Does it help or hurt your resume?

I don’t think there are any shades of grey here. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄, 𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄. There’s nothing in between.

Why do I say this? Because lots of resumes I see look over-stuffed. There’s too much detail for someone on the hiring side to get a clear picture of the applicant. Or, there’s precious little white space as it’s all squeezed into two pages. That just makes it hard work for the hiring team. 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗺. Don’t hurt yourself like that.

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿. When you do that fine-tuning, ask yourself:

✨ That role I had 16 years ago. Is there anything in my experience there that helps my application for this specific job? If it doesn’t, it hurts you. Cut it.

✨ That volunteer work I do that’s so satisfying, does that experience help my application for this specific job? If it doesn’t, it hurts you. Cut it.

✨ If you’re fluent in 4 languages you should be proud! (I can barely manage two, American-English and British-English…). But, are you going to get hired for those other 2-3 languages? If not, it hurts you. Cut it.

✨ That bullet you have on a role from 8 years ago…is it relevant to this new opportunity you’re applying for? If not, it hurts you. Cut it.

✨ Demonstrating continuous learning is good, no question. But all those random LinkedIn or Coursera certifications from a few years ago…are those skills relevant? If not, they hurt you. Cut them.

Lean, tight resumes are good.