How do I keep personal info off my resume?

A reader writes:

"I'm having difficulties figuring out how I should word something on my resume. I would like to portray my time management skills and notable ability to multi-task, which is what helped me get through college. However, the problem that comes into place is that I was a non-traditional student with a child, held multiple jobs during some semesters and volunteered my time to other children who I would put on and get off the bus. Most of this information is personal information that should never go on a resume, especially a business (health care admin.) resume. 

The part of volunteering my time to children before and after school and also the ability to hold multiple jobs while in school isn't as personal, but, I would like to make known that I strongly exhibit these characteristics without revealing that I'm a mother, non-traditional student, and other personal traits. How would I word this on my resume when I'm giving examples? Also, I didn't job hop. I worked for one organization for 9 years. My wording above may portray it as though I'm a job hopper"

Ok, there are a few things going on here, so let's go through them one by one:

First, don't worry about being seen as a non-traditional student. Really, there is no way to "hide" this based on the amount of experience you will have coupled with your graduation date listed on your resume. Plus, in this economy it has become commonplace for people to go back to school, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Holding multiple jobs while in school also shouldn't be an issue and is usually seen as an asset by employers if you kept your grades up and gained experience. However, you might not want to list every single job you held during college on your resume. Your resume is a marketing document, not an exhaustive account of every job you've ever held, so you should be picking and choosing only the relevant experience to include.

You might find that being more selective with what goes on your resume solves the multiple jobs issue for you. This will also likely help you avoid the job hopper label you're worried about. In general, employers are worried about people how job hop from one career job to another--and that doesn't sound like what you're talking about. If you stayed at one organization for 9 years and held several part0time gigs during school, you shouldn't be perceived as a job hopper anyway.

As for the soft skills like time management and multitasking you got from volunteering,  they only belong on your resume when you can tie them to a specific experience where you gained or practiced those skills. But your sense that you shouldn't reveal personal information when trying to highlight those skills is right on.

Although, to be honest, I'm not sure how listing your volunteer experience would reveal that you're a parent or other personal traits. Without examples of your current wording, I would assume something like "Ensured 3 children ages 5-11 safely go on and off the school bus" would be listed on your resume for what you describe. You should definitely be able to talk about your volunteer experience without revealing personal information.

This is a lot to take in, but I hope this helps!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Should I mention my blog on my resume?

A reader writes:

"I had a question about my blog. Should I mention anything about it on my resume being it's unrelated to my career? I thought of listing some skills that I have gained through it, but not sure if I should actually mention that I am a blogger. Maybe just that I have experience with it and any business/ IT skills I may be fluent in due to blogging?"

Listing a blog on your resume when it is not related to your career can be tricky. Because it is not related to the jobs you are applying for, the number one thing to consider is how does your blog make you better qualified for a job?

Think about the skills and experience you've gained from blogging and how they relate to the jobs you are interested in. Have you promoted your blog, learned about SEO, or networked with other bloggers? These are all fairly common things for bloggers to do. If you're applying for a job that will require marketing skills, technical skills, or communication skills, highlight those skills by tying them to your experience from blogging.

However, if you don't see the connections between your blog and the jobs you're interested in, you should probably leave it off your resume.

One other thing to think about if your blog is not related, how does it reflect on you. By listing a blog on your resume, you're saying  two things: First, you are confident in your writing and communication skills. Second, that you are perfectly ok with a potential employer reading your blog and judging you based on its content. If you are in any way uncomfortable with those two things, definitely leave it off.

It might also help to think about this from the other side. If you were hiring someone and they included an unrelated blog on their resume, what would you think?

As another test, ask someone you trust to read your blog and give you feedback about how it reflects on you as a professional. If any of the feedback is unflattering or unsure, leave it off.

Bottom line, if you are going to list it, make sure your blog reflects on you well as a professional.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

What goes on resumes for parents re-entering the workforce?

A reader writes:

"I'm a first generation and low income recent college graduate. Right after high school, I got married and had children. After my second child, I decided to go back to school and get my degree. Being a full-time college student and a mother of 3 (I had another child while working on my degree), I didn't have a normal college experience. I was also only in 1 club, and didn't participate in very many activities throughout college. To be a mother and a college student, I had to have excellent time management skills, budgeting ability, and organizational skills, but I know that many employers will just look at the fact that I wasn't very involved in college. While I would have liked to have been more involved, I had to think of my family. I did make sure to always go to class and have excellent references from some of my professors because of my dedication to my education. How can I explain this to potential employers on my resume?"

First off, congrats on completing your degree while raising 3 kids! A lot of first generation and low income college students are also student-parents and it is no easy task. It truly does take "excellent time management skills, budgeting ability, and organizational skills;" however, your resume is not the place to showcase this parent-specific skill set.


So then what should go on your resume to fill the gap? Start with your academic experiences. Did you take any important classes, do any exciting projects, or conduct research? This classroom-based experience is totally fair game for your resume, as long as its relevant to the jobs you are applying for, so list classes and academic experience on your resume.


You mentioned that you were part of one club in college. If the activities of the club are related to your career goals, especially if you held a leadership position, definitely list it as well.


Also, think about any volunteer activities or major events you may have done for your kids. Maybe you were the treasurer for your daughter's soccer team or helped coordinate a neighborhood block party. Using these types of experiences allows you to make the connection between "excellent time management skills, budgeting ability, and organizational skills" and what an employer is looking for. You are much better off tying your skills gained as a parent to concrete activities outside of the home.


Check out Jobfully's blog on Resume Make-over: Returning to the Workforce, which I think has some good information about working on your resume when you are going back to work after raising a family.


Good luck!


Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.