Skills You Should Leave Off Your Resume - Walrath Recruiting, Inc.

Skills You Should Leave Off Your Resume - Walrath Recruiting, Inc. When composing your resume, there are obvious categories you should include, such as education, certifications, experience, and skills. Although these categories are straightforward, how do you know what is not worth mentioning? Weve compiled a list below sharing the types of skills to leave off your resume. Check it out! Dont Enter the Gray Area According to a survey done by Career Builders, 75% of Human Resource Managers caught a lie on a resume. From the years listed, to skills claimed, there was some fabrication or exaggeration. Chances are there will be a hiring manager or recruiter who will spot this embellishment on your resume. If you don’t have the skills, don’t list them. Unless you are very specific on how skilled you are in that area. Youd rather be known as a “quick learner” than someone who they believed had a skill â€" and later found out they cannot perform their job. If you’re unsure, nix it. Dated Qualifications or Certifications If you have expired certifications from past positions â€" be clear on the lifespan of that certification. For example, maybe you’re applying for a position that requires a CPR license, but you are no longer CPR certified. In this case, the CPR certification on your resume should include the date it expired. If this is a vital qualification for a potential job, youll be asked if this is current. So be clear on the qualifications and certifications you are listing. Avoid Irrelevant Skills These would include, for example, a high school course for a secondary language and stating that French is a skill you possess. Or listing social media as a skill without actually utilizing it in a business setting. Managing a social media platform and understanding its functions are very different than using it for marketing for a brand or a company.   Skills like “great parent” or “marathon runner” would also be classified as irrelevant here. Although these are great skills to possess, if they do not apply to the position you are interested in, you can leave these kind of skills off your resume. Cliché/Obvious Skills Avoid cliché or obvious skills, such as hard worker, motivated, great communicator, etc. Yes, they are great qualities but consider other ways that better describe your talent. For example, how did you show you were a hard worker, leader, or motivator? Maybe you worked in sales and brought in a vast amount of business, or maybe you were a manager of 10 people for many years and had great success. Expand on why you feel these skills demonstrate what kind of candidate you are and get specific. LATEST READS FROM WALRATH RECRUITING: 3 Ways to Organize Your Job Search Link Roundup: The Outlook Hack Handbook 5 Ways to Age-Proof Your Resume