both of these phrases could describe the same person, but the details and specifics in example B will more likely grab an employer's attention.

3. Attempting One Size Fits All

Whenever you try to develop a one-size-fits-all resume to send to all employers, you almost always end up with something employers will toss in the recycle bin. Employers want you to write a resume specifically for them. They expect you to clearly show how and why you fit the position in a specific organization.

4. Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments

It's easy to slip into a mode where you simply start listing job duties on your resume. For example:

• Attended group meetings and recorded minutes.
   
• Worked with children in a day-care setting.
   
• Updated departmental files.

Employers, however, don't care so much about what you've done as what you've accomplished in your various activities. They're looking for statements more like these:

• Used laptop computer to record weekly meeting minutes and compiled them in a Microsoft Word-based file for future organizational reference.
   
• Developed three daily activities for preschool-age children and prepared them for a 10-minute holiday program performance.
   
• Reorganized 10 years worth of unwieldy files, making them easily accessible to department members.

5. Going on Too Long or Cutting Things Too Short

Despite what you may read or hear, there are no real rules governing resume length. Why? Because human beings, who have different preferences and expectations where resumes are concerned, will be reading it.

That doesn't mean you should start sending out five-page resumes, of course. Generally speaking, you usually need to limit yourself to a maximum of two pages. But don't feel you have to use two pages if one will do. Conversely, don't cut the meat out of your resume simply to make it conform to an arbitrary one-page standard.

6. A Bad Objective

Employers do read your resume objective, but too often they plow through vague pufferies like, "Seeking a challenging position that offers professional growth." Give employers something specific and, more importantly, something that focuses on their needs as well as your own. Example: "A challenging entry-level marketing position that allows me to contribute my skills and experience in fund-raising for nonprofits."

7. No Action Verbs

Avoid using phrases like "responsible for." Instead, use action verbs: "Resolved user questions as part of an IT help desk serving 4,000 students and staff."

8. Leaving Off Important Information

You may be tempted, for example, to eliminate mention of the jobs you've taken to earn extra money for school. Typically, however, the soft skills you've gained from these experiences (e.g., work ethic, time management) are more important to employers than you might think.

9. Visually Too Busy

If your resume is wall-to-wall text featuring five different fonts, it will most likely give the employer a headache. So show your resume to several other people before sending it out. Do they find it visually attractive? If what you have is hard on the eyes, revise.

10. Incorrect Contact Information

I once worked with a student whose resume seemed incredibly strong, but he wasn't getting any bites from employers. So one day, I jokingly asked him if the phone number he'd listed on his resume was correct. It wasn't. Once he changed it, he started getting the calls he'd been expecting. Moral of the story: Double-check even the most minute, taken-for-granted details -- sooner rather than later.