Things Employers Don’t Want To See On Your CV

The average potential employer takes less than one minute to go through your CV. This is because they typically have to go through hundreds of CVs in a short time, to find the best candidate for the role advertised. 

In the few seconds they go through your CV, what are they looking for and what should you avoid mentioning?

Truth is, as you write your CV, you need to try and put yourself in an employer’s mind. If you can do that, you will be able to improve your CV.

Here are five things that employers do not want to see on your CV:

1. Your life history

You, like many applicants, want to present a comprehensive CV with all the information you may think is relevant. 

For example, you may include some volunteer work you did that may not be applicable to the job you are targetting.

The solution is to include information about experience and skills which are closely related to the job you are seeking. If the company is looking for someone with marketing skills, the manager will be looking for lots of relevant examples and successes in your marketing. If these are not prominent, then your resume is headed for the bin.

2. A messy and untidy CV

This is a real turn-off for employers because they cannot find the information they want quickly. The best approach is to be as clear and concise as possible. Mention your name, present position and then relevant experience by mentioning the posts you have held. Make sure you put in start and finishing dates and use bullet points to mention responsibilities and main achievements.

3. Your photo or other pictures

Generally, the photo on your CV is unnecessary. Also, the employer does not want to be influenced by gender issues. Why should she waste one second of those precious six viewing your stunning beauty?

As we live in such a visual age, your photo is going to pop up sooner or later, for example on your LinkedIn page. The best thing to do is to make sure that your page does actually have your photograph.

4. Positions dating back more than 15 years

Did you know that certain age attitudes are still rife in the job market? By listing all the positions you have held since graduation means that you are going too far back. There is no need to put the date on things like your degree. The general rule of thumb is to cap a limit of 15 years so that your CV does not become a historical or autobiographical document.

5. Irrelevant personal details

Let us suppose that your church and sporting activities are not applicable to the job you are seeking. If that is the case, they are unnecessary and should not be on your CV. The same goes for marital status and other personal details. 

If, on the other hand, you were managing public relations for a charity in your spare time and are applying for a job with a similar profile, then by all means, mention this.

Your CV is rather like an advertisement in which you show off your main features to entice the potential employer to actually find out more. If you avoid these mistakes, you could land that dream job. Are you unsure of what is on your CV? Get a FREE Review from a professional. 

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