How to Remove Fluff from Your Resume

In a tight job market, having an equally tight and clean resume is critical to getting that job interview. Too many resumes are littered with fluff that makes them look unprofessional. Removing it from your resume can make all the difference in your job search. Here are six ways to pull the fluff and filler out of your resume and catch the attention of your next job recruiter.

Overused Keywords

If you have business jargon cluttering your resume, it's time to get rid of it. Avoid tired catchphrases such as "think outside the box," "go-to person," "synergy," and the like. Replace them with statements of specific accomplishments, especially those with measurable outcomes. Read your resume out loud, mark words that sound iffy and be ruthless about removing them from your resume.

Objective Statements

Your objective is to get a job. That's why you have a resume in the first place. Let go of overwritten objective statements that talk about what you want and focus instead on how you can help a potential employer achieve his goals.

Personal Attributes and Interests

Unless you're an actor, your resume is no place to list your height or weight, and there's never any need to list age, marital status or ethnic background. As you remove this fluff from your resume, also delete references to your personal interests. Employers aren't interested in what you do in your spare time, and listing it only makes you look unprofessional.

Outdated Information

Some career counselors feel you should remove from your resume any information that's 10 to 15 years old. Unless your college graduation was less than 5 years ago, this automatically includes all high school era jobs, your college GPA, any internships and all extracurricular activities. Keep your resume professional and to the point.

Bad Grammar and Typos

More than a few job recruiters will toss away a resume if they spot even one misspelling. After all, if you can't be trusted to proofread your own resume, what kind of follow-through will you show on the job? Proofread yourself, removing from your resume and fixing any spelling, punctuation or grammar errors, and then ask someone else to proofread it as well.

False Information

The temptation to puff up your resume can be strong. Don't do it. Lying and exaggerating in any way is disastrous to a job search. In the Internet age, it's too easy for job recruiters to check up on claims and prove them false. Don't pad your education or your experience. If you've done so in the past, remove it from your resume immediately, and make sure to tell the truth on job applications as well.

The whole point of your resume is to present yourself in the best possible light to a job recruiter or interviewer. Be ruthless as you pare down the fluff, removing it from your resume completely. Remind yourself that "less is more," as you produce a clean, clear resume that shows your next interviewer exactly who you are and what you can bring to the job.

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