10 Sure-Fire Ways To Screw Up Your CV And Alienate Employers

3. Too Long

Don't waffle on. It's really that simple. If you go on and on with no real point all you will achieve is to bore the employer out of his mind. Cut your CV ruthlessly; don't waste space with extra content (even if a lot of it is relevant €“ know when you've said enough). Also remember not to write really long and confusing sentences. Be sharp and straight to the point. Another thing to remember is that you don't actually need to include references. If your employer wants references, they will ask about them. This is common sense and you don't need to waste time saying that they are available. Nothing would be worse than for an employer to like your CV at first only to get bored and forget why they even considered it.

2. Lying

Does anybody remember the Friends episode where Joey has to learn French because he put it as a skill on his CV when auditioning for a role? I saw that episode when I was ten and, after a good laugh, my thoughts on the situation were "how could anybody be so stupid as to lie on their CV? It's gonna come out eventually." And yet, people do it. So please, for the love of God, don't bother trying to fill up your CV with bull in the hopes that it will impress your employer. If something you write impresses the employer, it means they will require that skill and will expect you to demonstrate it. If it doesn't impress them, you've wasted space. Also, a lot of lies appear ridiculously obvious. Even if it doesn't apply to your prospective job, a lie noticed by an employer will immediately take away your credibility and the whole CV will be labelled as bull.