To ask for the worst CV's you've ever seen?!

[Isitgiroday]

About to pimp my CV prior to a career change after almost a decade in the same industry - looking for tips and hints of what to avoid!

Personally I don’t like a section on Interests - waste of time. I couldn’t care less what you like doing in your spare time, I just want to know if you can do the job.

My interest was quite discussed at my interview. It's about unusual food 😁

@Purplecatshopaholic

Seen a few (work in HR). Please no photos - they are the biggest cringe and general joke (seem big in some other counties though, so appear on my desk pretty regularly). Unless asked for - some industries do ask for them. No spelling mistakes, particularly if a skill is your attention to detale.... Not fancy fonts, or coloured text. Personally I don’t like a section on Interests - waste of time. I couldn’t care less what you like doing in your spare time, I just want to know if you can do the job.

I'm assuming you did that on purpose 😬

Keep it simple. So check spelling and grammar, don’t do anything gimmicky - you might occasionally read a story about how someone with a really “unique” application got the job but generally just provide what’s been asked for.
Don’t make it too long, especially if what’s adding length is the “interests” section. I’m not particularly against people adding it, especially if their interest is particularly note-worthy or shows specific skills, but I’ve seen lots of “I enjoy going to the cinema and seeing friends” which would be better left out.

Make it specific to the particular job you're applying for... Sounds basic but we get so many from people have no qualifications or experience in the particular field of work ... Even though the job advert will be very specific. If it's for a specific company or organisation why do you want to work for them in particular rather than elsewhere type of thing.

Don’t put every reason you left a job and the arguments that led to it.

'CEO of the home' - I can't stand this. If you've had time out to raise a family, that's fine, but don't try to dress it up eg pretending that getting two children to school has taught you valuable time management skills.

@Sparklesocks

I used to recruit administrative staff at my old job and have seen quite a lot of CVs. The best advice is for them to be clear, concise and well presented. Only a couple of pages ideally, with tight bullet points. Anything else you want to emphasise or elaborate on can normally be added into the cover letter.

Yes agree with above, no photos. I know it's the done thing in a lot of other countries but not in the UK.

Also no wacky fonts or colours (unless perhaps it's for a design job, but even then it needs to be done very well!).

We also once had a stay at home parent who hadn't worked for a few years and so listed things they did at home like duties at a job e.g. 'manages all bills/mortgage and pays on time', 'co-ordinate complex schedules for children', 'created and manage a cleaning rota to keep household in shape'. I know it was an attempt to be creative but it wasn't necessary and felt misguided, just a note about the fact they'd been raising their children for the last few years to explain the gap would've been absolutely fine.

But the worst was a pretty well written CV and cover letter of a graduate who had applied for one of the entry level roles. At the end of a cover letter read this note:

'Here you go, hope this helps. Remember to tailor it slightly for different roles and don't forget me and your dad can always proofread if needed. And don't forget to take this bit out!! Love you, Mum xxx'

Not ideal!

Haha. I wonder how many other recruiters saw how lovely and helpful mum is

I used to work for an American insurance company. We had an applicant who literally wrote his name and contact details followed by "I like America. I learn insurance"

Don't put an apostrophe in a plural

What industry are you leaving and what are you trying to get into? I did the same thing a few years ago and CV styles are verrryyy different for each (not the layout etc, but the content and key points). So it might help if you could give a bit more info?

Common errors:

• More than 2 pages long. Unless you're a scientist with a 30 year career thats all relevant, no.
• Spelling errors
• Putting the oldest stuff first instead of going from most recent
• Long rambly personal statement that just sounds like a copy/paste. Keep it short and sweet and be prepared to back up every claim you make here with examples.
• Not explaining gaps of 6 months or more, even a note to say 'jobhunting' or 'caring responsibilities' or 'travelling' is good.
• Interests, id only include this if you have something interesting to include like you volunteer on the side, run a small side business or something.

If you are trying to change career then make sure that your current skills can be seen as transferable, tailor your CV to the role.
It should be no longer than 2 sides of A4 so I would definitely not pad out a CV with hobbies

@Davros oops! Hanging my head in shame now.

On a slightly different side- I used to work for a very prestigious organisation in a fairly middle-management job.

I was once (after 13 months being unemployed after a move abroad following DH's career) interviewed for a job that was a 6 hour round trip and involved a plane ride, all at my own expense.

Turned out the interviewer just wanted tips as to how he could get a job at my former organisation.

Expensive waste of time. Not impressed.

[quote forinborin]@Sparklesocks
To be fair, this is the advice given by "return to work" coaches to SAHMs - list all the chores you've been doing at home as if they were professional responsibilities on your CV. I've also seen more than one CV like this, it usually comes from a place of slight insecurity, not from some grandiose self-importance.[/quote]
Oh yes I don't doubt that at all, it just felt misguided and that they'd given some bad advice - I didn't think it was from a place of self importance at all.

isitgiroday. Sorry, couldn't resist but not helpful I know

@Purplecatshopaholic

Seen a few (work in HR). Please no photos - they are the biggest cringe and general joke (seem big in some other counties though, so appear on my desk pretty regularly). Unless asked for - some industries do ask for them. No spelling mistakes, particularly if a skill is your attention to detale.... Not fancy fonts, or coloured text. Personally I don’t like a section on Interests - waste of time. I couldn’t care less what you like doing in your spare time, I just want to know if you can do the job.

I agree with the interests - however, in the past, I have had several interviewers ask me about a fairly niche hobby I enjoy doing, so it can be a 'conversation fill-in'.

I'd love to know your niche hobby. :) I am desperate for a hobby to sink my teeth into- unusual food upthread intrigued me.

Food history intrigues me also. DH and I have a roman cookery book and we occasionally try things out of it (although we draw the line at cooking edible doormice in cream).

(derails thread)

Spelling mistakes and anything longer than 3 pages is a big turn off.

Keep it simple, don't use jargon unless necessary and relevant.

Also I don't care about your hobbies.

From a lot of CV-viewing and interviewing:

• spell check and grammar
• no photos (more common in EU - if you get an EU applicant they will sometimes include one as that's what they're used to doing)
• re-read to make sure that it actually makes sense
• tailor your application and cover letter for the particular role - if the job ad says 'show in your letter how you meet our requirements, then do it!)
• personal statement at the top should be 2-3 sentences - this is your 'elevator pitch', who are you and what do you do
• most recent experience first
• don't just copy out your JD - think what your successes have been using STAR and include these
• clear and concise with no waffling
• don't do the 'CEO of the home' bit... as a working mother who has to do this as well as the day job, it winds me up.... just put down ' dates - bringing up family / caring / etc' - that's absolutely fine by me, I can read between the lines
• Interests - a bullet point or two, can help with small talk at the start / end of the interview to get you to relax
• overall length - it depends how old you are and what you've done! Older people with 20/30 year careers - sometimes leave out old roles where you've had a career change, and the jobs aren't relevant any more. If your CV is longer than 4 pages then you might need to look at it again and see if it's all relevant still. For someone who's not had many jobs / is younger, then the 2 page guideline should be fine

Absolutely no photos!

The worst CV I ever received was 3 pages and with a holiday photo. It was poorly laid out and in different fonts. It also had a fancy (hand-drawn?) border. CVs tell you a lot about a person's approach to work. This is the reason I always requested the candidate's original CV as well as a recruitment agency's version.

All I need is a clear 2 pages of your experience and qualifications. I don't need your GCSE results (unless relevant) or details of your hobbies.

Retail sales position, hobbies included "hanging with my boys" written in biro, spelling mistakes scribbled out and words added above with a ^. Recent application.

Someone wants sent me a big wad of badly photocopied amateur watercolors. They were crap. It was not for a job in art. Don’t do that.

Which bit @boredinthouse - probably missed something due to also being bored in the house, lol?

Purplecatshopaholic
Seen a few (work in HR). Please no photos - they are the biggest cringe and general joke (seem big in some other counties though, so appear on my desk pretty regularly). Unless asked for - some industries do ask for them. No spelling mistakes, particularly if a skill is your attention to detale.... Not fancy fonts, or coloured text. Personally I don’t like a section on Interests - waste of time. I couldn’t care less what you like doing in your spare time, I just want to know if you can do the job.

Well that's ironic.

😂😂😂😂