Resume Accomplishments You Should Omit

Resume Accomplishments You Should Omit Resume accomplishments you should omitResist the urge to call out every single career win. Including a solid list of accomplishments on a resumecan demonstrate your work ethic and ability to achieve results. But some accomplishments should be left out. Think twice before including any of the followingExaggerationsYou know the saying, If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Thats what employers are thinking when they read over-the-top accomplishments that sound fabricated. For example, the salesperson who generated $10 million in sales, even though her company is only a $2 million company. Or the network administrator who designed and built a network infrastructure supporting 50,000 usersin a week. If the accomplishment is inflated, it doesnt belong on your resume.When describing improvements, increasing quality to 100% or reducing errors to zero sounds improbable, so use more precise figuresan increase of 98.7% makes the accomplishment more believable, says Marty Weitzman, a Nationally Certified Resume Writer and managing director of Gilbert Resumes, an Englishtown, New Jersey-based resume-writing company.What if you really are that good? Then include the accomplishment, but add information to back it up, such as an award or commendation you received, a link to a press release or a quote from a teamberaterin acknowledging the results.IrrelevanciesIts hard to let go of accomplishments that you are proud of, but consider omitting the ones unrelated to your current goal.Think of your resume like a Web site ranking on Googlethe more relevantyour content, the higher your ranking in the resume pile, says Jared Redick, principal of The Resume Studio, a San Francisco-based resume-writing firm. Redick advises his clients to focus on accomplishments that a prospective employer would find important. Write for your audience, not your ego, he says.If you are an entry-level job seeker or a career changerand dont have many relevant accomplishments, emphasize transferable skillsthat demonstrate your potential to succeed in your new career field.Ancient historyWriting a resume is not equivalent to writing your memoir. Most employers are concerned about your recent positions, going back 10 to 15 years or so. If you are detailing every accomplishment from the mid-1990s and earlier, declutter your resumeusing an editors eye.Its OK to mention older jobs in an Early Career section so employers can see your work chronology, but including details of outdated accomplishments is often a waste of space, Weitzman says.Bias-inducing informationDeciding whether to include accomplishments that may expose you to possible discriminationis a very personal one.For example, if you held a leadership position with a political or religious organization but decided against disclosing the specifics to prospective employers, you could state that you were an officer for a local advocacy or service groupthis allows you to focus on the achievement while omitting the organizations name. Unless your resume is geared to a political or religious group, consider omitting accomplishments in these areas, Weitzman says.Of course, this is entirely your decision to make, and you may chooseto reveal the details. You may also want to include the information ifit could, in fact, help you land your desired job.Proprietary informationIncluding quantifiablefacts about your accomplishments is important, but its equally important not to reveal proprietary company information. Accomplishments that include revenue figures, production methods, business or marketing plansor any information that the employer would consider a trade secretshould be omitted in the event a competitor sees your resume. Find a balance between revealing confidential information while still highlighting your accomplishments, such as writing about a percentage increase instead of actual revenues.Information that is readily available to the public on annual reports is fair game, but I advise clients who work for privately held companies to use discretionyour employer or even prospective employer may question your judgment in disclosing proprietary information, Weitzman says.Unsure? Get a resume checkNot everything that you want to put on your resume really belongs on there. And it can be difficult to determine if that award you won or that speech you gave will do anything to help you stand out for a particular job. Could you use some help crafting your resume?Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts atMonsters Resume Writing Service. Youll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review ofyour resumes appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiters first impression. Its a quick and easy way to strengthen your resume and get it in top shape for a job search.