http://www.careerealism.com/3-of-the-biggest-resume-mistakes/
We agree with two of the sections in this article on resume-drafting by Sara Lynch at Careerealism, but disagree with her section on “Irrelevant Data.”
Sara’s comments about making your resume consistent with other information publicly-available about you – like your Linked in Bio – is absolutely spot-on. Your resume must especially match what your employer’s website or Linked In states about your prior positions and titles. And she’s also correct that listing both your email address a telephone number on your resume are critical. Employers need to be able to reach you quickly when they’re ready to interview.
But we don’t agree with her thoughts on leaving all personal interests, sports, and date of degrees off your resume. Sara might be right if you’re applying to positions in industries such as technology, healthcare, finance, or engineering, for example. But in our area of focus – the legal field – the hiring managers we work with in Texas are well-rounded, outgoing, and highly curious individuals, and they appreciate seeing the same in the resumes they’re reviewing for consideration. So if you have interesting outside interests or accomplishments, include them in your resume. Caveat: Do not include goofy or bizarre interests, or any interests or accomplishments that hint at politics, religion, or any other topic that could be considered controversial. If you’re not sure whether your hobby is interesting or bizarre, or if it’s controversial, then leave it off! Here are real-life examples from resumes we’ve seen: “bee-keeping” is interesting; “keeping my dog from jumping on my furniture” is goofy, and “professional clown on weekends” is bizarre.
Sports in college are another topic she recommends not be included, but we disagree for the legal industry. Interviews in the legal world are typically more conversational than structured and formal (at least in Texas they are), so interviewers appreciate a topic to initially connect over and break the ice with. College sports are great for this. (But include only varsity sports that you played – not intramural ones).
Lastly, for positions in the legal field, always include the year of any degrees. Most people in the legal industry are linear, left-brain thinkers, so like to see a chronological job history since college. If you don’t include your graduation date, we think you might be leaving off a rocky patch of your career. We like to see it all, and only know if we’re seeing it all if you provide the year of your degrees.