12/09/2017
What does the perfect CV look like?
We might as well tell you from the off that there’s no such thing as a perfect CV, and that’s simply because of the varying types of industries, roles and recruiters out there. But before you start wallowing in despair to the sounds of Adele, we’re going to tell you what recruiters think the most successful CVs look like so you can ensure yours makes the cut.
Firstly, it’s worth pointing out that the CV is here to stay, despite many companies now choosing to hire through LinkedIn profiles only. Our recent research revealed that 84.2% of recruiters believe CVs will still be relevant in ten years’ time, with a staggering 98.5% believing that traditional CVs hold an important place in today’s recruitment process.
The recruitment industry is constantly evolving and so it’s no surprise that some active job hunters like you are pulling out all the stops by creating quirky CVs. But while these newsworthy CVs work for some candidates, 75.5% of recruiters believe they won’t become common practice.
As a result, you’ve got to make sure your traditional CV is absolute top quality and you should probably start with removing the areas recruiters are finding irrelevant.
Most irrelevant areas of a CV
Photos:
Tempted to put a photo on your CV to show recruiters your lovely mug? Think again. Our research revealed that 25.8% of recruiters believe adding a photo of yourself is the most irrelevant piece of information to add to your CV. You need to remember that it’s not what you look like that’s important to the recruiter; it’s whether or not you’re able to do the job.
So not only are you giving the recruiter extra and unnecessary information to review by adding a photo to your CV, but you’re wasting valuable space too.
Jargon:
Another area you should immediately consider removing from your CV is jargon. 18.6% of recruiters are tired of seeing industry related-idioms littered through your CV in your attempt to make yourself sound as knowledgeable possible.
While a little industry jargon can be beneficial, and even necessary to showcase your skills and expertise, you should not overstuff your CV with these specialised terms as you’ll only do the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve.
Hobbies:
Hobbies are an interesting one. Our research revealed that 10.8% of recruiters would rather you refrained from sharing what you do in your spare time from your CV. There are a few reasons for this it seems. For one, many recruiters just want to know whether you’re qualified to do the job, therefore your hobbies are no real interest to them.
Another is that time and time again, recruiters see poorly structured hobbies and interest sections that add very little value to the application, which can be pretty detrimental for you. No doubt a few poor recruiters have been emotionally scarred when hobbies got a bit too personal, too…
Outdated employment history:
If you’re including outdated employment history in your CV you’re going to upset at least 9.9% of recruiters. As a general guideline, you probably don’t want to list more than ten years’ worth of experience, although this is completely dependent on where you are in your career and where you’re heading.
If you’re just starting out, then by all means list your Saturday jobs and stints of work experience. If you’ve been in your current role for about eight years and are now considering moving on, we’d suggest filling the bulk of your employment history section with details of your current role, and just touch on your previous role – this is of course dependent on whether you think it will be beneficial to your application.
Unnecessarily big words:
Okay, show of hands please as to who’s guilty for plugging their CV with words so long Mary Poppins would be proud? 7% of recruiters ranked unnecessarily big words as one of their biggest bugbears, and this is for several reasons.
For one, you’re bulking out key points with more characters than they need to be which wastes valuable space on your CV. Secondly, using gargantuan words is not impressing anyone; yes a decent ability to write is a good thing, but the recruiter isn’t necessarily looking for Shakespeare. And thirdly, your CV is supposed to be all about you, right down to the tone of voice, so the recruiter can get to know you and your skills.
If you’re forcing ridiculously large words, it’s likely a recruiter will pick up on this unnatural way of speaking and simply move onto another CV.
Acronyms:
If you’re guilty of actively using long words, it’s more than likely your CV is bulging with acronyms, too. 3.1% of recruiters think that regurgitating synonyms through your CV is unnecessary and if you do this, it’ll just seem like your CV’s been created by a thesaurus-eating robot – hardly the greatest first impression.
A thesaurus is a great tool if you’ve got writers block or just need a helping hand varying your language slightly. However, it’s often blatantly obvious if you’ve used a thesaurus continuously to make you appear more intelligent, and trust us, it won’t go down well with the recruiter, especially if the synonym you’ve chosen doesn’t make any sense!
School grades:
5.3% of recruiters believe that adding school grades to your CV is pretty irrelevant. Whether you should include your school grades depends on where you are in your career and what qualifications the job specification states you need.
We suggest the best way to write your school grades is by just stating the number of GCSEs, O Levels, A Levels etc. you have, followed by the grade range you achieved, and then mention any specifics that the job spec may require. For example: ‘8 GCSEs, grades A-C, including an A in Maths and a B in English’.
Presenting your grades this way is neat and concise and gives the recruiter the perfect snapshot of what they need to know. If you’re a couple of decades into your career, feel free to exclude listing the grades and simply include the amount and type of school-level qualifications you have.
Objectives and aims:
Listing your career objectives or aims on your CV is deemed irrelevant by 2.7% of recruiters. Mentioning your career aims can be particularly beneficial to your application, especially if you’re in the early stages of your career, as it will show the recruiter you’re open to progression through the company and why you’re well suited to the role.
However, many candidates make the grave mistake of stating how the job they’re applying for will help them achieve their career goals. This is potentially disastrous because the recruiter’s main priority is making sure the job applicant can use their talent to make the company better, not the other way around.
Therefore, providing you write your personal statement with your career aims correctly, you should be onto a winner.
Social media links:
Links to social media are a relatively new thing to be included in CVs, and 2.5% of recruiters find them irrelevant. However, links to your LinkedIn profile and your Twitter (providing it’s a professional account) can be particularly advantageous to your application.
Your CV should be around two pages in length, and so if you’re struggling for space to show off all your amazing talent, adding a sneaky link in your personal details can be the best way to showcase the extras.
If you choose to include social media links, you must keep your profiles up-to-date. By including links to a LinkedIn account that hasn’t been touched in the last six months can be extremely damaging to your application, so make sure you give it a spring clean before you send your CV.
What types of skills should I list?
In addition to removing irrelevant areas in the attempt to create a perfect CV, there are types of skills you could include to may make your CV appear stronger. Our research revealed that almost three quarters of recruiters believe candidates should still list basic skills, such as Microsoft Office, on their CV.
That said, a further 74.9% of recruiters believe that employers are becoming more interested in broader experience and niche qualifications over basic business skills. As a result, it may be best to have a healthy blend of both — just make sure you keep your skills tailored to the job description.
The most and least important soft skills:
It’s vital to remember that shouting about your soft skills in your CV can go a long way as recruiters acknowledge their importance. Therefore, you should highlight your transferable qualities in your CV and apply them to the role in question. In our research, recruiters advised on the best and worst soft skills to include in a CV:
Top 5 MOST important soft skills:
Communication (78.3%)
Attention to detail (56.7%)
Self-motivation (54.6%)
Strong work ethic (52.7%)
Time management (48.1%)
Top 5 LEAST important soft skills:
Creativity (16.4%)
Leadership (16.4%)
Conflict resolution (7.1%)
Research skills (5.9%)
Public speaking (5.6%)
Only the best CVs will make the cut, so if you want that to be yours, make sure your CV contains only the most relevant, enticing information for employers and you’ll be well on your way to crafting that perfect CV.
