Tips for Eliminating Irrelevant Work Experience

Did you know that Recruiters spend an average of just 7.4 seconds reviewing a resume? That's according to data from a study conducted by Ladders, Inc. Your resume is your professional story and with only about 7 seconds on average to get the attention of a Recruiter, your story needs to be clear. We often talk about what we should put on our resume, but what do we actually need to keep off our resumes to make it more relevant? Here are 5 things you should leave off your resume: 1. Irrelevant Work Experience: ↳ Does it align with the job you’re applying for? ↳ Does it showcase your transferable skills?  ↳ If not, it’s just taking up valuable space.  ↳ Prioritize relevance over quantity. 2. Outdated Skills or Certifications: ↳ Are your skills current and in demand?  ↳ Do your certifications reflect industry standards? ↳ Keep your resume fresh and forward-thinking.  ↳ Focus on what sets you apart in today’s market. 3. Personal Details Unrelated to the Job: ↳ Does it contribute to your professional narrative?  ↳ Is it necessary for the role?  ↳ Leave out anything that doesn’t serve your professional brand.  ↳ Be strategic and intentional with personal information. 4. Generic Objectives or Summaries: ↳ Are they tailored to the position? ↳ Do they speak to your unique value?  ↳ Craft a narrative that resonates with your desired role.  ↳ Make it personal, make it count. 5. Clichés and Buzzwords:  ↳ Are they meaningful or just filler?  ↳ Do they truly describe your abilities?  ↳ Replace vague terms with concrete achievements.  ↳ Be authentic and specific in showcasing your talents. When crafting your resume, remember that brevity and relevance are key. By omitting these five elements you can ensure that your resume is concise, focused, and tailored to the position you're seeking. Your resume is your story – make every word count.

Making Your Resume Stand Out: Insights from a Recent HR Discussion 👨💼 Recently, I had a conversation with an HR representative from my firm, and our discussion shed light on the common pitfalls that lead to resume rejection. Having reviewed approximately 1000 applications for one single business analyst position, they shared some crucial insights as highlighted below: 😊 Tailor Your Content: One glaring issue observed was the prevalence of copied and pasted resume content where many resumes seem identical. It's imperative to stand out by demonstrating your suitability for the role rather than resorting to generic buzzwords. Take the time to carefully align your resume with the job posting, emphasizing relevant skills and experiences. Rather than just talking about what you did on the job, highlight your specific value additions to the project and achievements. Talk about the impacts you created! 😊 Focus on Relevance: Reading the job description thoroughly is essential. Ensure that your experience aligns closely with the role you're applying for. For instance, for a data analyst role primarily focused on data collection and entry, applicants should avoid mentioning unrelated skills such as machine learning or data engineering. 😊 Craft a Personalized Cover Letter: If your previous experience doesn't directly correlate with the position you're applying for, a tailored cover letter is crucial. Explain why you're specifically interested in this role and how your background makes you a suitable candidate. Remember, hiring managers prioritize candidates who show genuine interest in the role and are willing to learn. While experience is valuable, passion and adaptability are equally important, especially for entry-level positions. By aligning your resume with the job posting and crafting personalized applications, you can truly make yourself stand out in a competitive job market. #linkedin #jobsearch #career #growth #usajobmarket #usajobs #careertips #jobhuntingtips #layoffs #layoff #jobmarket #resume #resumebuilding #newyorkjobs #programmanagement #projectmanagement #northeastern #internationalstudents

Your #résumé doesn't need to include everything you've ever done. Tailor it toward the jobs you're pursuing by curating it with content that will be meaningful and demonstrate value to a #hiringmanager. Here are some examples: If you want a role in #socialmediamanagement – but those tasks were only 25% of your last position – you're still allowed to have 100% of your bullet points about how you contributed to success in that specific area. If you used to be an #accountant, compliance may have been part of your job but not your main focus. Your résumé should primarily highlight your #compliance expertise (perhaps including outcomes and achievements related to audits) instead of portraying only your accounting experience if your target job is all about compliance. Remember: your résumé is a #marketing tool intended to grab the attention of the reader who is searching for specific kinds of experience and keywords that demonstrate your knowledge in particular areas. If you include irrelevant information, you'll lose the reader's attention quickly and get passed over for opportunities. #jobsearch #resumetips #jobhunt #jobsearchtips #opentowork #nowhiring

Are you editing and deleting content when you are updating your resume? We've all been there—the rush to update a resume. You tack on the latest experience and send it off to the decision-makers. However, in the haste, we often forget the essential step of purging unrelated details. Your resume isn't your bio; it's a strategic marketing tool. 👀 Put on an objective lens and scrutinize what's truly relevant to your target role. How to streamline your resume: Experience: 🔶 Grab attention with a top-heavy flow—focus on the most recent role. 🔶 Trim excess bullet points for older roles, and highlight key achievements with brevity. 🔶 For work history over 15 years, consider a concise company-title listing. Education: 🔶 Unless you're a recent grad, ditch coursework and extracurriculars. 🔶 Does that GPA still matter? References: 🔶 Delete any mention of references, including "References available upon request." Format: 🔶Do not obsess over keeping the resume to one page. A crowded, visually overwhelming resume is poor UX for the reader. Super small fonts, no white space--please just use an extra page if the information is important. #resumetips

What to include on your resume? And what to leave off? That's something that a lot of people struggle with. So let me introduce you to the "3 R's" of resume writing: Relevant, Recent, Redundant ---------- ➡️ The first question you should ask yourself is whether or not the item (job, skill, certificate, etc) is RELEVANT to the job you're applying for. Recruiters and hiring managers want to see information that's relevant. Including irrelevant information can make it seem like you don't understand the job you're applying for. So always start by asking if something is relevant. If it is relevant, then you MIGHT put it on your resume. But it depends on the next two questions. On the other hand, in almost all cases, you want to leave irrelevant information off of your resume. The main exception is if you're transitioning to a new career. Recruiters and hiring managers will want to see prior work experience, even if it's not directly relevant to the position you're applying for. But even in that case, you should make your past positions relevant to your new career by focusing on transferable skills. ---------- ➡️Next up is RECENT. In most cases, information that is both Relevant and Recent should be included on your resume. By recent, I mean within the past 10 years. Recruiters and hiring managers value recent experiences more than they value older experiences. Once you go past 10 years, the information becomes less valuable and less important, even if it's relevant to the job that you're applying for. BUT... it all depends on the last factor. So let's take a look at... ---------- ➡️ REDUNDANT Some redundancy on a resume is good. For example, showing that you've used a skill in various contexts is a positive. But too much redundancy can be a negative. At the very least, it adds little additional value. Let me give you an example. I work with a lot of people in the Mortgage Industry. They tend to change jobs a lot and might have 6-8 similar jobs in a 10 year period. Including all of those jobs, where they've done essentially the same thing, is too much redundancy. So whereas most of the resumes I create show at least 10 years of work experience, with people in the mortgage industry I sometimes show less than 10 years of work experience to avoid too much redundancy. So relevant, recent, and redundant is good up to a point. ➡️ BUT... What if you have something that's relevant but not recent and not redundant? In other words, the job is asking for a particular skill or experience and your only example is something from a long time ago. Should you include it or not? If it's important for the job, then yes you should. Just understand that it won't be valued the same as something more recent. ---------- So there you have it. The "3 R's of Resumes": Relevant, Recent, Redundant ---------- Want more resume tips? Check out the guide 7 Ways to Make Your Resume Standout https://lnkd.in/e3ce9Gqe It's 100% free!