A million websites are handing out career tips, advising the best way for jobseekers to ‘sex’ up their CVs and scrub up for interviews. Most of it, of course, is old hat.
But we thought it would be interesting to see if there were any big ‘no-nos’ when it comes to trying to impress a recruiter, so we sought the advice of international recruiting legend Ronnie the Recruiter.
Here’s Ronnie’s list:
1. Never send in a photo with your CV. Firstly, it’s naff. Secondly, no-one cares what you look like. And thirdly, if you are ugly or look like an idiot, your CV could end up in the bin.
2. Best send in a 2-page CV (three pages maximum). Any more, and you risk turning off a recruiter, who, in the end, might not be bothered to read anything about you at all. Many recruiters only have time to quickly scan a CV for key words (and are usually looking for ‘gift wrapped’ key word combinations like ‘Goldman’ and ‘Sachs’ or ‘Morgan’ and ‘Stanley’), so keep all the superfluous stuff out – keep it simple and tight.
3. If your middle name is uncool (like Cuthbert or Joyce), don’t include it on your CV.