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Elizabeth
Student
Saint Clair Shores, Michigan
1
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What traditional resume rules are we leaving behind as we move into 2026?
I've see modern suggestions including ideas such as leaving the dates off of your college and work experiences.
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Michelle M.
Actress
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Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Elizabeth !
Interesting question !
Regarding the date you graduated from college, I have never used it on my resume and always obtained work. Especially now when I am older, who wants to advertise that they got their degree that many years ago. It also can be used to figure out your approximate age and that could be a deal breaker, too, so I agree with not putting the year of college graduation, but definitely put the college, the degree and what it is in.
I highly advise including the start and stop dates for your different work history jobs. Employers want to know how long you've been at a job as that may indicate stability and dedication and that you're good to work with. I do believe that this is still and always will be important to prospective employers.
Although merely my opinion, I always believed that Objectives or Career Goals at the top of the resume are not necessary and I always never had it on my resume and obtained jobs. We all want good opportunities and the chance to grow after all. Any specific statements of goals or intentions can be stated in a well written cover letter and, in my view, doesn't need to be on the resume itself.
If the company and position you had is well known to the public - such as "ABC Restaurant - Hostess and Food Prep " then I think you do not need to list every duty you did because the position describes the work. Something like a CV would be good for that whereas you could have a heading for Skills.
To indicate Skills on your resume, they will have to be ones that you do proficiently and can do them at any given time. For example, I know a little bit of American Sign Language but I am not proficient in it and would never list it as a skill on my resume. On the other hand, I have trained and performed Improvisation as an actress and would put that as a skill on a resume. So skills should indicate that you do them well.
If you have one professional Certification, I would put that under the Education heading. If you have multiple Professional Certifications, you could make a heading for Certifications, but make sure they are professional certifications and not certificates of attendance for one day trainings.
I am old school, however, I prefer a CV for my non-acting resume and use the current standard format for my Acting resume (which is completely different than a business resume).
These are just some that I can think of, but it is said that now a days, a two page resume is acceptable if it is compelling enough. Something I always agreed with, even being old school, is not using words to describe oneself as "hardworking," "dedicated," "team player," and "self-starter". It is said that they are now considered clichés and ineffective because they are subjective and difficult to prove.
It is also said that resumes with flashy, graphic-heavy designs with percentage bars, pie charts, or complex formatting - even though I think they look cool -are no longer suitable for most industries. I especially like the fancy resumes that include a small photo of the applicant, too, but people say don't do it. Just a neat, one column resume would be sufficient.
I have left some links for you below to websites that have suggestions for what is no longer needed on resumes these days. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
WHAT NOT TO PUT ON YOUR RESUME https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/what-not-to-put-on-a-resume
CAREER IMPRESSIONS RESUME TIPS https://careerimpressions.ca/executive-resume-trends-for-2026-what-works-and-what-to-retire/
TOP RESUME - RESUME TIPS https://topresume.com/career-advice/6-things-to-remove-from-your-resume-right-away
RESUME TIPS AT THE WEBSITE MONSTER https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/5-things-you-should-never-put-on-your-resume
RESUME WORDED https://resumeworded.com/blog/resume-dos-and-donts/
Interesting question !
Regarding the date you graduated from college, I have never used it on my resume and always obtained work. Especially now when I am older, who wants to advertise that they got their degree that many years ago. It also can be used to figure out your approximate age and that could be a deal breaker, too, so I agree with not putting the year of college graduation, but definitely put the college, the degree and what it is in.
I highly advise including the start and stop dates for your different work history jobs. Employers want to know how long you've been at a job as that may indicate stability and dedication and that you're good to work with. I do believe that this is still and always will be important to prospective employers.
Although merely my opinion, I always believed that Objectives or Career Goals at the top of the resume are not necessary and I always never had it on my resume and obtained jobs. We all want good opportunities and the chance to grow after all. Any specific statements of goals or intentions can be stated in a well written cover letter and, in my view, doesn't need to be on the resume itself.
If the company and position you had is well known to the public - such as "ABC Restaurant - Hostess and Food Prep " then I think you do not need to list every duty you did because the position describes the work. Something like a CV would be good for that whereas you could have a heading for Skills.
To indicate Skills on your resume, they will have to be ones that you do proficiently and can do them at any given time. For example, I know a little bit of American Sign Language but I am not proficient in it and would never list it as a skill on my resume. On the other hand, I have trained and performed Improvisation as an actress and would put that as a skill on a resume. So skills should indicate that you do them well.
If you have one professional Certification, I would put that under the Education heading. If you have multiple Professional Certifications, you could make a heading for Certifications, but make sure they are professional certifications and not certificates of attendance for one day trainings.
I am old school, however, I prefer a CV for my non-acting resume and use the current standard format for my Acting resume (which is completely different than a business resume).
These are just some that I can think of, but it is said that now a days, a two page resume is acceptable if it is compelling enough. Something I always agreed with, even being old school, is not using words to describe oneself as "hardworking," "dedicated," "team player," and "self-starter". It is said that they are now considered clichés and ineffective because they are subjective and difficult to prove.
It is also said that resumes with flashy, graphic-heavy designs with percentage bars, pie charts, or complex formatting - even though I think they look cool -are no longer suitable for most industries. I especially like the fancy resumes that include a small photo of the applicant, too, but people say don't do it. Just a neat, one column resume would be sufficient.
I have left some links for you below to websites that have suggestions for what is no longer needed on resumes these days. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
Michelle recommends the following next steps: