No such thing as a perfect resume!

A resume will never be perfect! Why? Simple, like all things in life, everyone has an opinion as to what constitutes a perfect resume. Sure there are services that will write resumes for you, and there are job counsellors that will tell you a resume MUST be a certain way. None of these are wrong. But, at the same time, they are not correct either. So, instead of looking at what the format should or shouldn't be, let's look at what you should or shouldn't include. Beyond that, structure it logically with good flow, let others read it to critique your resume, make any real, and necessary, changes. But, don't go overboard!

So, here goes:

Age, sex, martial status:  
In North America, these details should be left out - they have no impact on how you perform your job and can be used for discrimination.

Political or religious affiliations:  
Discrimination is a fact of life. This information is not for public consumption. Your political or religious affiliations are yours. Keep it private.

Volunteer work:
  As long as it’s non-political and non-religious. It shows you are sharing, caring, willing to learn and most of all you give of yourself.

Hobbies and leisure activities:
  A resume is a professional, business presentation. Unless your hobbies have a bearing on the position you are applying for, it’s wasted space.

Employer information:
  Keep it brief, just provide the company name and location. The name of a supervisor, manager etc. is not required or acceptable!

Keywords:
  It is necessary to include some of your industry’s jargon or buzzwords. It shows that you are up on current trends and technology and can interact well among your peers in their language. More importantly, it is likely your resume will be scanned for specific keywords.

Compensation:
  Does not need to be on a resume. It really has no bearing on the position, until you are at the negotiation stage. If you are working with a recruiter, leave this to them!

Reasons for leaving previous employment:  
If you are working with a recruiter, let them know why you left. The potential new employer, may ask about your reasons for leaving during the interview. Be fair and honest, but remember, criticism of your last/current employer will not be in your favor.

References:
  There are a couple of things that are given, this is a resume (no need to put this on the resume, it is redundant), likewise, it is pretty much accepted that you will have references, no need to include this information. If you are on LinkedIn, odds are that you have some sort of references on your profile. Believe me, we check!

Employment Gaps:
  Account for any gaps in your employment, if possible, people will take time off for personal, care giving, health reasons or they have simply have been unemployed. The resume is a factual document, however, everyone has gaps. You need to be prepared to answer to those gaps.