ATLANTA — Job seekers might be hurting their chances of employment by stuffing unnecessary information into their resumes.
Finding work in the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard. A single sheet of paper can stand between you and that highly desired job.
Wait. A single page? You’ve got a lot to say to that perspective boss and one page isn’t going to do it.
Be careful though, you can put too much in your resume. Here’s why.
“It’s definitely possible to put too much on a resume,” says Joel Alexis of the Georgia Department of Labor.
Alexis tells us that a one-page resume would probably be okay for most of us.
“The higher up on the food chain you’re going, the more information is needed on the resume,” says Alexis. “If you can fit it onto one page and show you’re highly qualified, that’s one of the best things to do.”
It’s important to tailor your resume to the specific job you’re seeking.
Listing hobbies or skills that have nothing to do with the job may seem impressive to you, but it likely won’t be to that prospective boss.
“Because it’s just too much,” says Alexis. “They’re overwhelmed by having too much information in front of them and they’re not sure where to look for that specific qualification.”
Alexis suggests you should put your qualifications for the specific job you’re seeking at the top of your resume. Follow with the jobs you’ve had that have helped you build on those qualifications.
If you have ten or more years’ experience, then you might need a second page.
“A CEO would be a person needing a multi-page resume, though most don’t need a resume because they’re highly sought,” says Alexis.
A study by the job search firm The Ladders reports that job recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds looking over a resume before deciding if a prospective employee is worthy of a closer look.