What employers REALLY think of your CV

You’ve got the skills, the qualifications, experience and the confidence to back it up in an interview.

You will have read articles about how to set it out and what to include, checked it, checked it again, had your partner, friends or family read it.

Maybe you’ve even paid for a professional to proofread it and provide feedback. In the end, the only opinion that really matters is the hiring manager.

It’s an unfortunate fact that many CVs that land in an employer’s inbox won’t get much more than a cursory glance. Today I’m going to be sharing some tips on how you can get your CV through the screening process and land you with an interview. Are you guilty of any of these jobseeker sins?

Standing out from the crowd

It won’t come as a surprise for me to tell you that:

• Sifting is a lengthy process

• It requires a high level of concentration

• Employers sometimes need a nudge to keep them reading!

I really hope the person that delivered their CV to me in an exploding box filled with confetti, or, the chap that added strange assertions and “fun facts” about himself in every second sentence to keep me “engaged” is reading this…

…You’ll be remembered, but mainly because your CV will be the butt of jokes in the office for years to come.

It’s one thing having the confidence to go into the office to hand deliver your CV to the hiring manager in a way that breaks the ice, and another thing entirely to send in a Mariachi band.

If your application makes a hiring manager feel in any way uncomfortable then they will not employ you, so be sure to consider your audience before you do anything too wild!

Formatting your CV

Your CV is probably the oldest living document you own. There’s a good chance that you’ve been editing the same file since you were 16 and applied for your first weekend job!

For this reason alone, it’s easy for formatting mistakes to pop up and the key is only to check and check again that it’s clean and tidy before you send it to a recruiter. Spend a bit of time with the format painter and make sure that everything aligns. You should also give it a complete overhaul every once in a while.

As I mentioned earlier, hiring managers get through a lot of applications and it really jars the flow of reading and concentration when there’s disjointed formatting.

If you’re uploading your CV to a job search website or platform then ALWAYS go back into the upload and check it afterwards. Sometimes the formatting can change and make the document illegible.

Spelling/grammar mistakes on your CV

Run a quick spell check before you send it. Check the computer suggestions on grammar, or head to an online thesaurus if you’re still not sure! If it still doesn’t look correct, then it’s probably best that you find another way of phrasing that point.

So much time is spent closely working on your CV that you may find things you would have otherwise missed, especially where it’s been edited over the years.

Keep it relevant

It’s great to have a CV that flows nicely without any gaps in your employment record. When you’re a marketing professional with 20 years’ experience, you don’t need to add in the summer job at the local bakery in your teenage years. It’s best to cut to the relevant experience and add a line to the tune of “Various fixed term and seasonal customer service experience from 2005 to 2010” for that kind of thing. You just cut down a page of your CV. You’re welcome.

Tailoring your CV and cover letter is incredibly important too. If you’re applying for a job in accounting, it’s best to mention that rather than sending it out on mass declaring your excitement over their swimming instructor position.

What should you cut out of your CV right away!

Embarrassing email addresses

x.X.x.;’~FaIrY’~x~’WiShEs~’;[email protected]

Delete it.

Burn it to the ground.

It might have sounded cute on MSN Messenger, circa 2001 but you’re all grown up now and I don’t care how easy it is to keep the same email address, if you want to be taken seriously then head to your email provider right now and create a new one. Stick with your name, initials and numbers only.

It’s also worth noting that it’s probably not wise to use your current work email on your CV. Prospective employers aren’t keen to see that you’re spending your working time or work resources to look for another job, even if it is with them!

Photos

There are mixed opinions on the inclusion of a photo. Many say remove it. Why? Because it might be a lovely photo of you on a night out when you’re all dressed up but it doesn’t likely scream “business”.

Even if you have professional headshots, it’s generally best to avoid it altogether. Unconscious bias is sadly still alive and well in 2020. Let them wait to meet you at the interview.