More CV blunders..!

As much of the world recovers from recession and candidates continue to fight for jobs, it is surprising the number of jobseekers who hinder their chances by making ridiculous, and avoidable, CV errors.

Before you read on, consider the fact that 32% of UK employers have admitted to spending less than 60 seconds reviewing a CV, with an additional 14% spending less than 30!

The Employers surveyed revealed the following to be 'CV deterrents':

• Large blocks of text (making it hard to scan read)
• Pasting of the job specification into the CV!
• Lack of cover letter/email
• Not adapting CV to fit the application
• CVs in excess of three pages
• Listing an objective instead of a career summary
• And (as recently mentioned on our news page) an unprofessional email address

While on the topic of off-putting CVs, the following real-life excerpts may well amuse, but are kess likely to lead to an interview invitation:

• One candidate listed God as a referee
• Another detailed lion taming as a hobby
• One jobseeker wrote their CV entirely in rhyme
• A desperate applicant only provided their name, number and the words 'I want a job'
• And finally, a 'witty' applicant mentioned 'Master of Time and Universe' as experience

[Source Recruiter 22.2.11]