SBF's recruitment agency clients are regularly faced with the difficult challenge of sifting through CVs packed full of impressive achievements and elongated words.
But not all the CVs they receive are quite so well crafted or thought through!
In our opinion, here are the top 10 worst CV mistakes you can make:
10) Friends as references
Not generally a good idea, especially if a few of you all apply to the same company!
9) Forgetting what you’ve included on your CV
As much as it can be good to include the odd hobby on your CV if it fulfils a purpose, don’t be surprised when a keen interviewer asks about your taste in heavy metal.
8) Using unusual fonts/symbols
Not because businesses don’t like a bit of creativity of innovation though! CV-scanning software, used by many companies / recruitment agencies these days, may struggle to decipher non-standard text, thus meaning all your hard work goes straight down the drain.
7) Stating why you’ve left jobs
Don’t include reasons for changing jobs at the CV stage, but do prepare to answer the question if it crops up in an interview.
6) Jargon usage
This is especially true if you’re applying for a completely different job, keep things simple at this stage. If it then becomes appropriate in the interview, then, by all means, show you know what you’re talking about!
5) Childish email addresses
Even if emails from ‘sexygirl88’ and ‘bigboybilly’ get through our vigorous email spam filter, you can be sure that they won’t get past our recruiters!
4) Mentions of low grades / failed exams on CV
As much as honesty is very much appreciated at SBF, we’d still recommend opting on the side of caution when it comes to your CV. Focus on emphasising strengths rather than weaknesses... after all, we all had a few subjects we hated in school!
3) Too much personal information
As all employers are bound by equal rights legislation, there’s not really any need to include your gender, sexuality, marital status, race or age.
2) Not attaching CV to an email
A basic error which won’t help prove your ‘attention to detail’ so proudly stated in the actual CV! Double check, double check, double check.
1) Lying
A horrifically bad idea! In this day and age, it’s very easy for employers to verify information. Sometimes just a simple phone call to a past employer is all it takes, or you could get caught out further down the line and be booted out in rather more embarrassing circumstances.
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