Knowing what information the employer wants to see on your CV is the key to success. But have you ever thought about what you shouldn’t put on your CV?
With only two pages to write down your achievements, skills, qualifications and experience, you don’t always have a lot of space left. So to ensure you make use of that valuable space, here are the two things you should never write on a CV.
Anything irrelevant to the role
A CV should not be used as a list for all your achievements and your complete career history. It should instead be created specifically to show the employer how you would benefit them.
There will always be something from your career that isn’t relevant to the employer, but that doesn’t matter. You should always focus upon what is relevant to the employer, and use your CV as a tool to demonstrate why they should pick you.
If you have an extensive career history spanning back many years, you may need to consider whether or not your earliest roles need to be present on your CV. Your first couple of jobs from 15-20 years ago may not be of interest to the employer, and they will not mind if you miss them off altogether.
Your most recent roles are what matter and anything else that is relevant – skills and qualifications included. Pay close attention to the job advert and try to match certain keywords. Your goal is to sculpt your CV based upon that advert and anything else you discover about the company.
Reading the company’s website and social media pages are also a great way to ensure you write a relevant CV. Keeping up to date with the industry and reading everything you can get your hands on will put you in a far better position to write a great CV.
Personal information
If you think you may have been discriminated against during the recruitment process, you’re not alone. Studies have revealed an alarming rate of discrimination even in today’s times.
“Discrimination is very much prevalent in today’s workplace”, says lawyer and recruitment expert Jen Wiss-Carline of CV Template Master. “We want to believe it doesn’t exist in these times, but there’s still a phenomenal degree of gender and racial bias.”
But Maryam Jameel and Joe Yerardi at Vox think discrimination can be less obvious than it used to be – and perhaps this is why it is overlooked. “Complaint data shows that it can often manifest in more subtle ways, such as the assignments workers are given, the pay or benefits they receive, and the ways their performance is judged and rewarded,” they say.
To avoid being discriminated against you should keep your personal information down to a minimum. You only need to provide your full name and contact details – email address and contact number.
Although an employer is not allowed to discriminate against a candidate, it can and does still happen. It is very hard to know if an employer has discriminated when they made their choice of who to hire, so it’s better not to give them the opportunity.
You do not need to put down your religious or political beliefs on your CV. Your height, race, gender, age, or anything else that’s personal should be left off. The goal is to get a job interview so you can sit face to face with the employer and make a great impression. Leave off your personal information to stand a better chance of making it to the next stage.
Find out more – How to Tell If You’re Being Discriminated Against In Your Job Search