We’ve all been there before – you’ve found a job you think would be perfect for you and you want to impress the employers with the CV you’ve poured your heart and soul into. But how can you make yourself stand out against all the other applicants?
Some of us go down the route of adding in a little personality to our CV, maybe a slight change to the design and layout, but some people have different ideas!
A poll that we conducted last year revealed some of the more interesting ideas people have had when applying for a job. Here are our top 10 funniest things that have appeared on a candidate CV:
1. A CV from a candidate claiming they have experience in Arctic Warfare
2. An individual who went to great lengths to explain his interest and knowledge of origami
3. A CV written entirely in the third person
4. A suggestive picture of a scantily clad young lady (the role was a Foundry Maintenance Team Leader)
5. A CV listing ‘achievements’ that included “successfully putting daughter to bed over 100 times”
6. Inclusion of ear size measurement
7. A full CV written in text speak
8. A candidate stating they are “nice to children, animals and old people” in their covering letter
9. “Excellent upper body strength” listed as a skill – for a PR account executive role
10. A CV sent in a dirty, used and smelly tennis shoe, with a note saying “does this mean I have my foot in the door?”
As a recruiter, would any of these unusual CV additions make you want to meet the candidate in question? We’re not so sure for some of them!
From a seeker point of view, our top tips on penning a successful CV include:
• Don’t rely entirely on spell check when proofreading, always get a second pair of eyes to check over your CV and covering letter
• Customise your CV for the job you’re applying for
• Make sure you read through the job posting and make sure you are relevant for the role you are applying for
• Avoid using jargon or acronyms
• Don’t send too much information – it’s always best to be succinct and to the point
This is part of our 600 Interesting and Useful Things for Recruiters series. Supplied by Richard Hebbron at Monster. If you’d like to find out about future polls and research they do at Monster, you can follow their blog
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