When you work in recruitment, you get to see hundreds of CVs – including some real howlers! From strange to sloppy and from misleading to complicated, here are the top 10 worst CVs we've received.

 

1- The ‘attractive’ CV

A good-looking CV is definitely important and reflects who you are. However, there is a line between neat formatting and a work of art that combines shapes, colours and images. While your CV is meant to introduce you as a person, it is primarily there to present your professional career, not necessarily your personal tastes. It’s therefore best to steer clear of too much ‘customisation’!

2-The bilingual CV

When translating your CV, take care not to forget a sentence or two in your ‘professional experience’ section. The prize for the worst bilingual CV goes to the person who left an entire paragraph of their English CV in French!

3-The illegible CV

It is important to choose the right font when writing your CV. ‘Handwriting’ style fonts should be avoided at all costs – particularly if using a font size under 10. As well as being difficult to read, attempting to decipher it takes up the reader’s time and patience – assuming they even bother!

4-The couple CV

Yes – it does exist! One CV for two people, accompanied by the spiel ‘we are a couple, we met at work and we work best in tandem, both personally and professionally’. Even if I had the budget to recruit two people instead of just one, I would be afraid of my devoted tandem throwing company plates at one another across the staff room in the event of an argument!

5-The bragging CV

We’re talking about CVs that open with the heading ‘The best asset you will find for your post’. Often, the candidate will take things a step further, submitting the same CV for several different jobs at the same time, claiming to be number one in all kinds of different fields. When we say that you need to sell yourself in your CV, we mean that you need to present yourself in the best light, not rank yourself against other applicants!

6-The puzzle CV

Some CVs are clear, others less so. Sometimes you need a PhD to understand them, particularly when candidates organise their professional experience according to some incomprehensible criteria. If a chronological format doesn’t suit you, it’s fine to present your experience in another way – just don’t forget to give your reader clues as to how to interpret your CV. We’re naturally inclined to work out how things are ordered, but we don’t always have the time to piece together your puzzle!

7-Unusual interests and hobbies

It is up to you whether you want to include your hobbies on your CV. The important thing is to be sure that what you include is relevant and shows you in a good light. It’s therefore best not to mention interests such as ‘clubbing’, ‘meeting people’ or ‘spending time on Facebook’, which may not go down too well with your potential employer!

8-Photo or no photo?

This question comes up time and time again. In fact, we could write an entire article on the photos that we see on CVs: (overly) glamorous photos, photos taken with a webcam in someone’s bedroom, photos taken in a club (possibly the only occasion that person puts on a shirt), holiday photos, photos taken at a wedding where someone else’s arm has been chopped off or photos that were taken some time ago and no longer look anything like the person in question. All these should be avoided. If you want to include a photo on your CV, make sure that it is a professional photo taken against a neutral background and is a true likeness of you!

9-The misleading CV

This is the worst kind of CV. A CV should tell your story accurately. There’s no excuse for ‘mix-ups’ with dates that magically fill a gap between jobs or including qualifications that were never quite finished. At best, this reveals a lack of attention on your part and at worst, you will end up being seen as unreliable and untrustworthy!

10-The sloppy CV

This is becoming rarer in the digital age, but sloppy CVs do still exist! We’re talking about CVs that have been put through the wringer long before they land on our desks, crumpled, torn or perhaps stained with a coffee ring or water. Look after your CV – it reflects who you are and presents an image of you!

To summarise, we will simply say that an effective CV is one that is clear in both content and form; highlights your attributes without going over the top; accurately reflects your experience; and is easy to read. How about you? What are the worst CVs that you have come across?

An effective CV is one that is clear in both content and form