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The importance of a good CV is well
known. We all want to make a good
impression but, despite our best
efforts, things sometimes go wrong and
most recruiters will have an amusing
tale or two of CV howlers they have
encountered over the years.
So we bring you a selection
of recently reported CV blunders and tips
that invite you to consider ways you
might help keep your own application out
of the ‘reject’ tray.
pay very close attention
A poll conducted by career coaching firm
Personal Career Management on 450 CVs
showed that 81 per cent contained
spelling or grammatical errors. In fact,
only a mere 6 per cent were judged to be
error free and well presented.
Ensuring our grammar and spelling is
correct shows we have good attention to
detail – and avoids us saying the wrong
thing. One CV in Personal Career
Management’s study made claims they were
a “prooficient typist”. Another stated
they were an “experienced sheet mental
worker”. When speaking about their
hobbies and interests, one job seeker
said they liked “cooking dogs and
interesting people”.
TOP TIP:
Always read your CV aloud, or have a
friend or family member take a second
look as this can avoid the kinds of
howlers revealed in this survey. Remember
the subtle mistakes are often the most
dangerous, such as the person who
claimed that in a previous job they had
been ”responsible for fraudulent claims”
and “responsible for dissatisfied
people”.
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honestly?!
Telling the truth is so important when
applying for a job. It may be tempting
to embellish the facts on your CV but
the chances are the truth will out
somewhere
down the line. Take the person who
listed their hobby as ‘lion tamer’, or
the job applicant claiming to be a
direct descendent of the Vikings. Then
there’s the person who listed one of
their references as God – maybe it was when he
struggled to provide contact details
that he was ‘found out’.
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Remember the
subtle mistakes are often the most
dangerous, such as the person who
claimed that in a previous job they had
been "responsible for fraudulent claims". |
A little too much information...
Of course, sometimes it may be possible
to be too honest. For example, you might
want to avoid going the same route
as the person who listed their reason
for applying for a role as “to keep my
parole officer from putting me back in
jail”. Just as bad was the person whose
CV stated they had “left last four jobs
only because the managers were
completely unreasonable”. Perhaps a
little less honesty may have been wise
in the case of the candidate who
explained the 3 month gap in his CV as
time spent getting over the death of his
cat.
TOP TIP:
Who knows, some of these comments may
not even have been true. Perhaps they
were deliberate ploys to demand
attention or add some levity to the
situation. However, whilst potential
employers may enjoy a laugh at your
expense, these tactics are rarely
successful. Stay focused on the 30
seconds an employer is prepared to spend
assessing your CV and say something that
will get you remembered for the right
reasons.
it's the way i tell 'em
So, one final word of caution – your CV
really isn’t the place to be cracking
funnies. Employers don’t have the time
to spend working out whether you are
simply joking or maybe insane. Either
way, they know you have misjudged the
situation badly. This is advice that the
authors of these CV entries, as cited on
Monster.com, would have done well to heed…
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“I have an excellent track record, although
I am not a horse.”
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“Title: Another CV from the ‘Profiles in
Excellence’ series.”
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“Trustworthy references available upon
request – if I give them a few quid.”
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“Assisted in daily preparation of large
quantities of consumable items in a
fast-paced setting (Translation: Worked in
McDonalds).”
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"Note: Keep this CV on top of the stack. Use
all others to heat your house.”
For any advice in writing a CV you can speak to
your consultant at Oil Recruitment who will be
happy to help, or
click here to
read our CV Guide.
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