Personal Information in a Resumes - Continued

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And the list goes on. It is important to use your judgment, since only you know best what qualifications are important in your field. For instance, on the third example in this section, you will notice that the author was a minister. In his line of work, it is very important to list a great deal of personal information that most employers would not need to know or even be allowed by law to request. In his case, the information he provided related directly to bonafide occupational qualifications for the job he was seeking.

Photographs

Photographs on a resume are required by foreign companies requesting a curriculum vita. However, in the United States, photographs are discouraged in all but a few industries. For instance, if you are trying for a job as an actor, model, newscaster, or in some other field where your appearance is, again, a bonafide occupational qualification, then a photograph is appropriate. Remember, there is an exception to every rule in the resume business, so use your judgment.

References

References are not usually presented on a resume since most employers will not take the time to check references until after an interview. By then, they will have your completed application with a list of references. You also don't want to impose on your friends, associates, or former employers unnecessarily or too frequently. There is nothing wrong with taking a nicely printed list of personal references with you to an interview, however. Here's one of those exceptions to the rule again. If an advertisement requests that a list of references be sent with the resume and cover, then by all means supply the list. You don't want to be accused of not following directions!

Another thing: Avoid that needless line at the bottom of the resume that says, "References available upon request". It takes up valuable white space that you need to define the sections of your resume in order to draw the reader's eyes logically down the page.

Pretend you are an interviewer. You ask, "Will you provide references?" The interviewee replies, "Sorry, no, I can't do that." Will you even think twice about continuing to consider this candidate? I think not. It is assumed that you will provide references when requested.

• Name in Resume
• Address in a Resume
• Resume Section Headings
• Dates in Resumes
• Your Location in a Resume
• Personal Information in a Resume
• Resume Fonts & Bullets
• Graphic Lines in a Resume
• Resume Example
• Paragraph Style in a Resume
• Creative Resumes