CV suicide

The curriculum vitae is an opportunity for job seekers to sell themselves. However, in a difficult jobs market, there’s a temptation to stretch the truth and some overzealous candidates are standing out from the crowd a little too much.

According to recruitment site Careerbuilder.co.uk, candidates have sent CVs written in rhyme and one listed God as a referee – although the jobseeker could not offer any contact details.

Another listed being ‘a master of time and the universe’ among their skills set, and would presumably have no problems getting to the office in the TARDIS.

The survey of 700 employers found some alarming errors in CVs, too. One candidate simply provided their name and number alongside the comment: ‘I want a job’.

Another jobseeker offered their CV on a page torn from an exercise book while another sent their CV from email address ‘lovesbeer’. Both failed to impress.

Interestingly, nearly one-third of UK employers said they spend one minute or less reviewing a CV, while more than one in ten admitted 30 seconds or less. Roughly one in four employers said they had detected a lie on a CV in the past year.