We’ve told you what you should include when writing your CV to help you look as employable as possible and here’s our advice for what you should not include to avoid disappointment at the first hurdle.
It’s important to remember that you need to keep your CV as simple as possible; it should not be any longer than two pages and should only include the relevant information. If a CV is too long or includes irrelevant information, many recruiters or hiring managers will discount your application at this early stage.
So, here’s our list of seven things not to include on your CV:
- Personal information: avoid giving information such as age, date of birth, gender, religion, relationship status or nationality as it is too personal and unnecessary.
- Photo of yourself: you want the employer to focus on your skills.
- Colours and designs: most recruiters are looking for simple CVs promoting key information.
- Unprofessional email address: make sure your email address is simple and professional, to give the best impression to the employer.
- Spelling and grammatical errors: always proof-read your CV before submitting it to avoid those simple errors we all make.
- Lies: you should never lie on your CV as you will be found out in interview. Emphasise your key achievements and skills but don’t lie and risk everything.
- References: only provide these when asked, employers know that you’ll have references ready.
If you would like any further advice, feel free to get in contact with the team who are on hand to answer any of your questions on apprentice@the-mtc.org.