Whether you are actively looking for work or simply just open to new opportunities, having an updated, professional resume available on request is always a good idea. If it’s been a while since you looked at your CV, we invite you to dust it off and give it a fresh update!

Here are 3 things to consider removing from your resume:

1. Full Mailing Address

Where you live should not be a deciding factor for employers as to whether or not you are the right candidate for the job, so why present it as an option to discount your candidacy at all? Having said that, if you happen to have an out-of-area phone number, you may want to consider including your current city and province or a note in your objective stating your intent to relocate (if that is the case) to avoid any potential confusion.

2. Unprofessional Email

Like the majority of people out there, you probably created an awesome email address you thought was super cool when you were younger, and maybe you’re still using it today – having a little giggle every time you have to say it out loud to someone and then telling the funny anecdote about why you have it. Well as fun as I’m sure it is to take that walk down memory lane from time to time, using it on your resume as a means of potential employers to contact you is highly unprofessional. With so many FREE email platforms out there, you have multiple options to choose from where you can reserve a professional email address that you can use exclusively for your career search activities.

PRO TIP: Take it one step further and incorporate your name as it appears on your resume and LinkedIn profile along with your credentials. For example: sam.smith.cpa@domain.com

3. Relevant Experience VS All Experience

This can be a tough one to navigate, especially if you have decades of experience under your belt. However, keeping your resume current, is about more than just adding your latest position and company to the laundry list of places you’ve worked and making sure the dates are all correct. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding if you should include it or remove it:

* Is this position relevant to the job I am applying for? If the answer is NO, don’t include it. If the answer is YES, but the experience is more than 10 years old and you have other similar positions on your resume above it, I’d leave it out as well.

* Am I currently utilizing this particular skill set? If the answer is NO, don’t include it.

* Is this software or program still relevant in the current job market? If the software no longer exists or the program has evolved to something entirely new, this experience, although valuable at the time, is no longer relevant and should be removed.

PRO TIP: Experience in the industry or role you are applying for is best to be highlighted near the top of your resume. For example, if you worked in the Insurance industry for 5 years, but for the last 10 years you have been working in Retail and are looking at getting back into Insurance now, you would be best served to move your Insurance experience to the top of your resume. A common layout to accommodate this is to replace Work Experience with 2 different headings – one titled Relevant Work Experience and the other titled Additional Work Experience. This allows you to highlight the background you have in the sector you are applying to while also showing that you have been gainfully employed elsewhere.

If you are looking for your next great opportunity, check out our Career Opportunities page and register as a candidate for future consideration today – we’d love to work with you!