Recruitment and how not to get a job

For you amusements I will give you some examples, but remember, these are real life examples, some common, from people who have intelligence!

Photos on CV

It seems to be a European trend that has crept into the UK. First things first, a photo is not expected or required in the UK, and in most cases it will only do you harm. Even if you look like Tom Cruise or Jennifer Lopez, this may simply have your employer thinking your expecting a job simply because you have chiselled features! Don't get me wrong here, I have interviewed and placed people with photos on their CV, but in all cases, decision making has been independent of anything visual. Do yourself a favour a leave the photo off. If your the most attractive looking creature on the planet, it'll be a pleasant surprise at interview.

Irrelevant personal information

It is, of course, normal and necessary to put a certain amount of personal information on your CV. Your name, address, contact details and so on. There is however a line to be drawn with 'extra' personal details. Married with 3 children, 1 boy and 2 girls is fine. However, Married to the lovely Julia whom I met on a camping holiday, with 3 children Bret 10 who's great at football, Holly 8 who loves Ballet and Gary who's 4 who's ever so cute is probably too much. You may be a very proud parent, but this information isn't likely to get your job and is using up valuable attention span of your potential employer. Keep it simple and factual.

Marital status

This is a contentious issue and has often been considered a standard part of a CV. However, it should not be relevant to your ability to perform a role and therefore not part of recruitment decisions. To add to this, I have seen examples where marital status for example 'separated' or 'divorced' has revealed prejudice in a recruiting manager. With this in mind, you may consider leaving this out.

BLOCK CAPITALS

BLOCK CAPITALS ARE AWFUL TO READ THROUGHOUT A CV. IT'S DIFINTELY A THING TO AVOID. ITS' PARTLY PROTOCOL BUT ALSO THAT IT REALLY IS LESS EASY TO READ. Keep all text to the normal mix of upper and lower case.

Mobile phones at interview

There's only one greater crime than leaving your phone on so that it rings during and interview...and that is answering it when it does ring, turn it off before you go in.

Where a suit

Interviews are a formal affair in any recruitment process, unless specifically stated otherwise. Turning up in your nest jeans and leather jacket may save you an hour (turned away at the door) but it won't get you a job. Create an impression and wear your best business attire every time.

Be Punctual

Leave early and turn up early, no amount of clever excuses will ever make up for being late.

Don't arrange your interviews close together

Requesting to end an interview because you have another one to get to will end your chances of employment with that recruiter. I've interviewed several clock watchers who have admitted they have another interview to get to, don't do it, it's the end of the line if you do.

Most of this seems to be common sense, I suspect in each case it's because they haven't taken time to either research the area or apply some practical thought. Your next job interview could change the entire direction of your life, give it the seriousness it deserves.