Discussion
I'm sure it has been covered here before, but some methods of ensuring your CV goes straight in the bin:
Spelling and gramatical errors - if you don't even bother to proof read your CV then why would you bother doing any other work to a decent standard. If you can't spell, ask someone to check it for you.
Irrelevant experience - so, you're familiar with Windows 95, 2000 and XP? How interesting.
Stupid email addresses - you can be medplayboy69 if you want, but don't put it on your CV, you look like a t
t.
Grrr.
Spelling and gramatical errors - if you don't even bother to proof read your CV then why would you bother doing any other work to a decent standard. If you can't spell, ask someone to check it for you.
Irrelevant experience - so, you're familiar with Windows 95, 2000 and XP? How interesting.
Stupid email addresses - you can be medplayboy69 if you want, but don't put it on your CV, you look like a t
t. Grrr.
Why get hung up on email addresses and hobbies?
Can the person fulfil your needs for the role in question? If so then give them a chance, it's not as if you will be expected to play magical soldier games with them or give your customers their personal email address.
Does the engineer need to create documentation without the use of a spell checker?
Some of the most talented "hands on" people I know aren't exactly academic high-fliers but give them the necessary tools, materials and a problem to solve and they will put a lot of "clever" people to shame.
Yes you should take care on a CV and make sure things are accurate but the points raised by the OP aren't exactly going to kill anyone in the workplace, if you have Windows 8.1 then the 95 experience won't be of use but I read that as "I'm familiar with computers" rather than "I stopped being able to use those new-fangled flashing whirly boxes when ME was released".
Can the person fulfil your needs for the role in question? If so then give them a chance, it's not as if you will be expected to play magical soldier games with them or give your customers their personal email address.
Does the engineer need to create documentation without the use of a spell checker?
Some of the most talented "hands on" people I know aren't exactly academic high-fliers but give them the necessary tools, materials and a problem to solve and they will put a lot of "clever" people to shame.
Yes you should take care on a CV and make sure things are accurate but the points raised by the OP aren't exactly going to kill anyone in the workplace, if you have Windows 8.1 then the 95 experience won't be of use but I read that as "I'm familiar with computers" rather than "I stopped being able to use those new-fangled flashing whirly boxes when ME was released".
I get sent crap CV's all the time, some are really bizarre, I had one this week where the applicant had decided to add a full length picture of himself and another where there was a full background picture of some lightning with very small white text over the top making it almost impossible to read.
It's very rare now to receive one that's spelt correctly and formatted so you can read it, most look like an Ebay auction for a Citroen Saxo.
Crap hobbies amuse me, why adding that you like going out with friends and watching TV onto your CV is going to help secure that interview is beyond me.
My favourite recently was from a chap who had spent 3 years to obtain a 'Level 7' diploma in testing games! A level 4 or 5 I could believe but to go all the way to level 7 was just insane, I bet he could test all the cards in Monopoly in about 30 seconds flat!
It's very rare now to receive one that's spelt correctly and formatted so you can read it, most look like an Ebay auction for a Citroen Saxo.
Crap hobbies amuse me, why adding that you like going out with friends and watching TV onto your CV is going to help secure that interview is beyond me.
My favourite recently was from a chap who had spent 3 years to obtain a 'Level 7' diploma in testing games! A level 4 or 5 I could believe but to go all the way to level 7 was just insane, I bet he could test all the cards in Monopoly in about 30 seconds flat!
LimaDelta said:
Irrelevant experience - so, you're familiar with Windows 95, 2000 and XP? How interesting.
It depends. If it's got to get through HR or (worse) an agency who are completely ignorant of the job it might be necessary. Some of these people simply match strings of letters but filter out CVs even before they reach people who understand them. A mate with wide experience of developing commercial websites was once pulled up by an alleged IT agent for not having HTML (whatever that was); he assumed HTML was a given in his field so didn't think it worth the clutter...
Of course this makes presentation, grammar and spelling all the more important.
thetapeworm said:
Why get hung up on email addresses and hobbies?
Can the person fulfil your needs for the role in question? If so then give them a chance, it's not as if you will be expected to play magical soldier games with them or give your customers their personal email address.
Does the engineer need to create documentation without the use of a spell checker?
Some of the most talented "hands on" people I know aren't exactly academic high-fliers but give them the necessary tools, materials and a problem to solve and they will put a lot of "clever" people to shame.
Yes you should take care on a CV and make sure things are accurate but the points raised by the OP aren't exactly going to kill anyone in the workplace, if you have Windows 8.1 then the 95 experience won't be of use but I read that as "I'm familiar with computers" rather than "I stopped being able to use those new-fangled flashing whirly boxes when ME was released".
Of course they aren't going to kill people (we have other people for that), but I need a quick way of filtering out the CVs of people I don't want to waste time considering. It may seem harsh, but we can be very picky in our industry and little things matter. It's not about spelling per se, it's about attention to detail, and that really matters here.Can the person fulfil your needs for the role in question? If so then give them a chance, it's not as if you will be expected to play magical soldier games with them or give your customers their personal email address.
Does the engineer need to create documentation without the use of a spell checker?
Some of the most talented "hands on" people I know aren't exactly academic high-fliers but give them the necessary tools, materials and a problem to solve and they will put a lot of "clever" people to shame.
Yes you should take care on a CV and make sure things are accurate but the points raised by the OP aren't exactly going to kill anyone in the workplace, if you have Windows 8.1 then the 95 experience won't be of use but I read that as "I'm familiar with computers" rather than "I stopped being able to use those new-fangled flashing whirly boxes when ME was released".
Totally agree on the email point.
When applying for new work myself, I have a sensible email address (containing my name) which isn't linked to anything else. I use it solely for applying for jobs (not that I have in a while). It also stops the employer googling my email address and finding my facebook account and what not. I have no issue with them looking at my facebook, but would rather they didn't make my profile picture a consideration in whether I should get the job or not...
Spelling mistakes are inexcusable on a CV. Every word processor has spell check. It's just lazy.
Irrelevant experience isn't so much of an issue I find. Sometimes it's useful to put irrelevant skills in. Not take up a whole page with them, but maybe a little sub section with general stuff like the example you gave (experience with computers etc.).
When applying for new work myself, I have a sensible email address (containing my name) which isn't linked to anything else. I use it solely for applying for jobs (not that I have in a while). It also stops the employer googling my email address and finding my facebook account and what not. I have no issue with them looking at my facebook, but would rather they didn't make my profile picture a consideration in whether I should get the job or not...
Spelling mistakes are inexcusable on a CV. Every word processor has spell check. It's just lazy.
Irrelevant experience isn't so much of an issue I find. Sometimes it's useful to put irrelevant skills in. Not take up a whole page with them, but maybe a little sub section with general stuff like the example you gave (experience with computers etc.).
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