To ask for the biggest CV fails you've come across?

[Kidulthood2027]

Have just realised I've been sending off a CV with a sentence that reads "I undertook regular security checks of the hotel during evening shits." I had meant to say "shifts". I thought I had proofread the CV thoroughly before sending it off, but clearly not enough. I was wondering why I was receiving so little interest for basic retail/food service jobs. Absolutely mortified. Any stories to make me feel better? Can be from you or from CVs you have reviewed during your working life.

Trainings in the plural is perfectly acceptable American English. It's in Merriam-Webster.

😂
So funny!

I reviewed an application recently for a senior IT role, and the applicant wrote typewriter and Windows 97 as skills.

This was in 2024. A high level technology savvy position.

Saw a cv once where under other interests was "my old tractor" and a picture of a vintage Massey Fergusson. Personally I don't consider that a fail but my manager was so put off and she was hiring so it didn't help.

Another chap was trying to prove that he could type and knew how to write letters and so included a selection of letters that he'd actually been using for his previous employer's clients. Complete with their names and addresses.

I had one of those mad moments when you start typing put can't see where the typing has gone. I was trying to add the name of a hospital I'd worked in but instead managed to add "ONG" in front of my name on the top of the front page. Recruiter pointed it out to me and said she thought it was an unusual oriental name of some sort.

German CV:

I wrote Lesbenlauf instead of Lebenslauf.
Lesbe means lesbian. A Lesbenlauf would be some sort of lesbian run or marathon…

Never received a response to that one 😂😂

I get awful CVs from all age groups. The over 50s are just as bad as the younger ones for the most part.

Very common to see people list "Attention to detail" as one of their traits and their CV is littered with basic mistakes. An instant no from me - better not to mention attention to detail at all.

Oooh I just learned how to do a ° on my phone the other day!

I am reading through CVs just now. One has been in their latest post just ONE month. They seem to have achieved an awful lot, including in things that couldn’t possibly have happened at this time of year!

😂😂😂
Crying at this!

I reviewed a CV a few years back, where a candidate proudly declared a mediocre IQ result as an accomplishment. Bizarre

Application letter dated to the year 3013.

You missed a chance to learn the secrets of time travel.

My mate had been sending out his CV for a year before he asked me to give it a proof read.

It mentioned all the experience he had from past “rolls.”

Brilliant! 🥇 Dh and ds just peered in to see why I was laughing so much and had the same reaction after reading.

This can only be topped by omitting the "best/kind" before the mis-spelled "regards"

So funny this thread.
The people who email their CV to every company they are applying to without using blind copy. Do you really want the company you're applying to seeing a list of the other organizations you are sending it to?
Another one who'd left off the name of most recent employer. When queried, he said it was confidential...😆

Salutary!

Oh dear, hopefully they won't spot it. A few years back I applied for several jobs with my CV which included my experience of working in 'pubic libraries'. Is it too late to send a new version to them?

It wasn't a CV but used to receive various reports about housing when I was a councillor. My favourite mistake was one that blandly informed me "in Xcity the majority of older people live until they die". I did send it back with a note asking what the minority did!

Not strictly to do with a CV but I did read a motor accident report which said As I was proceeding slowly around the bend ....................

Many years ago, my brother left his cv lying around, and my then 12yr old ds drew a small penis in all its ejaculating glory on it. I found him giggling away and made him confess. Alas, it was too late, the cv was en route to its final destination.

Wrote I had my British life saving certificate. didn't know it meant basic life support 🫠

@Blueberry101 I once received an email entitled "ongoing problems in pubic areas".... It was from the vicar!

One candidate who gave himself as both references, though he spelled his own name wrong in one of them (same phone number, though).

I went on one of those courses. (sometime in the 80s) I could have made a much better job of designing and delivering such a course.

The person delivering it made spelling mistakes on the flip chart, couldn't understand simple questions from the group and wasn't able to get engagement from most of the group