Are you trying to improve your CV? Start by removing these activities that are not attractive to recruiters.
When writing a curriculum vitae, many people put it together with the philosophy of “spaghetti on the wall”: they throw everything they can and expect something to stick. But recruiters and hiring managers actually look for quality information, not quantity. After all, you only have 7 seconds to capture a recruiter’s attention, so be sure to quickly communicate positive things. That is why we should cut the information we present in our CV.
Take for example an artist’s portfolio. Don’t include these aspects. And remember that if you want to improve your resume with the assistance of real professionals, contact us at Sydney Resumes.
- A language you only studied in high school
Sure, you took French in high school for a few months, but are you really at a level where you feel comfortable holding everyday conversations with native speakers or reading in that language? If the answer is “no,” then you should not put it on your resume.
In the worst case, the recruiter could speak the same language and try to start a conversation. If you discover that you are lying about that ability, you can bet that you will not be invited to move forward in the hiring process.
- Basic computing skills such as email and Microsoft Word
At this point in the story, knowing how to use email or Microsoft Word is almost equivalent to knowing how to read or handle basic math. That is, they are not differentiators, but you are expected to know how to use these tools.
By adding these ‘skills’, it may seem that candidates are trying to ‘inflate’ their curriculum. That is, they are putting anything in their CV because they do not have enough relevant skills.
An exception to this would be if you have perfected a very specific practice using these programs, such as [create] an access database from scratch and import Excel data to do Big Data analysis.
- Use of social networks (outside of work)
You may have thousands of followers on Twitter, millions of friends on Facebook and countless likes on Instagram, but managing your personal brand and managing a company’s professional brand are two completely different things. Working on social media in a professional environment often requires much more than simply posting attractive content – it often involves data analysis, payment experience and more.
You can be very good at posting photos of your friends and even sharing news about your current company, but if you’re not applying for a social media strategist position, you shouldn’t show off what you know to do on Facebook. Better check the job offer to see the required skills and be sure to list the significant skills you have.
- The so-called “soft skills”
These skills are a bit difficult to handle because recruiters don’t love to see them in the CVs. However, you must prove them with facts. For example, saying that you are a good communicator means nothing if you cannot prove it with specific examples.
The most common mistake among job seekers is to make a list of soft skills in their CV. For example, they say they are good communicators, they know how to do several tasks at once, they have leadership, they are good at solving problems, etc.
Instead of listing your soft skills, better show them. Communicate your skills in the body of your CV. For example, instead of saying that you have ‘leadership’, write that you have conducted multiple simultaneous projects with positive results.
- Exaggerations or lies
Job seekers often include words they see in job applications to decorate their CVs. But if you do not have the skills requested in the job offer, do not include them in your resume. You may think that you are going to get away with it, but it will eventually come to light.
If you are not an excellent oral communicator, do not put it in your CV. If work requires you to get up to talk in front of a group of people every day, you would probably be miserable if you lie.
That does not mean you should have ALL the skills listed in the job offer. A good rule of thumb is that you can have between 80 and 90% of the characteristics required to get the attention of recruiters.
- Outdated technology
The software and technology used in the workplace can change rapidly, so it is important to be up to date on its use. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking like you can’t stay in a dynamic workplace.
Companies are looking for sophisticated and flexible professionals who understand technology. By including your use of outdated technology in the skills section of your resume, you give the impression to employers that your knowledge is stale and it will take you a long time to learn new skills. In a market as competitive as the current one, employers want to invest in people who have demonstrated the ability to learn quickly.
So, leave out things like coding languages that are no longer widely in use, obsolete versions of modern software programs and other irrelevant technologies.
- Irrelevant information and joke skills
This may sound obvious, but there are really people who still put things in their CV as “expert chef of guacamole” or “certified ping-pong champion”. Don’t include skills that are irrelevant to the job you are requesting.
Sure, there are probably some recruiters who will find those funny or charming details. But when you apply for a job, you don’t know who will appreciate that joke and who won’t, so it’s best to opt for professionalism.
Here at Sydney Resumes we can help you achieve all professional goals and also assist you with tips that can help you complete any job interview successfully and make sure you can have that job you want so much.