Don't Always Leave Irrelevant Details Off of Your Resume

When writing resumes, there are tons of rules to follow. Don't include this. Be sure to include that. By the time you're done following every guideline, your brain is too fried to look at your resume from a subjective perspective, which is something that is sometimes needed to create a well-rounded document.

When being objective, we often don't realize that a well-rounded document includes bits of our past that could be deemed irrelevant. However, if you get help writing resumes, you may be advised to include what you think is irrelevant to show character. If you're not comfortable with this idea, let's take a closer look at why it's not a bad idea to consider it.

Irrelevant Information Paints a Full Picture

There's no doubt that the two summers that you spent being a camp counselor, or the one year that you volunteered as a missionary in the Philippines may seem completely irrelevant when creating a resume for a sales position at a pharmaceutical company. But there are several reasons that these two experiences could very well make you desirable to a hiring manager.

Suppose that the hiring manager was himself a camp counselor and realized how many skills he acquired in this position. Not to mention that he really likes the character that is required to be one.

Or maybe the manager has a soft spot for people who give up their lives to travel abroad and help others for no money, as you did as a missionary. That and he feels that the people skills you acquired and the inherent compassion you have will help you relate perfectly with prospective clients. All of these details help to paint a full picture of who you are, something that could help you rise above others during the application process.

Should You Do It?

The thing is everyone has their idea of what's irrelevant and what's not when it comes to writing resumes. You'd be surprised by what you think is completely unimportant that a hiring manager could see as the one key item that would encourage them to hire you.

Sometimes, hiring managers and companies as a whole have goals that you know nothing about. So before you choose to leave some things out, you might actually add them in to see what happens.

The worst that could occur is that the manager gets a chance to learn a bit more information about you that sheds you in a positive light--and your character is further developed in their eyes. If this doesn't help your chances, it certainly shouldn't hurt them. So why not give it a try?