There are many things you re told or expected to put on your CV. It can be quite a daunting task, when you set out to rewrite or edit your CV. What do you include, what can you leave out, what is most important? We have compiled some helpful tips so you can make sure your CV is not cluttered, and kept straight the point and simple to allow you better results when job hunting. Here is our list of what not to include on your CV:
Solid Walls of Text
Being concise on your CV is important, as you have limited space to say what you want to say, and recruiters and hiring managers don’t always have the time to vet every CV they see. Some get a preliminary pass before moving on to the next round. Large walls of text with no break can be intimidating, and difficult to read. Try to use bullet points to add structure to your CV, and ensure easy readability.
Unnecessary Information
Your CV should only contain your work history and experience, and contact details. You should not include personal information like race, religion or political affiliation on your CV. This information is not relevant to the position you are applying for, can takes up space that could be use elsewhere.
You also need to be mindful when adding details about hobbies and interests. Many organisations are beginning to prioritise work-life balance, so adding details about what you focus on in that time can be beneficial, but you don’t need to add more than a few lines on this, as you don’t want to take too much focus away from your skills and experience.
Passive language, and the overuse of “I”
Tone is especially important to take into consideration when writing your CV. You need to convey your experience in a way that is engaging to whoever is reading it. Using passive language will not encourage the reader to continue reading.
Your career isn’t something that just happened to you, so use action words and take credit for making it happen. Your CV is your chance to make an impression on a hiring manager, so make sure you take full advantage of that with strong action verbs and a roundup of all the things that make you a great choice for the job. However, using “I did”, “I worked on” “I was in charge of” can get repetitive extremely fast. Change up the syntax and sentence structure wherever possible to avoid this.
Inconsistent font and sizing
Adding in multiple fonts can, at first, seem like a great way to make your CV stand out from the crowd. But they can veer into unreadable territory if you’re not careful. And, using too many can make your CV seem busy. Hiring Managers will not be eager to work with you if they’re focused on trying to make sense of your CV more than reading the information on it.
Small fonts can similarly seem like a way to get more out of the limited space on a CV, but you sacrifice readability when doing this. It’s better to keep font and sizing as consistent, clear and legible as possible when writing a CV.
General descriptions of duties without reference to how you added value.
Employers don’t want to see your job description; they want to learn about the skills and assets you utilized to achieve real results. Take the time to quantify your achievements and show the reader, at a glance, what you have accomplished at each position you have held.
Make your CV about what you accomplished, not what you were supposed to do in the job.
Including Jobs Irrelevant to Your Target Role
As much as possible, only include employment history that will contribute to your current job search. Taking up space on your CV with irrelevant skills and history is wasting your time, as well the hiring managers.
If you’re transferring to a different industry or a different line of work entirely you can include these jobs, but the focus and emphasis should be on the transferable skills you earned and not on your previous job title.
And with that, we wish you the best of luck with your job search! It isn’t easy out there right now, but things are starting to look up. We will get through this.
For more information, and how we can help, reach out to us today at info@sapphirerecruit.ie
