Is yours a 20th century resume?

Jun 4th, 2014
Is yours a 20th century resume?


As times have changed, what was once considered normal is now looked at in wonder.  Many job seekers were drilled on the proper way to write a resume to get a job in school or college and often times in another country with different customs.However, in the last 10 years, the world has been changed by the likes of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and what should be in and stays out of your resume has changed too. We’re here to make you aware of some of the most common mistakes we see. Tell us if you feel we missed something by emailing us at info at our companyname dot com.
 
4 signs you have a 20th century resume
1.       Your resume has your detailed home street address
In the old days, resumes and application forms were sent by postal mail. Today an employer doesn't need to know where you live exactly. Just list your name, city, phone number and email and they should be able to get a hold of you. Once you have the job offer you can furnish all the details
What are the risks? Identity thieves can get a hold of your resume from a job board and your address can be misused to get a new creditcard, etc. The recruiter/hiring manager looks up your home address to figure out your home price, neighborhood, etc. to try and get more demographic information on you.
Your ex, admirer, stalker can find this information with a quick subscription to a job board
 
2.       You mention your marital status, visa status, sex, age or parent’s name
There is no need for this information to the employer- so it is not necessary and might even work against you if someone judges you based on the answers. This is especially common among foreign workers from India or China where this kind of information is regularly demanded by employers.
 
3.       You mention your passport number or social security number in your resume
It used to be the case that some companies demanded these to run a prescreening before considering you, but given the lax security and how companies lose this data, it is no longer required and you should not have to provide this information unless you have a job offer in hand. Some companies may ask for the last 4 digits of your social security number so they can identify you apart from your name. It might be OK to share this if you trust the company/recruiter asking for it. A lot of initial screenings for candidates happen out of call centers in India, Mexico, Phillipines. The security at these facilities are not as secure as those of their US counterparts because identity theft and online fraud is not as big a problem in these places as it is in the US.
 
4.       You don’t offer links to your Linkedin, OnContracting, Twitter or Github profiles
A lot of applicants believe the recruiters decide on moving forward with you based on just the resume. You are mistaken. Any recruiter that doesn’t check your other online and social presence is not doing basic due diligence about you. Social profiles are much harder to lie on because they are public. Keep your accounts professional and make the recruiter’s job easier by sharing your social profile links, so they can find you easily instead of some unsavory character that shares the same name as you.

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