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CVs - am I being fussy?!

173 replies

Ponzischeme · 23/09/2019 15:11

Recruiting at the moment and we just have a sea of terrible CVs

Example:

Name: Sarah Jones
DOB: 15/6/1980 (don't need to know that)
Gender: Female (don't need to know that)

  • Convoluted work history including saturday job at M&S in 1996
  • List of all awards and achievements ever up to an including ballet certificate

I don't feel like I am that fussy when it comes to CVs - I just want an overview of the person's relevant employment history, skills and qualifications.

Am I wrong? Am I, in fact, expecting too much?

OP posts:
MrsLEB · 24/09/2019 18:55

I'm 28 and even my GCSE's fell off my cv a couple of jobs ago. No one cares what I got in R.E. and textiles. Plus I feel if you have further education that's likely more relevant and obvious then that you would have to have GCSEs at a decent standard. I don't include my education start and finish dates either.

EBearhug · 24/09/2019 19:10

As an ex-recruiter, we doctored all the CVS to make them sound better and formatted them etc

Someone who I hope is now an ex-recruiter doctored mine, including adding skills I didn't have and wasn't interested in gaining.

EBearhug · 24/09/2019 19:11

I just have "9 GCSES, including English and maths." I was asked to produce my GCSE certificates a few months ago - I'm 47...

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CountFosco · 24/09/2019 19:12

Why ask for hobbies and interests? Unless it is to bin the cyclists and golfers

In my last job it was definitely an advantage to say you were a keen amateur baker!

AutumnRose1 · 24/09/2019 19:13

EBearHug my mum suggested I keep mine for just that reason. I thought she was a bit cray cray but clearly not!

EBearhug · 24/09/2019 19:14

I think that hobbies are also quite an outdated element of CVs. If I only have 2 pages to convince someone that I'm right for the job, I'm not wasting it with details of my knitting circle!

No, but if you are chairman or treasurer of the committee organising your knitting circle, it could be very relevant experience.

Moltenpink · 24/09/2019 19:26

Just because recruiters aren’t allowed to discriminate, doesn’t mean that they won’t, though. So if you’re dob is likely to work in your favour (not too young or old) wouldn’t you just put it on?

Oblomov19 · 24/09/2019 19:31

I always put my DoB Blush
And I get offered almost every job I've ever interviewed for, that I wanted.

So it hasn't done me any harm!

Oblomov19 · 24/09/2019 19:38

Canterbury:

"any CV not including dob and dates when qualifications were obtained would not be considered. " Shock

HelloYouTwo · 24/09/2019 19:50

@AutumnRose1 I filled in a public sector application form recently. It went to great lengths to tell me that I must not include any details that would identify my —gender— sex age race etc. Then asked for details of ALL my qualifications including dates Confused

EssentialHummus · 24/09/2019 20:02

But there is a LOT of conflicting advice. I like to think my CV isn't a "straight in the bin" job but I've been told:
A) Only list relevant experience. B) List everything so you have no gaps.
A) Bullet point your work experience. B) paragraph it
A) describe what you did B) dont describe the job, they know what a barmaid is...describe what you gained.
A) put in your hobbies B) dont put in your hobbies
A) put your work experience first. B) put your education first
A) write in the first person B) write in the third person.
A) Black only no style B) have a little character - stand out.
The list goes on...what are you meant to do?

Not sure if you're still on the thread but for what it's worth, what I do with my clients:

For junior candidates/people with limited experience, everything goes in and I do my damnedest to make it relevant to the job they're going for (you get good at this bit as a CV writer!). Everyone else gets most recent things in detail and earlier stuff listed by job title only under "Earlier Roles". (There will be some people with complex career trajectories who need functional/skills-based CVs but this is unusual.)

Bullets/paras - both could work, but it needs to be readable. No one's going to wade through huge blocks of text or dozens of bullets.

"Describe what you did" - you need to make it relevant to the advertised role. So if you're an ex-barmaid looking for work as a bookkeeper you ought to emphasise cashing up, inventory, things that demonstrate attention to detail and other relevant skills.

Hobbies - I'm not sure it makes a difference beyond graduate level (where the play football = teamwork thing does seem to sway some recruiters). Personally I think if you're going to write "Cooking, travelling and spending time with family" you'd do better to just leave it off - boring and generic. The only exception is for relevance - so if you're an Eagle Scout and are applying for a job with kids, for example.

Work experience or education first - it's really not a deal breaker. I tend to put education at the end except for recent grads.

First/third person - as long as it sounds clear and direct either is fine. If first person I tend to omit "I", otherwise it starts every sentence.

Black only/not - it depends on the role, level of seniority etc. Though I have to say that if you don't have a good eye for visual design then black only is safer (have seen some shockers).

There are a lot of variables, and lots of approaches that are perfectly fine if applied consistently.

Fantail · 24/09/2019 20:09

I’ve worked in both New Zealand and the UK. In NZ, CVs in my field (Communications/marketing/PR) have been skills based for at least 15 years if not longer. I’m pretty sure that this is the norm in most industries.

When I’m recruiting the ability to write a good cover letter is highly important, given one of the key skills required in my team is writing skills.

I mostly phone screen as well, as being able to win someone over on a phone call is also an important skill.

I also look kindly on candidates who obviously do a bit of research on me (via LinkedIn and our company website) when it comes to interview.

No one has asked for my secondary school results beyond graduate level jobs. It was very hard to even remember what they were when a recruiter in the UK asked for them!

I do put my degree and a couple of post-graduate courses/qualifications on my CV as they add weight to how I try to present myself.

I was married quite young and used to remove my wedding and engagement ring for interviews.

MiniMum97 · 24/09/2019 20:27

I think you're being massively unfair. If someone leaves a DOB in just take it off. You should be taking the names off anyway. And I can't really see an issue of providing an address, it's another means of contact, just ignore if you don't want it.

What are BIG issues are portly formatted CVs, handwritten CVs, spelling and grammar mistakes (especially in the ones that say good attention to detail!, CVs that are too long or include irrelevant info like the Saturday job they held in 1972.

I have been in employment for many years and I only know about the all the changes to CV expectations because I sit next to a Careers advisor at work. Otherwise I would have no idea and be merrily adding DOBs to my CV. Doesn't Jean I am not excellent at my job.

AutumnRose1 · 24/09/2019 20:28

Hello thanks, that's exactly what I mean re real,life and the protected characteristics.

Ginfordinner · 24/09/2019 20:40

I was married quite young and used to remove my wedding and engagement ring for interviews.

I find that quite depressing.

Ponzischeme · 24/09/2019 21:21

What are BIG issues are portly formatted CVs, handwritten CVs, spelling and grammar mistakes (especially in the ones that say good attention to detail!, CVs that are too long or include irrelevant info like the Saturday job they held in 1972.

Sadly the vast majority of the DOB CVs have these errors too.

I am not binning CVs just on the basis of a DOB.

OP posts:
giantnannyknickers · 24/09/2019 21:42

What is the best format for a
CV? Bullet points? Do you actually write "took 3 years off to raise kids"

Seems like a lot of us maybe don't know what recruiters find relevant. We were thought the old fashioned format in school where by we even had to put our secondary school grades onto a CV.

Ponzischeme · 24/09/2019 22:02

Personally I prefer bullet points but I wouldn't axe a CV if it was in a different format, provided it was easy to understand.

I would definitely say you took x numbers of years off paid work to raise kids, where's the shame in that? We just hired someone a few months ago who had seven years out of work for that reason.

OP posts:
EssentialHummus · 25/09/2019 08:02

What is the best format for a CV? Bullet points?

Various formats can work, but with clients I tend to use a 2-3 line paragraph of text setting out the gist of the role, followed by bullet points with achievements or duties of relevance to the role applied for. If this means that there are a dozen bullet points (this is unusual - you aim to cut waffle), I use subheadings to group them.

TeaAddict235 · 27/09/2019 12:41

"I would definitely say you took x numbers of years off paid work to raise kids, where's the shame in that? We just hired someone a few months ago who had seven years out of work for that reason." @Ponzischeme

I would agree too, but there is so much evidence to state that careers who do take leave due to such responsibilities, receive considerable resistance from recruitment companies and HR themselves who don't know where to place them in the workforce or are hesitant of their skills or strengths. If only more recruitment companies and staff were as optimistic as you...MN would be awash with positive threads about returning to work after the early years

PegasusReturns · 27/09/2019 13:32

Just keep it short. In industry no one needs more than two sides.

I'm so tired of being presented with multiple pages. It shows a complete lack of ability to be concise.

Ponzischeme · 27/09/2019 13:33

I would agree too, but there is so much evidence to state that careers who do take leave due to such responsibilities, receive considerable resistance from recruitment companies and HR themselves who don't know where to place them in the workforce or are hesitant of their skills or strengths. If only more recruitment companies and staff were as optimistic as you

Oh I know, but this is a totally separate issue right. I just don't see the point in not saying you had a gap when it's obvious from your CV that you did.

The way I personally look at it is that I don't want to work for a company who wouldn't consider my application because I took a few years off to look after my children. I have nothing but respect for SAHMs. I couldn't do it in a million years.

OP posts:
Deathraystare · 27/09/2019 15:22

My winner so far was hotpinkpussylips@?????????????.com

Why the hell would they think that was appropriate. All over my job centre is advice on applying for jobs and picking appropriate email addresses. Mind you they made a big thing of having an expert in to re-do CV's. They re-did mine , added plenty of typos, changed job titles and the brief details so I did not know where I was and had to retype it all myself anyway!!

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