First of all - I'm not a recruiter but work at BlueSky - a PR consultancy that specialises in PR for the recruitment sector, so it's a subject we're pretty involved with. And at the moment we're recruiting ourselves. This is where we are put in our clients’ shoes and have to put all that recruiting knowledge we have gained to the test! I’ve written various pieces on how to write a good CV and the likes over the last couple of years, but I guess I have always assumed that people know the basics. It turns out that many don’t. We have had spelling mistakes, sentences that don’t make sense, photos, applicants from 200 miles away and people with completely irrelevant experience with no mention of a desire to work in PR. It’s a shame because what if that person with mistakes on their CV was perfect for the job? They could be losing out on opportunities because of something so simple. Although saying that they did provide us with a few chuckles too…

This got me thinking – who is to blame for this? The obvious answer is the candidate – sometimes mistakes can be solved by something as simple as proofreading the document . And if you don’t know how to put a CV together then do some research – the internet is home to loads of tips on these subjects. At a time where there is lots of competition for jobs shouldn’t this be crucial? However should schools play more of a part in teaching these skills? Learning about the periodic table and the Battle of Hastings obviously is all part of the education process but isn’t the point of school to prepare you for the workplace? I can’t think of much more relevant than knowing how to write a good CV.


So, my top CV tips are: check for spelling, grammatical and other simple errors, make sure you’ve read the job description thoroughly and that your CV relates to that position – detail your relevant experience and interest in the job. In other words put yourself in the employer’s shoes – what would you want to hear? Make it clear, concise and easy to read and don’t worry about including photos, date of birth or anything else that is not needed.


Saying this, all is not lost! We did also receive a handful of CVs from promising candidates, so hopefully the next BlueSky blogger will be with us soon. What do you think we can do to improve the standard of CVs? And what are the worst mistakes you've seen?