12 things recruiters do not like to see on a CV

12 things recruiters do not like to see on a CV

Having seen the tips to write an effective CV, let’s take a look at the things which might put recruiters off from your CV.

Colorful or glossy paper and flashy fonts
Your CV is a formal, official document. Keep it simple. Use a plain white A4 size paper and formal fonts like Times New Roman, Verdana, Calibri or Arial. Avoid using flashy fonts like Lucida Calligraphy or Freestyle Script.

However, there are exceptions to everything and they do exist here as well. If you are applying to a position where you are required to demonstrate your creative skills using a glossy paper and flashy fonts might work to your advantage.

Resume or CV on the top
Many people have a habit of giving a heading to their CV. The usual ones are CV, Curriculum Vitae, Resume. The person reading the CV very well knows that it’s a CV and moreover your CV will be accompanied by a cover letter which will do the job of introducing it.

When you receive a newspaper in the morning, does anyone need to tell you that it’s a newspaper? Does it have a bold heading, NEWSPAPER? No. Looking at the newspaper itself tells you what it is. This applied to your CV also.

Photographs until asked
Photographs until asked- Do not add your photo to the CV until you have been asked for it. For general positions, recruiters are more interested in your skill set rather than your looks.

Photographs are required only for certain types of positions like models, actors etc.

Usage of ‘I’, ‘My’, ‘He’, ‘She’
Do not use these in your CV. Many candidates write, ‘I worked as Team Leader for the XYZ Company’ or ‘He was awarded Best Employee for the year 2007’. Usage of ‘I’ and related terms makes you look egomaniac in your CV.

Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
Proof read your CV until you are confident that it doesn’t have any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. They are big put offs for the recruiters. Moreover, sometimes these mistakes might land you up in an embarrassing situation. A candidate who submitted his CV without proof reading it committed a mistake of wrongly spelling ‘ask’ as ‘ass’. Now you can imagine the type of embarrassment he must have faced during the interview, when the interviewer pointed it out. These mistakes convey your lazy and careless attitude to the interviewer.

Lies about your candidature
Do not lie about your past jobs or qualifications or anything which might have an impact up on the job. You may be able to secure a job with these lies today but tomorrow you may lose it as well.

Not necessary that you have to say everything about yourself. You definitely have the right to remain silent but do not portray yourself as someone who you are not.

Abbreviations or jargons that are difficult to understand
People screening your resume usually belong to the HR department. If they do not understand what the abbreviations and jargons mean, they will simply dump your CV in the trash can. So, avoid over usage of such terms.

Reasons for leaving the last jobs
Leave them to be discussed during the personal interview. For example, some candidates write, Reason for leaving the last job: Made Redundant. Avoid making such statements in your CV.

Any past failures or health problems
Mentioning these would reduce your chances of getting an interview call.

Suppose if you have a gap in your employment because you started your own business which did not do well. In this case, some candidates might write, Reason for gap in employment: Started own business which did not do well. Do not do this type of injustice with your job hunt.

It is better to leave these to be discussed during the interview, if asked.

Current or expected salary
Leave it to be discussed while negotiating the salary. Mentioning the expected salary or current salary until asked might cost you the opportunity if you look too costly or may get you badly paid if the employer was willing to pay you higher but you appeared as a cheaper alternative.

Irrelevant details
Leave out the details like marital status, gender, passport number, number of kids, age of kids. These are usually irrelevant for the interviewers but at times might be used as a basis of discrimination.

References
Do not include them until asked. It is not even required to mention the line “Reference available on request”. You can provide the references if and when asked.