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What's the oddest thing you've seen listed on a CV?

271 replies

FelicityShagsWell · Today 00:44

What's the weirdest thing you've seen on a CV? I received one in application for a job and they had put a hobbies section in which they'd listed "smoking".

OP posts:
Megifer · Today 15:41

I have to say any application saying twice exceptional/gifted would not be progressed further.

Also just remembered an interview where someone's Mum came with them and waited in reception 😂

REP22 · Today 15:43

Used to work at a private school. There were a number of applications that were a little off-kilter but one that sticks in the mind was a chap applying for a teaching role who, under the skills theme, listed:
Born-again Christian (well, alright...)
Enthusiastic physical disciplinarian (ooohff, erm)
followed by a paragraph heartily bemoaning the lack of physical chastisement of children in education these days. He didn't get shortlisted.

In a different role, the two main interviewing managers were a man and woman. The candidate arrived and enthusiastically shook the man's hand, ignored and walked past the proffered outstretched hand of the lady, and proceeded throughout the interview to address all his answers to the male interviewer, even though the majority of questions were asked by the female, who would be line-managing the successful candidate. He left clearly convinced that he would be the chosen applicant. He very much was not.

Interview coaching is not always the greatest, however. At mine, we were strongly advised that when we were asked what we considered to be our "weaknesses" we must always, ALWAYS, say SOMETHING, no matter what. I was desperately shy and insecure in those days. At one of my early interviews, which had gone well up to that point, they asked the question. I absolutely couldn't think of anything, but was so mortified in the expectant silence of appearing arrogant in my own self-assessment that I squeaked out "sometimes I like to go out with my friends in the evening a lot!" Lord alone knows what came over me to say that. The interviewer wrote "drinks too much" in his notebook and quietly closed it. Awful.

ConstanzeMozart · Today 15:49

I'll be honest, I like and admire the honesty of some of these. The Nike Air ones; well, give or take a word or two (for me it's & Other Stories knitwear) that'd be one of my reasons. It should be totally acceptable to say you want a job so you can buy clothes/go to the pictures/pay the mortgage.

And 'I can run very fast like a horse.' – I'd give them a job just for writing that Grin

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

BillieWiper · Today 15:49

JudgeJ · Today 15:19

She may have been cursing not listening when told in school not to make up outrageous hobbies!

Back in the day when everyone left with a Record of Achievement, those maroon folders probably festering in your garage, we used to have to rein in claims made in the Personal Statement but they did give us a bit of light relief at times!

I found mine recently! It was empty except a hand written statement saying I wanted to be a 'press officer or something'. I didn't know what a press officer was. 🤣

Waitingfordoggo · Today 15:50

Great thread- laughing my head off at some of these. I don’t have any contributions to make as I’ve never been involved in recruiting.

Re religion- I think it’s inappropriate to include religion on a CV or application form. Fine to list it as a hobby I suppose, but if I were recruiting I think it would put me off someone if they banged on about it. Why are they doing that? Either they think it improves their prospects of being successful, which implies they think they are inherently superior to any atheist applicants; or they just sound a bit obsessive and I don’t think obsessive people are always the most stable, therefore maybe not a great candidate (would apply to any sort of obsession, not just religion!)

ConstanzeMozart · Today 15:51

PrincessFairyWren · Today 14:39

Was it show jumping on a hobby horse?

Oh I hope so Grin

YoBetty · Today 15:52

BillieWiper · Today 14:58

Haha! She probably was like 'well...I'm only just getting into it. Erm..It's a new found passion...' while widely grinning and internally shitting it!

Or channelling her inner Billy Elliot's dad: "I wouldn't exactly say I was an expert".

ToWhitToWhoo · Today 15:56

Not a CV, but a personal statement in a university application for a science subject:

'During my gap year I intend to study astronomy or astrology..'

School references can include amusingly irrelevant information, probably because many schools overestimate the importance of extracurricular activities to university interviewers,

Two thst I remember:

'He is good with both bat and ball.'
'She acted the part of a sheep very convincingly in last year's school production of 'Animal Farm'.'

(Both applicants were accepted, but not for these reasons!)

ConstanzeMozart · Today 15:58

ToWhitToWhoo · Today 15:56

Not a CV, but a personal statement in a university application for a science subject:

'During my gap year I intend to study astronomy or astrology..'

School references can include amusingly irrelevant information, probably because many schools overestimate the importance of extracurricular activities to university interviewers,

Two thst I remember:

'He is good with both bat and ball.'
'She acted the part of a sheep very convincingly in last year's school production of 'Animal Farm'.'

(Both applicants were accepted, but not for these reasons!)

'He is good with both bat and ball.'
Euphemism, surely?

WearyLady · Today 15:58

On a CV for an IT job in a financial company:

I have steely blue eyes and drive a BMW.

alexdgr8 · Today 15:58

littleduck151 · Today 13:57

You have to tell us what it is?!

Real tennis ?

alexdgr8 · Today 15:59

Hand ball ?

TallulahBetty · Today 15:59

Their full name. Which included 6 middle names.

Londonmummy66 · Today 15:59

Megifer · Today 15:41

I have to say any application saying twice exceptional/gifted would not be progressed further.

Also just remembered an interview where someone's Mum came with them and waited in reception 😂

I suspect that would be disability discrimination as 2e means gifted or talented but also neurodiverse. DD is 2e - an exceptional musician but hampered by dyspraxia, slow processing and adhd.

WhoPutThatThere · Today 16:00

Treetopssofee · Today 15:31

Well that's a shitty question IMO

an interview is to expand on an application, that's what people have prepared for

It's a dick move to want to catch people "off guard" in an unbalanced dynamic like that

No it's not. It's meant to give them a chance to talk a bit more about who they are as a person, generally out of work and especially when it's a junior role and they may not have that much work experience to draw on. And this was a long time ago before social media or before side hustles were a thing.

Squirrelblanket · Today 16:01

Pinkfluffypencilcase · Today 14:57

I was only going to read and not comment on this thread. Until I read your post.

I have tears running down my face at I can run fast like a horse. 😂😂😂😂😂

This happened over 25 years ago and it still makes me laugh. I often wonder what happened to them and if they are still running like a horse. 😂

Raining12345 · Today 16:03

SoScarletItWas · Today 11:52

Their star sign. And the signs they worked best with.

Also had CVs from a few dodgy Hotmail addresses over the years!

I think that maybe this should be the way forward. I work in HR and would gladly do anything to try to keep the peace between co-workers! Would make for some interesting rota planning at least, 'Ah, no Jane can't work with Bob on Thursday because he's a Scorpio and she's a Sagittarius and the moon is in Virgo..'

BauhausOfEliott · Today 16:04

KittyWilkinson · Today 10:07

Job application form for building site work.
Marital status: "Iffy".

Why were you asking for their marital status?

ObsessiveGoogler · Today 16:05

i was recruiting once in a low income country for an office manager. One man applied saying he had an MBA from Harvard, which was a bit unlikely even if he hadn’t added after it (Masters of Bull and Advice).

TallulahBetty · Today 16:07

BauhausOfEliott · Today 16:04

Why were you asking for their marital status?

Yes, I am curious about this one too!

muddyford · Today 16:07

"I can drive a team" from a 21 year-old recent graduate.

The 'team' was all 20 years older, extremely motivated and well-qualified, and the last thing it needed was driving. He sounded as though he was applying to be a ploughboy with oxen, not managing a specialist bookshop.

Cherrycola4 · Today 16:10

She’d typed ‘I give blood’ in red ink.

BotanyB · Today 16:13

Not my personal story but this makes me laugh whenever I see it.

What's the oddest thing you've seen listed on a CV?
70isaLimitNotaTarget · Today 16:13

SlayTheJAway · Today 11:17

The same guy sent me his CV for every job I advertised for years. Unfortunately the largest part of his CV was dedicated to his mystical journey and his experiences as a psychic.

I just wanted someone to run Google ads 🤷‍♀️

Weren't you tempted to reply "Well Barry , I think you need to set aside some time to work on your mystical journey and expand your psychic experiences because you aren't seeing that you are not getting any job with me" !

Megifer · Today 16:13

Londonmummy66 · Today 15:59

I suspect that would be disability discrimination as 2e means gifted or talented but also neurodiverse. DD is 2e - an exceptional musician but hampered by dyspraxia, slow processing and adhd.

Not at all. It would not be progressed further as Im not a huge fan of candidates who state things like "highly intelligent" and similar in a profile or cover letter, and this phrase (which I've never heard of before) is on the same lines IMO.