Recently I saw a woman walk into a store with excessive accessories. Maybe it was the red rose clip in her hair, or it could have been the 1980s-style bangles and matching chandelier earrings. It was a sight to behold. If she had stopped with the earrings, she would have looked terrific. Under the barrage of bling was a really cute dress. The same is true on a résumé. You get to a point where you have the perfect amount of relevant information. Piling on more accomplishments to suit any possible need is overkill and can be distracting.

In today’s case, we are only showing a portion to conceal the identity of the candidate. He contacted us for a critique and this section of his résumé screamed out for help, just like the woman on accessory overload. In Jeremy’s case, he had a comprehensive 15-year career as a financial advisor. He has accomplishments to showcase from his career. However, as we get to the end of the résumé, we see this extra section, “Other Experience and Accomplishments.” Here are his extra bangles and a big red rose clip!

One big “no-no” is to show that he enabled his parents to have a nice retirement, including a Mercedes. What a great son! However, it is out of place on the résumé. Instead, he should focus on results he delivered for his clients during his tenure as a financial advisor. If he does show this accomplishment, it needs to be more concrete and he should not mention that those are his parents. He lists some basic functional skills that come across as, “Oh yes, I also can do this and that.” Lastly, he shows a position not mentioned on his résumé. This may cause the reader to wonder just how far back his career history goes and if the candidate is obscuring the dates of the position for a reason.

Jeremy would be better off strengthening the résumé by omitting those additional bits of information. If you are struggling with what to include on your résumé, contact us. Many times you need an objective professional to help you make the right impression.