CV sins
CV and recruitment consultants reveal the seven more common and damning CV mistakes
Jump to:
Including things you shouldn't
Leaving out things you should include
Stretching the truth
Acting the comedian
Long lists
Poor presentation
Typos!
Including things you shouldn't
Photos - unless you are a model, actor, actress or air steward/stewardess
Any sort of failure - be it exam, business, marriage etc
Salary information - this can only be used to reject your application. If an advertisement specifically requests salary information, put it in your cover letter
Your weight, height, political persuasion, state of health, state of your marriage, or any other personal information that is irrelevant to your application
Reasons for leaving previous positions - if an interviewer wants to know, they will ask
Including activities or interests that suggest lethargy, or vices, such as watching TV and spending time at the pub
Negative comments when writing about a previous employer or role - keep it positive
Letters after your name - subsequent sections offer ample opportunity to show off your achievements
Unexplained gaps in your career history - this only raises questions about what you were doing
References - it is taken for granted that you have these, so don't include them unless specifically asked; they'll be taken up later
Leaving out things you should include
A results-orientated CV that really makes a recruiter want to invite you to that all-important interview
Your date of birth - some people do this in the belief that, if they include it, employers might consider them too old. Leaving it out, however, makes it look more of an issue, and the employer will obviously spot it
Your email address in the body of the CV
Back to top
Stretching the truth
Overstating your abilities - don't describe a particular skill as 'excellent' when you should be putting something like 'good working knowledge'. Candidates often overstate their capabilities in a bid to impress, which can make them look silly at interview
Acting the comedian
Use humour only if you can reliably predict who the reader is likely to be, and how they'll react, and remember that your CV may be copied to many colleagues of the initial contact
Long lists
Too many people mistake the CV for a job description of your duties or job titles, with no mention of the outcome or benefit to the company
Provide specific examples of how the organisation benefited from your performance
Apply the FAB factor:
Feature: What did you do?
Analysis: What was the scope? For example, how large was your team or budget or territory?
Benefit: So what was the benefit to your company?
Back to top
Poor presentation
Front covers, coloured paper and fancy bindings
Poor quality photocopies of your CV - they give the impression that you are sending out your CV en masse and that you're not too bothered who employs you
Large blocks of text and paragraphs that make it too difficult to read - a CV will be scanned for approximately 30 seconds. Any longer and the recruiter tends to switch off
Typos!
There is no excuse for not using the spell checker, but be warned - Microsoft's spell checker comes with American English, so watch out for 'liase' instead of 'liaise' and all those 'organizational' skills, when they should be 'organisational' skills.
Back to top
If you only remember five things
1. Quantify results: show what you've done and to what effect
2. Cut the comedy - be funny in person, not on paper
3. Less is more - the more you write, the more ammunition you give the interviewer
4. Sell your skills, not just your job title - what you did and how
5. Be selective with your interests - your hobbies are give-aways about you, so pick ones that will impress
Our thanks to: David Jones, regional manager, Office Team; Lee Lister, managing consultant, Job Success; Karen Flanagan, systems and communications manager, SSR-Personnel; Paul Bradley, senior consultant, Bradley CVs; Chris Booth, service co-ordinator, CV Expert; Steve Rose, management development consultant, Winning CVs; Susan Ford, Susan Ford Recruitment; Dr Rob Yeung, business psychologist, Kiddy and Partners Ltd; Paul Armstrong, managing consultant, Penna Sanders and Sidney; and Working Careers.
Back to top
|
 |
 | Target the right career for you
Work out your career ambitions with career specialists who will guide you all the way.
More information
|  |
 |  |
 |
|
|
| The way employers like it
According to a survey by the Chiumento Consulting Group and Effective Resources, 90.7% of employers and recruiting consultancies prefer CVs laid out in reverse chronological order. Only 4.8% prefer chronological order and only 4.5% a skills-only CV.
Source: SSR Personel
| |
| |
|
|
|
