If you’re applying for job after job but you can’t seem to make it to the interview stage, clearly something isn’t right. It’s true that you may be applying for jobs that are a bad fit, but it’s equally likely that your CV may be to blame. When it comes to CVs, we’ve seen it all, and we can confirm that the majority of job seekers disclose information that can be used against them in a CV. Are you guilty of some major CV no-nos? Read on to discover seven things you should never put on your CV.
Your date of birth
You may believe that this is essential information, but it isn’t. Your date of birth is one of the top things you should never put on your CV. It can be used to work out your age and this can count against you.
Your employer may have an ideal person in mind and may jump to conclusions based on your age. If you’re young, you may be considered immature, while if you’re a woman in your late 20s or early 30s, potential employers may assume you plan to disappear to have babies soon.
And of course, if you’re a career changer applying for a foot-in-the-door opportunity, you may be viewed as too old to do a junior job without complaining about it.
Your picture
Just like with age, your appearance can trigger all sorts of prejudices before your potential employer has had a chance to review your skills. If you want to be shortlisted on merit, do not put your picture on your CV… no matter how cute you think you are!
Avoid the temptation to put your graduation dates on your CV. That information can be used to work out your age.
Your graduation dates
As most of us enter higher education at 18, it doesn’t take a maths genius to count back from your graduation date and work out your age… especially if you haven’t had any gap years or taken any sabbaticals.
Irrelevant past jobs
There’s no need to list every single job you’ve ever had on your CV, especially those jobs that have very little to do with the role you’re applying for.
Remember that your CV is an opportunity to show why you’re the best candidate for a role. Don’t distract from this with extraneous information.
Your school grades
If you’ve got a degree and have had two or more jobs since graduating, there is no need to list early achievements, such as GCSEs. While these may feel impressive to you, employers know that your GCSE grades are too far in the past to have any real bearing on your current skill set.
And make sure you only mention A levels if they are relevant to the skills required for the role you’ve applied for.
Your current salary
The second you disclose this information you’ve lost your bargaining power during salary negotiations.
Some employers may be willing to offer a much higher salary than your previous employer, but if you reveal your current salary, you’re likely to be offered something similar. The only way to get as high a salary as possible is to avoid showing your hand first.
Your references
Listing your references before you’ve even secured an interview is a waste of valuable CV space (remember that the best CVs should never exceed two pages in length), but that’s not the only reason this is a CV faux pas.
More importantly, revealing your references before you’ve secured a job places you at risk of being outed to your current employer by an overzealous recruiter.
Worst case scenario? You won’t get the new job and you’ll be pushed out of your current role by an aggrieved employer.
Did we miss any ultimate CV blunders? Let us know your opinion on the things you should never put on your CV in the comments below.
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