What's Missing From Today's Resumes
Have you noticed some things increasingly missing from today’s resumes? Years ago, we often referred to the lack of achievements and tailored content as critical missing pieces in resumes. Generic resumes generally lack the differentiators that set candidates apart in a very competitive candidate pool.
Yet, there are other missing bits from today's resumes. And it's intentional!
There are multiple reasons for omitting specific data from a resume, which include:
- Privacy Concerns
- Preferred Communication Method
- Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Considerations
What's the most significant exclusion we're seeing?
There are a growing number of job seekers who want to exclude their mailing addresses from their resumes. With today's near-instant communications, such as mobile phones and online direct messaging, the mailing address has taken a back seat of importance.
Privacy Concerns
In addition to job seeker preference, there may be legal concerns to consider. For example, there’s been some debate on whether employers who store and use information from an uploaded resume violate the Personally Identifiable Information Act (PIIA). Beyond employers, we also need to consider what happens with resumes once they get uploaded because we never fully control their destination or who gains access to the contact info contained in them.
Preferred Communication Method
Beyond mailing addresses, we're also seeing job seekers include ONLY their preferred method of communication.
Therefore, we're seeing the exclusion of email addresses and LinkedIn profile URLs. Job seekers don't always see a need to include these alternate communication channels when they prefer being contacted via phone.
Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Considerations
Excluding specific data to help with ATS screening is also a consideration of today's job seekers.
For example, job seekers looking to relocate may find excluding a mailing address an ideal strategy to avoid resume rejection by humanless systems. Essentially, ATS could disqualify a resume when a job seeker’s mailing address doesn’t match the location of the company/job location.
