TOP 10 Don’ts
DON’T Tailor your CV. Your CV should be
DON’T Expand the truth It is simply not true
that the bigger the lies you put on your CV then
the better the job you will get. Most employers
are not fooled by creative embellishments and if
you do manage to get a job based on this you
could be let go of pretty quickly which won’t look
good on your CV.
DON’T List everything An employer really
doesn’t need or want to know all the one-day
training courses you have ever been on. Keep
information relevant and to the point.
DON’T Include a photo No matter how attrac-
tive you make yourself look, it will not improve
your chances. This tends to be popular in other
European countries but isn’t favoured by the ma-
jority of UK businesses.
DON’T Get creative Don’t use elaborate fonts
and colours to make your CV stand out. The
more gimmicky you make your CV using differ-
ent shapes and pictures, the more off-putting it
will be to an employer. It will also make it more
difficult to upload to Jobsite.
DON’T Divulge sensitive information Never
include your NI or passport number or any other
sensitive personal information on your CV.
DON’T Talk about me, me, me Don’t start each
sentence in the first person. Instead use phras-
ing such as ‘Selected to manage the
companies online marketing spend of £100,000
which resulted in position 1 being achieved
across all search engines within 6 months’.
Dont’s
strong enough to be used for different positions
that you are applying for. It is your covering
letter that you should tailor carefully for each
position, making sure it answers all of the
employer’s questions about your suitability for
the role. However, if you have a really wide skill
set then you may have more than one CV
depending on which role you’re going for.
DON’T Talk in clichés Phrases such as ‘I am a
highly motivated individual who works well on
my own or in a team, with exceptional
communication skills and the ability to work
under pressure to produce results under tight
deadlines’ are dull and the employer has heard
them all before. Make yourself stand out with
Do’s and
carefully worded phrasing that is factual and
captures the employer’s attention.
DON’T Duplicate applications Some
Don’ts of CV
recruiters have systems that handle multiple
Writing
applications from the same person, but for
those that don’t, remember it is most off-putting
to receive five CVs from the same person and
for the same job application.
DON’T Make the recruiter jump through
hoops If you are able to perform in the job,
explain how in your CV. Don’t expect the The top 10
employer to read between the lines to work out tips for
whether you will be worth the £40k salary per
annum. Sadly, that’s what lots of candidates
think it's the recruiter’s job to do. writing a
successfu
l CV!
 ld y o u lis t y our work DO Encourage the employer to read on
Shou ts
e rie n c e o r achievemen Ensure that you put your most salient points on DO Use relevant keywords With posts
exp lu d e a photo
the first page of the CV to include your greatest advertised through job boards and online
y o u in c successes and achievements and proven
first? Do lo ured paper examples of how you have used your skills to
recruiters, keywords are entered into
t? W ill c o databases to find the most relevant jobseekers
or no o u t from the
benefit the companies you have worked for. without having to trawl through 1000s of
u s ta n d
make yo y our CV can DO Concentrate on the quality not quantity
candidates. These keywords will include
? W ritin g specific technical skills like SAP or
crowd ut th ere are of your achievements Don’t hold anything qualifications like ACCA or specific job titles
e fi e ld b
be a min ule s you can
back but make sure that your achievements like ‘Customer services advisor’. Make sure
s im p le r are fantastic and not just that you are a your CV mirrors the language used in the
certain d
r the dos an
fantastic communicator! Typically a CV should advert.
w . D is c o ve
follo writing
have 10 achievements on it that cover the
don’ts of CV
main successes in your career to get the DO Capture immediate attention Prioritise
reader’s attention. the content of your CV and detail the most
relevant information first. Start with a
DO Rise above the competition Make sure hard-hitting personal profile that avoids clichés

TOP 10 Do’s
DO Use a confident tone and positive
language Use positive words to start each
sentence, such as initiated, improved,
introduced, developed, negotiated,
established, created, pioneered, delivered,
increased, reduced, saved etc. This also helps
to ensure that you’re substantiating your skills
with hard evidence
DO Concentrate on your achievements not
your responsibilities This means listing things
you have done – such as products launched,
sales increase, awards won – not rewriting your
job description. Quote figures whenever
possible.
you include other skills that could set you apart
from other candidates, such as languages and
IT skills.
DO Keep to the point Be ruthless with
yourself and keep your CV to a maximum of
two pages. Only very senior, experienced
executives have more to say.
DO Check, check and check again Check
thoroughly for correct spelling and grammar –
spotting errors is a quick and easy way of
weeding out weaker candidates when faced
with a mountain of CVs to read. Don’t just rely
on your computers spellchecker but get
someone else to proof it – you may have spelt
a word correctly but used it in the wrong place.
such as ‘hard-working, team player with
excellent communication skills’. Make sure that
all your career history is punchy and to the
point with qualified and quantified successes.
DO Graduates should expand - Tell your
reader more about your degree other than just
the modules you have taken. Show successes
you have had in your project work and
dissertations and other extracurricular activities
you have undertaken. More experienced
jobhunters should just put their degree details
on page two with the university they attended,
the degree that they took and the grade
gained.

Do’s