There is no reason you shouldn’t be able to apply for a job in this field and give recruiters a reason to not consider you. Here are some things you should avoid putting in your CV to have the best chance at landing a job in your field:
1. Unexplained Gaps
This is something that will vary from person to person, but it will sometimes seem a little suspect if you put work experience in it and there is an undetermined time gap between the different jobs your put in there. The unexplained gap may lead to a lot of inferring and a lot of uncertainty, so if you have some sort of gap in your CV that you know you were doing something meaningful, it is good to make sure you fill in those gaps. Don’t let them think of things you didn’t do to justify them throwing away your CV.
2. Unnecessary Negatives
Now here we are at the opposite side of the equation. Sometimes, saying too much can be a little detrimental to your overall prospects, especially in regard to your last job experience. Obviously, you are sending your CV to apply for a job which means you are making yourself available to want another job and you are going to or already left your previous job. People leaving jobs is normal, but it’s better to keep the details of leaving a job vague, without emphasizing any negative detail like hating your previous experience or developing a sense of burnout. If a recruiter perceives those negative experiences, what makes them think that you’ll not develop the same feeling towards them?
3. Irrelevant Detail
Continuing on the theme of saying too much, bloating up your CV with every single experience (particularly extracurricular) you have had in your life may seem impressive to you, but imperils your CV into becoming too much for a recruiter to sift through. It is always important for you to mention something extracurricular you’ve done that will be of great importance to the recruiter and the job you’re applying for. But if it’s sandwiched between the time you won a competition or the time you participated in fencing, the recruiter will see that, say “irrelevant” and throw away your CV.
4. Avoid Vague Claims and Cliches
There is nothing that grates more to a recruiter than seeing a CV littered with fluff. Empty platitudes like “Responsible for the Day to Day operations” or “Experienced and successful man”. These are just clichés that many people have overused to the breaking point, which prevents recruiters from understanding exactly what makes you tick. Instead, make sure that you provide specific, succinct detail about the kind of things you did in your previous experiences. Something specific will at least gives a better idea than the trite expressions many have used.
5. Lies
If you put something in your CV that you absolutely know you didn’t do, don’t put it. Most companies like to do extensive background checks, so if you put something that if they follow a trail that makes them realize you didn’t do, it’s going to come back and bite you. It may even get you blacklisted. So, just don’t do it. Don’t put things you didn’t do in an effort to seem more impressive. Believe in the things you’ve done, and make an effort to embellish yourself with actual, relevant experience that you’ll be able to prove truthfully.
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