BY : Peter Economy

A resume is an important tool for getting your next job. Make sure you don't screw it up.

Shared: From your friends TechAutoCareers.com® the online resource for the Automotive Sales Consultant

A resume may be the only opportunity you have for making a first good impression with a prospective employer, and getting your foot in the door for an interview. It is therefore worth your while to invest some time making it the best resume possible.

Beyond neat typing and printing on beautiful stationery, or in the case of submitting online, a clear and easy to read pdf, here is a list of 20 things you definitely need to omit from your resume for a better chance at scoring that interview.

1. Leave out or at least deemphasize certain skills

Emphasize, and place at the top of your resume, those skills that you actually want to continue doing and enhance in your next job. Dump the ones you don't want to do in your next job--or you just might get stuck doing them.

2. Leave out high school jobs

The only exception to this is if you only graduated from high school.

3. Leave off the unprofessional (silly) email account

If you're still using your old, seemed-appropriate-at-the-time email address--gnarlydude56@yahoo.com--it's time to create a new, more professional one.

4. Leave out all misspelled words and poor grammar

Misspelled words and poor grammar are total job-possibility killers--proofread several times and have others proof for you. Practice makes perfect!

5. Leave out superfluous things

Don't list your hobbies on your resume--save these for interview conversation if they're brought up. And, any awards you list should be from community service or previous work.

6. Leave out old-school resume formatting

Find a new, exciting look that will catch the eye of a prospective employer (but not too crazy), and keep your font consistent throughout.

7. Leave out the "Objective" section

Instead of describing what you are searching for--the "Objective" section of a resume--tell the prospective employer how valuable you can be to their company in your professional summary.

8. Leave out personal information

Don't include things like date of birth, ethnicity, religious affiliations (unless the job you're going for is somehow related), reasons for leaving your previous job, specific street addresses or phone numbers of previous employers, or specific salary requests.

9. Leave off the personal photo

The only reason you should ever include a photo of yourself within a resume is if how you look really does matter and was requested by a prospective employer.

10. Leave out gaps in work experience if you can

In some cases you may have a gap of a few months or more between leaving a job and getting a new job. Consider filling this gap with volunteer work or perhaps you helped someone with his or her business, which would be considered consulting.

11. Leave off your home number (if you still have one)

Don't list your home number on your resume--always use a cell number. Employers want to know that you are reachable at any time, not just when you're at home.

12. Leave out references

This is just considered filler for a resume and you will be asked for references if you make it to the next step in the interview process.

13. Leave out the second page

Provide the most-important information about you and your experience on one page--rarely is the second page even glanced at.

14. Leave out the begin and end months

List the year you began and the year your position ended--exception being if a particular position began and ended within the same year.

15. Leave off the word RESUME

Don't title your resume, RESUME. Ugh...

16. Leave out paragraphed job descriptions

Use bullet points--but not so many that your reader becomes bleary-eyed. Prospective employers are much more likely to trash a resume with heavy content paragraphs versus a neat and clean bulleted resume.

17. Leave off salary figures--past and future

If you document what you were making, you could be selling yourself short, and if you say how much you would like to make, you could be killing any chance of an interview.

18. Leave off generic job titles

Recreate generic company-issued job titles so that your future employer has a better idea of what it was you actually did.

19. Leave out duties and responsibilities

You want your prospective employer to see those things you can do better than anyone else, so refrain from a list of duties and responsibilities and instead focus in on what you have done that makes you special. List challenges and how you overcame them. How did your company benefit or profit from your enthusiasm and creativity? What did you do in order to leave your company in a better place than when you started?

20. Leave off age identifiers

Don't list those positions you had a long time ago, and leave off graduation dates. Age discrimination does exist and you at least want to get your foot in the door for an interview so they can see how awesome you are at creating age-irrelevance.

P. S. Urgent if you’re looking to optimize your interpersonal skills for success order a copy of " How to Succeed in the Automotive Sales Industry " @TechAutoCareers.com. Then settle in for a satisfying read that will surely enhance your interpersonal skills for success this year, it is not just a book but a service.

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What do you think? Is this something you can benefit from or do you have a few tricks up your sleeve that are just as powerful? Make your voice heard by leaving a comment below. Don’t forget to hit the share button if you know others who will find this post useful.

I.C. Collins ~ Author, Educator, Trainer and President: Has One Simple Goal: I believe it is my mission and purpose to remind you, that you are meant to have the best life possible! You were created with intention and purpose and I am here to simply help guide you through your life’s journey.