These faux pas could be losing you interview opportunities
The job hunt is on! You've searched the depths of the web to find the best new job opportunities and you're ready to start applying for your next role. Before you start sending out your CV, though, you may want to take another glance over it. To avoid making the wrong first impression, there are certain things to remove from your CV. Check out our top 10 list below.
1. Photos
Whether you look like a supermodel or have a face like a bag of spanners, there's no need to put a picture on your CV. This could detract a prospective employer or hiring manager from your skills and experience, but there's another surprising reason you may want to remove it from your CV.
Unconscious bias plays a part in who makes it to the interview stage – those reviewing an application can make snap judgements on the candidate based on the way that they look, among other finer details on the CV. While those judgements may or may not be correct, they could hinder a job seeker’s chances of being hired.
Many hiring managers and recruiters now have training to combat this issue, but it's still relatively common. So, while you may think that including your photograph sets you apart from the crowd, it could be for all the wrong reasons.
2. Confusing sector-specific acronyms
You may have been “a PM with awesome QoQ numbers,” but cut the jargon for a moment. It's far better to say that you were “a Project Manager with decent quarter-on-quarter numbers” than to bamboozle the reader with acronyms. Don't assume that everyone understands these terms.
Let's say that a recruiter is reviewing your CV before handing it over to the hiring manager. There's no guarantee they’ll understand the acronyms on your CV. If they don't know what a particular acronym means, they certainly won't call you to ask. Instead, your CV could end up in the “rejected” pile, so it’s best to spell things out.
3. Irrelevant skills
You could likely gush for hours about your many skills and the responsibilities that you've had… but you shouldn't. Each time you decide to apply for a new role, make sure that the skills on your CV are 100% relevant to that role. Irrelevant skills are an important thing to remove from your CV.
The key is to create a tailored CV that only contains information that’s likely to land you the job. Disregard anything that won't do that.
4. Walls of non-stop text
Are you guilty of writing walls of text? If you can’t keep things short and concise, you'll need to learn how to be ruthless when editing. No one – neither a recruiter nor a business owner – has the time to sit and read a thousand-word CV.
Rather than writing long paragraphs, break down the information into bullet points. Keep relevant information short and snappy. The last thing you want is to write a document that few people have the time or patience to read.
5. Typos or spelling mistakes
Proofreading is an uninspiring task, but it's one that you're going to have to do. Spelling mistakes and grammatical mishaps stand out like sore thumbs to a recruiter or hiring manager – and, yes, they’re a major turn-off. These avoidable errors are among the top things to remove from your CV.
When many qualified people apply for the same position, recruiters and hiring managers often need to whittle them down. So don’t give them any excuse to reject you. You may be the most qualified person in the world, but a typo on your CV could cost you an interview opportunity.
If you're not confident in proofreading your CV, you use a free service like Grammarly or Hemingway to help you out, or try Word’s Read Aloud function.
6. Details from years back
How long ago is too long ago? When it comes to CVs, we recommend only including details from the last 10-15 years. Let’s face it, your first job serving in a chip shop isn’t going to sell you into a Director of Marketing role.
Instead, you can add an “Early Career Summary,” listing only job titles and employer names. That way, you’re freeing space for more compelling information and keeping the reader focused on what really matters. Similarly, if anything in this section is completely irrelevant to your next steps, don’t be afraid to delete it completely!
7. An objective statement
In the past, this used to be a staple of a good CV. Not so any more. A sentence telling the reader what you want from your next job is definitely one of the prime things to remove from your CV, for two reasons.
Firstly, it should go without saying! Surely your objective is to get the job you’re applying for? Secondly, your CV needs to be focused on what you can offer an employer – not what you want from them.
8. Clichés
Is your CV riddled with phrases like “hardworking,” “enthusiastic,” “reliable,” and “works well in a team and independently?” Ideally not. These are overused on CVs and don’t really tell the hiring manager anything about you. You SAY you’re hardworking… but where’s the evidence? You SAY you’re reliable… but where’s the evidence?
You get the picture. Instead of sprinkling your CV with clichés, use real-world examples that show off your attributes and skills. That’s far more persuasive than a CV that reads the same as everyone else’s.
9. Reasons for leaving
People move on, it’s a fact of life. There’s no need to explain yourself or justify your decisions on your CV. Whether you were made redundant, fired from your job, or had no scope for promotion, it doesn’t matter. The purpose of your CV is to sell you into a new role and your reason for leaving doesn’t further your cause.
Remove this from your CV and focus instead on the skills and experience you will bring with you from your past role.
10. Exaggerations, inaccuracies and, ahem, outright lies
When you’ve got your heart set on a new job, it can be tempting to “embellish” your CV just a little to give yourself an edge. The thing is, lying on your CV is a complete no-no. If your tweaks are discovered when you’ve landed the role, you could lose it again just as quickly.
You’ll also probably find yourself out of your depth, both in the interview and in the job, when you’re called on to explain or use certain skills that you’re not quite as proficient in as you claim. Your CV references might trip you up too! Best to show honesty and integrity instead, and note this down as one of the necessary things to remove from your CV!
Attention to detail is key!
When it comes to writing a show-stopping CV, the minor details make a huge difference. Recruiters see hundreds of CVs every single day, so make sure that yours stands out for the right reasons. Getting rid of anything that could be holding you back is a great place to start. It takes minimal effort and could be just the thing that gets you to the interview stage.
Does your CV have any of these mistakes? Submit it for a free CV review to find out and get valuable insights from our team of CV experts. They’ll let you know about things to remove from your CV, as well as other improvements you can make.
This article was originally written by Charlotte Grainger and has been updated by Jen David.
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Jen David is the Director of CV Shed. She has been writing CVs since 2010 and is a certified CV Writer. She has worked with clients in numerous industries and at all stages of their careers, from students through to senior executives of global businesses. She loves producing polished, focused CVs, enabling her clients to take the next step in their careers. Jen has written numerous articles for publication on industry-leading job boards.
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