Natasha is a leading HR expert, entrepreneur, author and sought-after media commentator for outlets such as Sunrise (Channel 7), ABC Radio and The Australian Financial Review. Natasha co-founded Employee Matters in 2011 to help Australian businesses achieve success through their people.
When crafting the perfect resume, what you leave out is just as important as what you put in. We are thrilled to share that our Managing Director, Natasha Hawker, was recently featured in an ABC News article discussing exactly what job seekers should leave off their resumes to land that interview.
If you want to make sure your application stands out for the right reasons, here are a few of the top resume missteps Natasha highlighted:
Skip the Headshot: Natasha strongly advises against including a picture on your resume. Not only can these photos appear unprofessional , but pictures and graphics also make it much harder for AI screening systems and human recruiters to properly read your document.
Protect Your Referees: Instead of listing your referees' contact details directly, simply write "referees available upon request". Natasha notes that as a frequent referee herself, she prefers not to receive unsolicited phone calls when she isn't prepared for them.
Watch Out for AI Copy-Paste Fails: While generative AI tools are increasingly being used to write resumes , many applicants forget to remove the square brackets and parentheses that often come with AI-generated responses. Natasha emphasizes the importance of taking the time to check and personalise your resume.
Retire Old High School Achievements: Positions like school captain are excellent to include in the early stages of your career. However, Natasha suggests that the time frame for including these roles generally falls between five and ten years, after which you shouldn't rely on them.
Tailor Your Experience: Resumes shouldn't just be thrown at a role. Natasha suggests clearly listing your five most recent roles in detail, and then listing other older positions as simple bullet points.
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Sifting through piles of poorly formatted resumes to find the right candidate can be overwhelming and time-consuming. At Employee Matters, we deliver innovative, end-to-end recruitment solutions at a fraction of the cost of traditional agency fees.
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