Two Ways Your Resume Probably Looks Outdated

In a competitive workforce, an outdated resume is a guaranteed way to place you behind the pack. The rules for resumes you learned in college are not as effective in this modern day and age; what employers are looking for has changed dramatically. Before you send in your tried-and-true, yet outdated, resume to your next prospective employer, consider the ways your resume can cripple the chances of you acquiring your next job.

Employers are no longer looking for a biography of your entire professional life, nor are they satisfied with just a boring list of facts. Update your resume by eliminating these characteristics. Consider the following two ways your resume looks outdated and make changes to give yourself a fighting chance against your competition.

Unnecessary Information

References are no longer necessary for your resume. That familiar phrase “references available upon request” is also not needed. Your GPA can also be omitted unless you are a recent high school or college graduate. An objective statement on your resume is redundant; it is obvious that your objective is to obtain a job. Instead of stating the obvious on your resume, use that area below your contact information to state who you are and what you have to offer.

Check the skills listed on your resume to ensure the technology you tout proficiency in is not obsolete. Most employers assume that job candidates can use word processors and Internet browsers, so listing that on your resume is unnecessary. When you update your resume, list the most current software as your expertise to impress a potential employer.

Listing your personal information is a sure sign of having an outdated resume. Omit any details of your age, religion, hobbies and family status to increase your professional image and stay up-to-date with current discrimination laws. Salary information is also not looked upon favorably by employers; placing numbers on your talents can make you appear too expensive or sell yourself too short. A disadvantage of an outdated resume is that you place sensitive information, such as your salary, on the table before an interview.

Formatting Issues

Do not be afraid to get creative with your resume; even if you are not a graphic designer or artist, something different from the average outdated resume is appreciated by employers and catches their eye. While professors, websites and earlier job scouts might have admonished you to keep your resume to one page, this suggestion is not mandatory if your resume is engaging and you have a lot of experience. Do not shortchange your accomplishments just to fit everything on one page. Above all, avoid using a small font to fit all important information; this gets your resume discarded.

Create your resume to resemble more of a fact sheet than an autobiography and include information that engages your employer. Coupled with an appealing format, your resume could sway the employer to consider your expertise instead of dismissing you as yet another average worker, with yet another outdated resume.

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