In case you haven’t heard, finding a job nowadays isn’t as easy as it used to be. You can blame it on outsourcing, the poor economy or recent political drama …whatever the case, graduates having to return home to “live with the ’rents” is becoming a frequent — and arguably normal — occurrence at universities across the country.

Plain and simple: It’s a tough market. But the best way to stand out among the competition, says Careerbuilder.com’s Kaitlin Madden, is to make sure your résumé is free of clutter and fluff. A recent article published on the company’s website lists the top things to avoid when composing yours. Including what you decide is important is a must, Madden says, but ultimately (and almost ideally), it’s integral to NOT post certain things.

To the soon-to-be-grads and job-hunters everywhere, behold: These are the Seven Deadly Sins of Sending Your Résumé:

1) Your interests: Everyone has hobbies and that’s just terrific. Really. But the purpose of a résumé is to serve as a professional document, highlighting your entire life’s worth of work on one or two pages. That being said, it’s important that what you include on yours is relevant to the job you’re applying for. You may be a fan of Ryan Gosling films and making Bruschetta appetizers, but unless you’re applying to be Mr. Gosling’s personal chef, you should probably just leave those out.

2) An objective statement: Objective statements outlining what you’re looking for in a job are, as Madden puts it, a “waste of space.” Specifics of what you’re shooting for career-wise are meant to be included in your cover letter — résumé space is as limited as it is valuable, and these statements are viewed by most employers as “fluff paragraphs.”

3) Salary history: Including your salary history can have three potentially negative effects. First, Madden says, it gives off the impression that moolah is your main concern — an immediate red flag.  Second, if the employer sees that you’re “too expensive,” they may instantly blow you off.  The same principle applies to a low salary: employers may see it as a way to take advantage of you, offering you the  lowest-end job available. The best thing to do, Madden says, is to discuss your pay at the interview.

4) Dates of anything you did more than 15 years ago: Admittedly, this probably doesn’t apply to most college students. In fact, unless you’ve been employed before your motor skills developed and baby teeth fell out, you can go ahead and just ignore this step.  For any non-trads reading this, though, Madden says the reasoning behind it is to avoid ageism (on the off-chance that the person interviewing you wasn’t even born when you held your first job). The golden rule?  Simplicity. If you do include a job or degree dating more than 15 years prior, just list it — no summary or further description is needed (or wanted, for that matter).

5) A GPA below 3.25: Didn’t do so well on that geology exam?  Shoot.  Professor What’s-His-Face gave you an unfair grade on your research proposal?  Rats. Thankfully, it’s OK — just don’t include your GPA! Applying the “don’t waste space” principle, Madden argues that GPAs below 3.25 (considered to be average) should be skipped.  Instead, she says, use the extra space to focus on the things that make you stand out in comparison to the competition, be they internships, faculty research or relevant jobs.

6) An unprofessional email address: The most obvious step of the bunch. If you have any email addresses similar to [email protected] or [email protected], don’t include them on your résumé. Your school or work addresses are much preferred. Thanks.

7) Your picture: While that new stylist-recommended mousse may give you the Zach Braff coiff you’ve always wanted, chances are your potential employer’s not going to care. Résumé photos, Madden says, are seen as unwelcome: “Employers aren’t going to be more inclined to hire you because you included a glamour shot … in fact, they may even be more prone to not contact you.” Ask Brett Favre how his unwanted glamour shot turned out … yikes. If employers really want to see you, Madden says, they can always check Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Résumé tips credited to Kaitlin Madden of Careerbuilder.com (who knows a lot about this topic). Inattentive rambling credited to Eric Larson of The Spectator (who knows a little something about this topic).