Why You’re Unemployed: Recruiters hate seeing these 11 things on your CV

What you include and exclude can significantly impact your chances of landing an interview. Recruiters often have limited time, so making a strong first impression is essential.

By carefully selecting relevant information and presenting it concisely, you can increase your odds of capturing their attention.

According to experienced recruiters, here are some things you need to remove from your CV to improve your chances of making the best impression.

Remove all the parts of your CV with your biodata. “We don’t need to know your date of birth, state of origin, or LGA. It’s not a political appointment or a government job, so clear that out,” Bukola Oguntuyi, People and Culture Manager at ETAP, says.

Does your CV need a section for hobbies? Oguntuyi believes when it comes to your CV, “We don’t need to know you like swimming or playing chess. How does that have anything to do with the role? You can alternate this with areas of interest that have a direct bearing on what you’re applying for.”

“Using someone else’s number (like a family member’s) is a bad idea. It’s confusing for recruiters and can lead to missed opportunities. It’s best to just put your own number,” Precious Samuels, the Chief Operating Officer at Career Buddy, adds.

“Except you have a first or second-class upper, we don’t need to know your grade. Just state the university you graduated from,” Oguntuyi advises.

Use spell-check apps or websites for an error-free CV. To Oguntuyi, “Errors show low intelligence and a lack of attention to detail. Keep your CV error-free.”

“It’s not a good look for your CV to look too cramped. It should be easy to skim through and not jam-packed with irrelevant information,” Oguntuyi says.

You need to state what you did in your previous jobs, your achievements, and what your job entailed. According to Samuels, “You’re writing a lot of activities; it doesn’t really add value or sell you in a good light. So, it’s best to highlight a certain percentage of the result during the activity.”

Refrain from stating your gender except it’s necessary in the job description. Samuels says, “Don’t include your gender on your CV. It can limit your chances, especially if the employer has a specific preference.”

This information is irrelevant to your job qualifications and should be omitted. Samuels says, “Some people put up things like single, married, and all of those things, but they’re not needed. It doesn’t add any value to your CV.”

Only include the highest level of education relevant to the job. According to Oguntuyi, “I don’t advocate people putting up their SSCE, except that’s the highest qualification that you have.”

“Too many short-term jobs can give the impression of job instability. Recruiters believe that once they give you the job, you won’t last long either, and then they have to begin the expensive recruitment process again,” Grace Alfred, a Senior Talent Partner at Career Buddy, says.

Samuels adds, “You see a candidate who maybe worked as a data analyst for maybe three months in an internship position and then moved on to sales and then maybe social media and spent three or six months. You’re just a bit confused and start wondering, ‘Does this person even know what they want in their career, or they’re just hopping jobs?'”