What Stays and What Goes on a Resume: 10 Real Edits and Why I Made Them
- Itay Sharfi
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
In the hundreds of resumes I’ve reviewed and rewritten, one question keeps coming up:
“Why did you remove that?”
Whether it’s a current role, a language, or a hobby, people naturally want to include everything they’ve done. But in resume editing, there’s a saying I live by:
Delete is the strongest edit.
A good resume isn’t a record of everything you’ve touched. It’s a focused, strategic highlight reel of what matters now—for the job you’re aiming for.
The 8 Rules I Use to Decide What Stays
Is it relevant? Does it directly support the job you’re applying for?
Is it impressive? Would someone reading this stop and think, “That’s strong”?
Is it recent? Older items fade in impact unless they’re exceptional.
Does it show growth? Movement from junior to senior, or into a more aligned role, deserves space.
Does it explain a gap or clarify your path? If it avoids confusion or shows what you were doing during a hard period, it often belongs.
Does it show personality? Military service, competitive sports, teaching others—these say something about you, not just your skills.
Does it show commitment to your path? If something on your resume suggests you’re drifting or not serious about the direction you're pursuing, it can work against you.
Does it water down your story? A resume full of shallow or unfocused experiences weakens your case. Too many minor projects or outdated tools can dilute your value.
10 Real Resume Decisions: What I Kept and What I Cut
1. Four Lightweight Projects
Decision: ❌ Cut 2 The candidate listed four personal projects. But none went deep—so instead of looking accomplished, it made the work look shallow. I kept the two strongest and dropped the rest.
Rule applied: Waters down the story
2. Music and Pickleball as Interests
Decision: ❌ Cut These were included to show personality. But unless they clearly align with the job or say something unique, they take up space better used for accomplishments.
Rule applied: Not relevant
3. Speaks Several Languages
Decision: ✅ Kept The candidate spoke 5 languages. While not required, this added a unique angle for roles with international exposure and showed communication strength.
Rule applied: Impressive + potential relevance
4. Short-Term Non-Tech Job During Job Search
Decision: ❌ Cut The candidate worked in a non-tech service job for 5 months during a job search. In today’s market, that short gap is normal—and the role didn’t move their career forward.
Rule applied: Lack of commitment to your path
5. Sales → Product Career Shift
Decision: ✅ Kept The transition showed growth and direction. I used the sales background to frame strong communication, customer empathy, and strategic thinking.
Rule applied: Shows growth
6. Volunteering to Teach Kids Coding
Decision: ✅ Kept Not a paid job—but aligned with the field, recent, and full of initiative. It showed leadership, mission, and people skills.
Rule applied: Shows personality
7. CSS/HTML for a Backend Developer
Decision: ❌ Cut CSS and HTML, while common, don’t strengthen a backend-focused resume unless directly tied to relevant work. Listing front-end skills makes the resume feel scattered for backend roles.
Rule applied: Not relevant / not recent
8. College Club Leadership (Graduated 11 Years Ago)
Decision: ❌ Cut Club leadership was great at the time—but years into a career, it no longer signals anything recruiters can use.
Rule applied: Not recent
9. Freelancing During a Layoff
Decision: ✅ Kept Even small freelance work in your field shows persistence, continued learning, and forward momentum. I love when people use gaps in full-time employment to demonstrate their commitment to the field.
Rule applied: Shows growth, Personality, and Relevance
10. Military Service
Decision: ✅ Always kept Even if unrelated to tech, military experience signals responsibility, resilience, and leadership under pressure.
Rule applied: Shows personality
Final Thought
Your resume is not your autobiography. It’s your argument.
Every line should either strengthen your positioning—or it weakens it.
That’s why delete is often the best edit.
When in doubt, ask: Is this building my case, or watering it down?
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