If you’re applying for mining jobs, here are nine things you don’t want to include on your resume.
There’s lots of advice on the internet about what to include in your resume, but do you know what not to include?
Some pieces of information are just not necessary – the mining company or the recruiter just doesn’t need to know it – yet job applicants often include it. Other bits of information, or the way you present it, can actually damage your chances of getting the job.
If you’re applying for mining jobs, you want to give your resume the best possible chance of success. So here we’ve listed some of the things you don’t want to have on your resume.
Photos
You’re not going for a modelling or acting job; you’re applying for a job in Australia’s mining industry. What you look like (even if you’re a handsome devil) is absolutely irrelevant.
Recruiters work hard to avoid unconscious bias (inadvertently favouring or disfavouring an applicant based on personal preferences) so some companies won’t even consider resumes with photos.
Photos can also cause problems with the automated tracking systems recruitment companies use to scan resumes to find the best available applicants – and that’s a problem you definitely want to avoid.
Marital status and children
While your partner and your kids might be your whole world, the fact they exist is not relevant to your job application. It’s just more information that could cause a problem with unconscious bias.
(While recruiters and mining companies work very hard to avoid this kind of thing happening, it’s easy to imagine a hypothetical situation where a mining company chooses a single person for a FIFO role over someone with a partner and children, because of the imagined differing effects being away from family could have on those two candidates.)
Age
Your age is not what’s relevant to your job application; your experience is. To some extent, listing your experience and employment history will give recruiters an idea of your age, but on the whole your date of birth isn’t a consideration.
Home address
This might seem counterintuitive but don’t put your home address on your resume.
This, again, is to avoid unconscious bias. For example, imagine you were going for an office-based role with a mining company that had its headquarters in Joondalup (in Perth’s northern suburbs) and the manager had to choose between two great candidates. One of those candidates lives south of the river and the other lives north of the river. It’s easy to see how the manager might pick the candidate who lives closer, even though both candidates could do the job.
Graphics
Graphics might make your resume look pretty but they can cause real problems with the automated systems recruiters use to scan CVs. These systems read resumes in search of keywords which indicate you might be right for a job. If you include graphics in your CV and the system can’t read it properly, you might well miss out on your ideal job opportunity.
READ MORE: 6 myths about resumes you probably think are true
Detail about non-relevant experience
Don’t include too much detail about jobs you’ve had that don’t really have relevant experience. For example, if you worked at McDonald’s 15 years ago, just include the job title, date and location. There’s no need to include duties and responsibilities.
Generally, the last 10 to 15 years of experience are the most relevant information to include. Jobs prior to that can be listed but there’s no need to go into detail.
More than four pages of information
If you’ve had lots of jobs or you’ve done lots of training, your resume might start to get a little long. Generally, resumes should be no longer than four pages in length. And that’s a maximum. Go shorter, if you can. (In some countries employers expect single-page resumes, so four pages is a luxury!)
Remember, the resume is designed to get you an interview. It’s the brochure. It’s not the full sales strategy. Save that for the interview itself.
Referees
If you include your referees and their contact information, some recruiters will call your referees even before they call you for an interview. That’s not giving you the chance to sell yourself. It’s better to simply state that references are available. You can read more about this here.
Hobbies
Recruiters really don’t care whether you like windsurfing, camping or crocheting blankets in your spare time. Including your hobbies just takes up space you could be using to sell your skills and experience. Leave it out.
Make sure to register your details with us to ensure you’re considered for upcoming opportunities that match your skill set.