Greg Miller, Executive Search Consultant, The Wellington Group, LLC

First and foremost, I recommend that you avoid a detailed resume that shows everything you did starting with your first job, unless you are relatively new to the workforce. The hiring manager will not be interested in what you did in 1993 (that was 16 years ago!) or 1988 (21 years ago!).

What to avoid: I know, your past is what made you what you are today, and it all flows in logical professional growth progression, but in the final analysis, potential employers will typically only look at the past 5-10 years. Don’t tell them that you play chess, ride your dirt bike on the weekends, and read in your spare time. The only exception to this might be if you have done some reliable research on your potential new boss, and can mention some of your personal information that matches with his/hers (he/she was an Eagle Scout, or plays hockey for a local club like you do, etc). There may even be civic involvement on the part of your potential new company that you are likewise involved with, and there is nothing wrong with that showing up on your resume discretely. Bottom line: confine your resume to 2-3 pages at the most….no more 8 page resumes! Another blog talks about what to include in your resume…take a peek at that one for more information.