CV DONT'S

In yesterday's blog, I impressed upon you how important your Curriculum Vitae is in your job search. It's your business card and your first point of contact with your potential new employer and so it has to get you that job interview. Without the job interview, you can't get the job!!!


Tomorrow I will tell you the best tips for writing a top-notch CV for yourself.


Today, I want to give you some advice on the don'ts of your CV. It's not just about the things you don't need to include but also about the content to avoid.


The biggest and most appropriate message is that whatever you write in your CV, it must be truthful and not lies. Lies will always catch you out in the end - so they are a definite NO NO.


Don't have an excessively long CV - try to get all the information you want to convey on to no more than 2 pages of A4. Anything more than that and you will risk the recruiter not wanting to read all your information and the risk then is that you go in the pile that is named "No interview".


Don't send a Curriculum Vitae with spelling mistakes. There is no excuse nowadays when you can spellcheck the document before you complete it. So even you do not need to be the best at spelling because your PC can do it for you.


Do not waste your time on fancy fonts or coloured paper UNLESS you're applying for a role that implies a bit of artistic ability. Play safe and use white paper and an acceptable type face such as Arial or Times New Roman. But don't make it too small a font that it is difficult to read!!!


Don't use your work email or telephone number as contact details. Your current employer might not be happy that you are leaving and then using their email system is not good business etiquette. Over and above that, what if your employer accesses your email for whatever reason and finds out that way. Embarrassment all round.


And, of course, if you urgently leave employment all your contacts and details are going to be delivered to a mailbox you no longer have access to. Think about it.


Don't put the names and addresses of Referees on the CV. You can give all that information at a later date when your new employer needs them.


Don't mention anything to do with your age, your state of health, your Religion or anything that potentially, however unlikely you might feel it would be, could leave a negative impact on the reader. Only have those details if the recruitment procedure asks for it. Clearly there would have to be legal reasons for the employer asking for such information at this stage of the process.


Don't mention reasons why you are leaving your current employer or have left previous employers. You can explain all of those reasons at interview. Telling them in advance could also be a reason for a recruiter to say no to interview.


Don't include a photograph of yourself in the CV, unless the recruiter specifically asks for it.


Don't have gaps of time in your CV. It is always something that arouses suspicion so if you do have to have gaps you should be prepared to answer why or what was happening during that period.


Don't make up information about periods of employment or employers. Remember most employers will check references and some particular roles will be subject to Criminal Record checks and maybe even financial probity checks.


I don't want you to get depressed reading all these DON'TS. Turn them into positives for your CV and add them to all the information in tomorrows blog and you will have the building blocks for an ace Curriculum Vitae.


So come back tomorrow for the latest instalment in preparing your CV.

(c) Iain Williamson 10.1.09