Question for recruitment/HR/people in charge of hiring - the little details that get you noticed

[tectonicplates]

Bearing in mind that I tend to work for small to medium private companies that ask for a CV and cover letter - I don't really apply for things like charities or public sector where they have more structured application forms, which is a very different world.

What are some of the little details that would make you accept or reject someone's application? I'm not talking about the big things like that the CV was full of spelling errors, or that the person was very obviously not suitable for the job. I'm talking about some little nuances, things along the lines of "I would've invited this person for an interview if it wasn't for this minor little thing that somehow put me off".

I bin anything in the first sift that has SPAG errors or is just badly written. I also bin anything with jargon or that says “I would relish this opportunity”. This usually gives a manageable number from which to draw a shortlist. If it’s a graduate job, I don’t like people who have done loads of internships. I would rather had someone who has worked in a nursing home or fast food place as it shows that they’re not afraid of hard work.

It's amazing how many people think having SN children or being a single parent makes them more suitable and/or more attractive to employers. Don't mention that stuff in an application.

So if there are 20 applicants who get through the initial sift as having the right qualifications and experience, and decent written English, how are they reduced down to 5 or 6 to interview?

I'll do a much closer read through, and check work dates make sense. I'd look for job hopping without an obvious good reason.

@Hollyhocksarenotmessy

So if there are 20 applicants who get through the initial sift as having the right qualifications and experience, and decent written English, how are they reduced down to 5 or 6 to interview?

I'll do a much closer read through, and check work dates make sense. I'd look for job hopping without an obvious good reason.

IME it would be unusual to find 20 good ones in 100 applications, but I suppose that probably varies by sector.

For more senior or specialist roles you often only get a handful of applications.

For me, I'm usually familiar with what someone in your role does, I don't just want a job description. I want to know what's different about you from the 30 other CVs on my desk. If someone came up to you and said what have you achieved in your time here, you'd give them some key highlights. Those things should be on your cv.

@SimpleComforts funnily enough I also fluffed my A-levels I hired someone a couple of years ago who had done the same thing but she also put in a summary of her GCSE grades so I could see that it was a bit of a blip. TBH it helps to have a differentiator when it's an entry-level job to this specialism and I'm looking at a pile of candidates 2:1 degrees.

If you're looking for odd things not to do OP, these real examples have stopped me hiring candidates:

• Putting 'full marks in sexual health PSE module at school' on their CV. The candidate was in their early 30s.

• Bringing their latest psychometric test report to the interview and telling me that it said they were difficult to manage. That was annoying because they were my top candidate at CV review stage.

• (sexual violence trigger warning) Back in the days when I was a recruitment consultant: asking me for another sheet of paper as the form didn't have space for all their criminal convictions. Then asking me whether GBH or rape was more serious (the form asked the candidates to list convictions in order of severity).

If you're asking about smaller things, then:

• wandering off topic in an otherwise sensible application to talk about personal events such as divorce
• a very chatty tone in written language (if the role required a reasonable level of formal communication)
• too much personal opinion in the experience sections "I feel..." "I really believe..." (I'll be interested in your interpretation of issues in an interview, but in a CV I prefer facts)

That said, the proportion of well-written, tailored, relevant applications is depressingly low, so if you get the big things right you should be well on the way.

A number of people also seem to get help to produce a beautifully written CV...but then scribble off a disastrous cover letter, thereby revealing that the letter and the CV were written by two different people! I always assume the poor letter is the real ability of the candidate.

@MrsSchadenfreude

I bin anything in the first sift that has SPAG errors or is just badly written. I also bin anything with jargon or that says “I would relish this opportunity”. This usually gives a manageable number from which to draw a shortlist. If it’s a graduate job, I don’t like people who have done loads of internships. I would rather had someone who has worked in a nursing home or fast food place as it shows that they’re not afraid of hard work.

Why is "relish this opportunity " a dealbreaker?

Things that cause me frustration, mainly because there is masses of advice on the web about what makes a good CV but people don't seem bothered to use:

• laundry list of random activities like a long "To Do" list

• list of skills that has clearly been copied and pasted from the Internet with no effort taken to make them relevant to the role spec advertised

• list of 'key words' which is a waste of space on a CV, especially when many of the words have nothing to do with the role spec.

I'm rarely put off an otherwise good application but I can think of 2 examples -

A candidate who did a detailed explanation of how she lived according to God's mission for her. I have worked with many highly religious people and it was fine, but that rang alarm bells for me that she might be a nuisance. It was off putting, and not relevant to work.

• "my colleagues would describe me as ...blah blah." Would they? Would they really? Just give me the facts please.

@PerveenMistry because I see it so many times it has simply become a meaningless phrase.

Think there is some good advice here. My frustrations
Keep repeating same word, is I am the best candidate, I went to best uni, I am the best engineer/nurse/secretary. I need someone who can write reports and has a good use of english.
Put your name as part of the file name. The recruiter will receive umpteen cv.doc and coveringletter.doc
Read the job description and instructions, then follow them. It sounds stupid but you would be surprised.
Don't write 5 page covering letter, keep it clear, coherant. Use sub headings of it helps.
If possible get someone to read through.
What marks you out as different to the others.
It ok to take a chance of its a step up, but be realistic.
When you get in for interview think of some scenarios that you have done that show your skills to drop in. I'm looking to get to know the person more, not have, I can't think of anything, no I've never dealt with a difficult customer before.
If you're out of work, what are you doing to keep skills fresh, gain experience

@Hollyhocksarenotmessy

I'm rarely put off an otherwise good application but I can think of 2 examples -

A candidate who did a detailed explanation of how she lived according to God's mission for her. I have worked with many highly religious people and it was fine, but that rang alarm bells for me that she might be a nuisance. It was off putting, and not relevant to work.

• "my colleagues would describe me as ...blah blah." Would they? Would they really? Just give me the facts please.

Oh a lovely case of direct religious discrimination. Excellent work. Hope you’ve got a nice big cheque book

Pith. Get to the point.

Research the company and read the job description, we wrote them for a really good reason, then explain why you are the right person.

I really don't want to know about your hobbies, unless they are in some way relevant.

Think about your email address. Your friends might think [email protected] is totes hilaire, I'm filing you in the round file.

Don't have a ridiculous, rude or childish email address, or a joint on with DH.

Reasons I've rejected CVs:
People who job hop, never staying anywhere for longer than a year or two
Exaggerating responsibility/ inflating job title (it's really obvious and tends to be men who do this)
Poor sentence structure
Lots of waffle/ corporate 'speak' to try and sound impressive. Use plain English. Jargon is ok if it's specific to your profession
Poor spelling/ grammar
Too long and list every job back to their first paper round

Things that make a candidate stand out:
Well-written cover letter explaining why you want the role
Relevant experience
Professional qualifications
Talking about what you've achieved, rather than listing your responsibilities

I agree with Mrs Schadenfreude that popular phrases are a killer. For example, the only time I was happy with 'I am passionate about' was from an 18 year old, who should probably have had better advice from school etc.

Otherwise, say (as briefly as possible) why your skills/experience /qualifications might fit you for the job and enable you to do it well. That's all your employer really needs to know.
If you mention hobbies, then make sure you say why they might help. For instance, stamp collecting (at a serious level) might show attention to detail/a mind that is good at classification.

It is true that GCSE results are better predictors of university degrees than A-Levels, but for older job applicants, this might not be so relevant.

Above all - as other posters have said - keep it brief. Be positive. Dn't waffle. Say what you can offer that actually fits the job; anything else will detract.

Exaggerating responsibility/ inflating job title (it's really obvious)

That's interesting because businesses do that too. I had a long career in a bank and a role that was basically the same throughout had a long series of name changes.

When I started it was Manager's Clerk, it became:

Manager's Assistant (people always said Assistant Manager) then,
Corporate Officer
Portfolio Manager
Commercial Development Manager
Relationship Manager

In a different industry, I am now Business Manager and I have noticed that companies recruiting for "my" role are calling it Director of Resources and Operations

So it might not be the candidates who inflated it!