Update Your Old Fashioned Resume

No matter what kind of job you're looking for, your resume is always the first impression you convey to a potential employer. And while resume styles don't change overnight like clothing, cars, or commercials, the accepted conventions of resume writing continue to evolve. People who read a lot of resumes -- human resources people and hiring managers -- can spot a dated resume at a glance.

Watch these classic signs of an old-fashioned resume and banish them from yours.

Stuffy Language
Blame it on lack of time, declining English skills, or just the Internet, but today's writing is sparer, more direct, and less formal than ever. And while any job search communication will always have considerable amounts of formality to it, resumes and cover letters reflect this increasing directness as well. So cut out the fluff and watch the flowery adjectives. Use facts to speak more loudly than puffed-up bragging.

Outdated Expressions
Watch out for outdated, unnecessary phrases such as "References available Upon Request." This goes without saying. So it's only going to take up precious space on your resume and tip your hand that you're an old-timer in the job search world.

Dated Formatting
Look at the many resume books to find ideas for more up-to-date formatting. While elaborate design elements and complicated layouts are still unacceptable in all but very creative professions, you can nonetheless significantly freshen up the style of your resume with a few sound layout techniques.

Ignoring the Need for Readability with Electronic Scanners
Many companies use electronic scanners to sort through and file resumes. Like it or not, it's just a fact of life now. Some resume formats make it difficult for such digital methods to correctly interpret your resume. By remaining ignorant of that and failing to craft your resume accordingly, you not only eliminate yourself from consideration in many cases, you also tip your hand that you haven't been keeping up with key changes in the employment world (resume scanning software has been in general use since the mid 1990s).