Personal Information on a Resume
A resume is a presentation of a person’s professional background, demonstrating their capability and potential. It needs to sell the job seeker to a hiring manager and generate interest that will lead to an interview.
Some job seekers try to personalize their resume by including information unrelated to their career. This can include their age, family status, religious affiliation, hobbies, volunteer work or other details. The only reason to put something on a resume is to make it more effective – in other words – land an interview. By putting personal information on your resume, you are asking a hiring manager to make a hiring decision based on this information.
Do you think that having three kids, being an active fisherman or volunteering at a charity is a reason why a person would be a better quality manager, distribution supervisor or sales executive? There are much better reasons why to hire a person. For example, their experience in a similar job and their education are usually good criteria for making a hiring decision.
Including some personal details is not a major detractor on a resume. Just as a hiring manager won’t hire someone because they ballroom dance, they will not reject them for this either. The reason you want to omit personal information is that your resume is limited in length. The vast majority of resumes need to be two pages or less. There are exceptions to this rule, but they are rare. With only two pages to show your entire professional background, extraneous information needs to be avoided.
Every element of your resume needs to demonstrate your potential. If a detail doesn’t help you get an interview, you should put something else in it’s place. For example,
- Expand the descriptions within your work experience by adding additional accomplishments.
- List training classes and continuing education you have completed in your field.
- Qualify the skills you list on your resume with examples of projects that demonstrate your skill level.
Adding information to your resume that could impress a hiring manager and eliminating informations that is far less important to your career will improve your chances of landing an interview.