Race, Sex and Religion on Your Resume: How Personal Is Too Personal?
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Race, Sex and Religion on Your Resume: How Personal Is Too Personal?Race, Sex and Religion on Your Resume: How Personal Is Too Personal?

by Kim Isaacs

You’re probably aware that hiring managers cannot ask discriminatory questions during interviews. But this legal protection isn’t too useful in preventing discrimination before the interview. If your resume contains personal information unrelated to your job target — your race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. — you might fall victim to discrimination, even if you’re qualified for the position.Your resume is a marketing tool designed to get your foot in the door, so every bit of information on it should be selling your value to potential employers. Follow these guidelines to ensure your resume only contains personal information relevant to your job target.

Personal Information That May Be Omitted

  • Affiliations, Volunteer Work, Extracurricular Activities and Hobbies: You may leave out organization names that disclose your cultural background, religious affiliation, sexual orientation and other possible targets of discrimination. List only experiences that help sell you as a candidate for your targeted job.
  • Languages: Listing your native language may reveal your nationality. Include only languages that add to your qualifications for the job. In certain cases, knowing a second language is a plus and should be included on your resume.
  • Personal Information: With the exception of federal or state jobs, which may require this information, and entertainment jobs, for which personal attributes would be considered bona fide qualifications, your date of birth, marital status, nationality, etc., should be omitted.

Personal Information That Should Be on Your Resume

  • Your Name: You can’t pick a new name in hopes of getting more interviews unless you have legally changed it.
  • Your Employers: If you worked for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, for example, you shouldn’t hide your employer’s name and misrepresent your work history.
  • Schools Attended: Even if your postsecondary school has a religious affiliation, you should include the school name in your Education section.
  • Work Experience or Training in Foreign Countries: Include all work and educational experiences, as long as they are relatively recent.

Deciding What to Include

  • Think About It: Will revealing the information in question highlight skills that would qualify you for the position? For example, if you’re pursuing a management position and held leadership roles with religious organizations, consider including these experiences.
  • Target Your Audience: If you’re applying for a position with the American Civil Liberties Union, for instance, your resume may highlight your cultural background, involvement in related organizations and diversity-related accomplishments. If you don’t know the organization’s culture or the hiring manager’s possible biases, omit personal information that will not add to your qualifications.
  • Bear in Mind the Prospective Employer’s Geographic Location: In some communities, involvement in civic or religious groups is highly desirable and including your related experience on your resume would enhance your credentials.
  • Evaluate Your Personal Preferences: The this-is-me-take-it-or-leave-it attitude may leave you hungry when looking for a job in a world where discrimination still exists. You don’t want to lose a chance at your dream job because of a hiring manager’s possible biases. You may or may not report to the person once hired, anyway.

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Copyright 2008- Monster Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. You may not copy, reproduce or distribute this article without the prior written permission of Monster Worldwide. This article first appeared on Monster, the leading online global network for careers. To see other career-related articles visit http://content.monster.com

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This article was written by Kim Isaacs, director of ResumePower.com and author of The Career Change Resume book. Visit the ResumePower.com site to learn more about resume services to jump-start your career.

Resume Tips for an Internal Transfer
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Make sure you stand out if you're going for an internal transferI loved Norma’s post on the Monster Blog about the right way to go after an internal transfer, and I’m glad Norma pointed out the importance of updating your resume to “sell” yourself for an internal move.

If you’re trying to move up within your company, check out this article that includes strategies for an internal promotion: Resume Writing Tips for an Internal Promotion

For lateral transfers, I would add that it’s important to demonstrate transferable skills that are relevant to the new position. Find out which skills are important in the job you’re targeting, and incorporate your matching skills and accomplishments in the resume. It’s also important to show that you’ve successfully met diverse job challenges and that you quickly learn and master new skills.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

P.S.: You guys are keeping me busy with free resume reviews! My schedule is starting to get pretty hectic, so I might have to close this offer in the near future. If you would like a free review of your resume, hop on over to this thread and post your resume in the “Comments” section — before it’s too late. Thank you!

Typos on the Resume
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Proofread your resumeI just interviewed a recruiter who told me that he throws away resumes that contain just one typo or spelling error. No second chances there!While not all recruiters are that much of a stickler, it makes me wonder how many job seekers are losing opportunities because they didn’t proofread their resumes.

When you think about it in the context of lost wages or lost opportunities, the importance of proofreading your resume hits home.

I would also say it’s an excellent investment to hire a writer if you’re not comfortable with your own proofreading skills. You will probably see an enormous ROI.

All the best,

Kim Isaacs

P.S. – I’m thrilled that people are submitting their resumes for a free critique on this thread. If you would like your resume reviewed, submit your resume as a comment on that thread, and I’ll review ASAP.

Free Resume Critique from Kim Isaacs

Career Change Resume – Monster Podcast

Free Resume Critique from Kim Isaacs, ResumePower.com
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Free Resume Critique from Kim Isaacs, ResumePower.com!Note: This offer is now closed. If you submitted your resume, thank you for giving me the chance to review your document! If you missed this opportunity, please stay tuned because I will re-open the offer in the future.

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If you are wondering if your resume measures up to the competition, this is your lucky day. You can now submit your resume to the ResumePower blog for a free resume critique. Just click “Post a Comment” and copy and paste your resume in the message box. Include your current career goal, as it’s difficult to critique a resume if I don’t know the job target. Tell me about any special circumstances or challenges you are facing. I will offer general feedback to give you direction on how you can improve your document.

***Important: Please remove any personal, identifying information before submitting your resume, including: name, address, email address, phone number(s), employer names, schools attended, and anything else that would reveal your identity. I will remove posts that contain personal information. Thanks for your interest, and I look forward to reviewing your resume!

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

Career Changers: Wake Up and Work on Your Resume
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Career Changers: Improve Your ResumeA few weeks ago, a career changer posted a message on Monster’s Resume Tips board and explained that he is using “the world’s shortest resume,” admittedly created using a Microsoft Word template. (Click here to read the thread.)

Can you hear me gasping?

His message has been bothering me not only because I know he will have a difficult job search (career changer after 39 years in his field), but also because he’s not alone — many others are trying to achieve major job transitions using inferior job search documents.

If you’re apologizing for your resume, you need to improve it!

If you’re using a resume that’s not the best representation of you, you will pay with a longer and more frustrating job search and possibly lost wages.Job searching is hard enough for people on a steady career track, and although some can get away with throwing a resume together using a Word template, most require a well-strategized document that markets them effectively. This is even more true for career changers.

Don’t have the skills to write a resume that will open doors? Bite the bullet and pay for a professional resume service. There are many talented resume writers available to take on the headache of creating your resume. Whether you take the time to learn how to write a winning resume and do it yourself, or hire a professional resume writer — please make your resume a priority. You’ll enjoy a more successful job search (and I’ll rest easier!).

All the best,

Kim Isaacs

Resume Writing Tip: List Short-Term Job?
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jobhoppingMichael asks, “I recently started a job that I absolutely hate. I don’t want employers to think I’m job-hopping, so I’m thinking of leaving the job off my resume. Is this the right thing to do?

Kim’s answer: This is is a common dilemma. My recommendation is to include the position on your resume. First, you will show current employment, which is always good. Second, it’s more honest to list the experience, and then you don’t have to explain to potential employers that you omitted a job from your resume.Use your cover letter to briefly (and as positively as possible) explain your circumstances, and avoid writing anything negative about your current employer.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

Resume Writing Tip: Return to a Former Career
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Resume Writing Advice: Return to a Former CareerStand out from the crowd, even if your career has taken an unwanted turn!

Are you unhappy in your current job and wishing you can return to a former career? Chances are, you can!

You might feel like you’ve been out of your field for so long, you wouldn’t be desirable. But there are resume and cover letter strategies you can use to make a seamless transition back to the career you loved.

Follow these tips, and please post a comment if you have other strategies that have worked for you:

Resume Tips

  • Lead with a bold headline or title section that clearly states your new goal.
  • Write a Qualifications Summary that emphasizes your strongest credentials related to your former career field.
  • Include a Key Skills section that highlights skills related to your previous career.
  • Rearrange your work history so that you lead with your former, related employment. You can rename sections as appropriate (such as “Management Experience”) so it’s clear you’re grouping work history based on type of work and not chronologically.
  • Emphasize recent training or activities related to your previous career to show that you’ve kept your skills up to date.

Cover Letter Tips

  • Explain your decision to return to a former career. Hiring managers will be wondering why you’re doing this, and this is a perfect chance for you to express your passion for your previous career path.
  • Reference accomplishments from your earlier career so employers see that you excelled in this field.
  • Give examples of how you’ve been keeping your skills refreshed.

Speaking of keeping your skills refreshed, it’s very important to do this! The best way to keep your skills updated depends on your specific career field, but options include taking a class, attending conferences, participating in networking groups, practicing your skills on a freelance basis, volunteering, and keeping abreast of industry changes and trends.

Can you think of other ways to refresh your skills to prepare for a return to a former career?

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

The Career Change Resume – Fox Business News Interview