Responding to a quora question: what should I not include in my resume

This question was requested from someone on Quora. It's interesting that even in the Age of AI, my answers are still consistent. Some things never change. People (Companies) still want to know what's in it for them if they should hire you.  How can that best be conveyed? - By including relevant accomplishment statements in the resume. If you are unsure on how to do this, Check out our e-store for tools that can help or book an discovery call with me. I'd love to help!  Now to my response: 

This is a broad question. There are several things that should not be included in your resume. The best answer is to only include position relevant information. If you are in the US, do not include your photo, your demographic stats, hobbies, or marital status. There are several resume scanners that can review your resume against your target position. It is important to make sure you include the following:

1. Have a target position and ensure that your resume includes the key criteria required for that position. This information can be obtained through a simple AI prompt such as: “List the top ten key criteria required for the (position title) in (the country you are applying to).
2. Include a concise career summary or profile. This will tell the recruiter whether or not to continue reading. While many harp on AI, there are still many HR recruiters who still review resumes. Keep the reader in mind. Include those relevant skills and accomplishments that the reader (Hiring Manager) would be interested in. Try to keep it not more than four sentences. Think of it as your elevator pitch.
3. Write accomplishment statements for every position that succinctly details what you did, how you did it, and the result. Try to include metrics where possible. Companies what to know what’s in it for them if they hire you. For example: Streamlined the register closing process by implementing a closing checklist reducing the closing process time by 50%.
4. Include any relevant education, certifications, or technical proficiencies. This is important and may potentially elevate your compensation.

Lastly, Keep the end in mind. You want your resume to result in an interview AND become a key source of conversation during the interview. (Note I said conversation - interviews are a two-way street). AI is a tool that can help make your position and company research easy and can even help you write your resume. However, you have to put in the work to make the words on the page truly reflect your authentic self, your abilities, and relevant accomplishments.

I hope this helps and wishing you much success!
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About your career coach: 
Nanette Kirk is the President and CEO of NetKi Enterprises, LLC. We help clients navigate their career journey, through career coaching and consulting. Thank you for reading this blog post. Feel free to reach out if you have any leadership or career challenges, I can help you explore and resolve. You can click on the button below to schedule a discovery call. ​