5 Things You Need To Take Off Your CV ASAP

By August 23, 2017For Talent

The traditional CV is a dying phenomenon. Today, it’s all about digital applications and online profiles.

But despite all this new technology, a lot of people are still making the same old mistakes.

We’re not talking about bad grammar or poor formatting. We’re talking about the mistakes that slip under the radar because you don’t even know that they’re wrong…yet.

Here are the 5 things that you need to take off your CV ASAP.

 

1. Irrelevant previous jobs 

Only list jobs that are relevant to the role that you are applying for. If you’re looking for an IT role then your summer waitress experience isn’t really relevant is it?

However, if the skills you’ve acquired in a previous job will prove useful in the future, you should include them, even if it was a long time ago. You don’t need to go into as much detail about these earlier jobs but it is a good way to show how your skills have evolved.

2. Unnecessarily big words

Put the thesaurus down. Using complicated language does not make you sound smart, it makes you sound like you’re trying too hard. Why use ”additionally” when you can use ”also”? Why say ”in conjunction with” when you can just say ”with”? Your application is your chance to show off your skills, not demonstrate your extensive vocabulary. If it is not something that you would say in everyday life then leave it out.

3. The third person

Don’t use the third person unless you want to sound completely pompous. Think about it. ”Alice received a promotion following the project’s completion” just sounds ridiculous. Your CV will have your name and email address on it so the recruiter knows that this document has been sent by you. Don’t put them off with a passive third person voice. Instead, use the first person but ditch the personal pronouns like ”I” and ”me”.

4. ”References available upon request.”

No shit Sherlock. Recruiters know that most candidates will be able to supply references if asked, there is no need to remind them. Every inch of space on your CV is important and most online applications have a limited word count. Don’t waste any space on redundant sentences.

5. Photos

Again, your CV is prime real estate, why take up room with unnecessary add ons? Unless the job application specifically asks for a photo then leave it out no matter how ”fire” your latest Instagram selfie is. Photos are distracting and not relevant.

Author Alice Murray

Alice Murray is a Content Creator at Jobbio with a passion for Employer Branding and Graduate Culture. She's a keen traveller and a self-proclaimed lazy runner.

More posts by Alice Murray

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