5 Things to Eliminate from Your CV

Having worked in the recruitment firm for quite some time, I understand what employers look for when they receive applications. When we were filling the role of communication assistant, I had a chance to review a couple of applications. Some were professional CVs while others made us fail to find the information we were looking for.

The reason was that they had irrelevant information that made it hard to find their suitability for the role. That reduced their chances of proceeding to the next stage. A successful job search starts with having a well-written CV that highlights the relevant skills that make you the right candidate.

When updating your professional history, it’s essential to focus on highlighting your most relevant skills and qualifications for the job you want. However, some things are better left out as they don’t add value and could potentially work against you.

Here are five key things you should eliminate from your CV to make it clean, clear, and focused:

1. Irrelevant Personal Details

Including information like your marital status, age, gender, nationality, or photo is inappropriate and could introduce potential bias. The focus should be strictly on your skills, experience, and achievements.

For example, leaving out details like “34-year-old male” or “Married with two kids” keeps the emphasis where it needs to be – on why you’re the best candidate based on your merit alone. Recruiters are looking for the right skills, not personal details.

2. Career Gaps or Job Hopping

Career gaps raise questions and the recruiters might sideline your CV because of this. If you have gaps between jobs or switched jobs frequently, address this concisely rather than ignoring it.

For example, if you took time off to travel or raise a family, you can simply state, “Took a sabbatical year to travel extensively in Asia and Australia” or “Took a career break to care for family.”

Avoid leaving obvious gaps that raise questions. At the same time, don’t provide too many details or long explanations that draw attention away from your strengths. Keep explanations factual without excuses.

3. Salary History or Requirements

Unless specifically asked to include salary expectations, it is better when left out.. This can negatively impact how you’re perceived if the expectations are too high or low.

Focus instead on demonstrating your value and let the employer bring up compensation when they’re ready.

4. Unrelated Skills or Hobbies

While a well-rounded person is appealing, your career history needs to sing about precisely what is relevant to the job. Listing unrelated hobbies or skills clutters the document and makes it harder for recruiters to see your key qualifications at a glance.

For example, if you’re applying for an accounting role, mentioning you enjoy rock climbing likely doesn’t need to be included. Keep it direct and explicitly focused on finance, accounting, and relevant technical skills.

5. Poor Formatting or Design

Recruiters are busy people reviewing multiple resumes daily. Make yours easy to scan with consistent formatting, appropriate font size, relevant bolding/italicizing, and parallel structuring of dates and descriptions.

Poor formatting makes you appear disorganized and sloppy. Invest in high-quality design with clear headings, bullet points, and adequate spacing between sections. Get another set of eyes to proofread it before submitting it. A great CV is your first impression – make an impression that convinces recruiters you’re worth an interview.

In summary, focus your CV directly on the job requirements through relevant qualifications, experience, and keywords. Leave out the fluff that doesn’t directly sell your candidacy. Be concise yet comprehensive to hook recruiters with what you bring without clutter or questions. Alternatively, you can seek our Professional CV Writing Service, which will help you create a  document that is sure to impress potential employers. Our experts will work with you to identify your key strengths and accomplishments and then craft a CV that showcases your value to potential employers.