Examples of CV
Your CV is the key that open the door to an interview. It must be the best that it can be, and show you in the most positive light possible. Of course, what looks good to one, doesn’t always look good to others.
We are going to look at some classic examples of CV mistakes, and what to do about them.
- Using inappropriate fonts. Comic Sans may look good to you, but it’s amateurish and can be difficult to read. Stick to Times New Roman, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, or Tahoma.
- Use small point text so you can squeeze more information onto the page. Smaller text is harder to read. If you have a lot you want to include, use bulleted lists and brief descriptions.
- Including every job you ever had, even ones at school. Keep everything relevant. List them in reverse chronological order, and only include full-time positions, or ones that are relevant to this role you’re applying for.
- Including unnecessary personal information, including height, weight and orientation. This is all irrelevant and can be used in a discriminatory way. Keep It relevant, keep it professional.
- Using too many buzzwords. We’ve all done it. We have all used words like self-motivated, outside-the-box thinker, people person, team player, imaginer and all the other rubbish. It not only looks bad, it sounds stupid. Nobody takes people who uses those words seriously.
- Uses graphics, or a picture of themselves. If you’re a graphic designer, it might work. Anything other than that, they are a waste of space. It isn’t an art project, it’s a professional resume.
- Spelling mistakes. The number one complaint from recruitment professionals the world over. Computer programs have spell checkers, libraries have dictionaries. Do not, ever, submit a CV that hasn’t been checked and corrected. If I have a pound for examples of CVs I have seen with these, I could drive a Ferrari to work each day.
- Lying or exaggerating. It may be tempting to embellish your life story a little or exaggerate your responsibilities in a previous role, but don’t do it. You will one day forget what you said, and someone will ask. Getting caught lying is a sackable offence, don’t do it.
- Using slang, text speak or emoticons. You know the ones, smileys, kisses, LOL or whatever. You’re not displaying your tech savvy, you’re displaying immaturity.
- Not using specifics and quantities. Not telling people that you singlehandedly landed a $10 million deal with an American firm is just daft. If you have accomplishments that can be quantified, do it.
This list is far from exhaustive, in fact we had to reduce it down from many more than just ten. To write a good CV you have to put yourself in the place of the recruiter. Pretend you don’t know the person on the paper, and decide what kind of person it describes. If it’s someone you would happily employ it’s all good, if it isn’t, rewrite it until it is.