What looks bad on a CV?

Surely you’ve noticed there’s loads of advice about how your CV should look like, but very few focus on what looks bad on a CV and can hurt your application.

Well, today, we are going to change that! We’ll have a look at some of the things that look bad on a CV. Not only that, but we’ll explain why we think so. Before we deep dive into the topic, we’d like to remind you that we offer a free CV review. So, if you want to find out what looks bad on your CV and what needs to be improved, get in touch. We’ll do a personalized analysis just for you.

 

Defining the “bad”

Naturally, different people have different ideas of what looks bad on a CV. At Linking Lines, we work with clients all over the world. As a result, we have our own understanding of “bad” when it comes to CV writing.

So, for us, “bad” is whatever won’t get you an invite to a job interview. “Bad” is whatever doesn’t do you justice.

With this definition in mind, check our list to find out what looks bad on a CV according to Linking Lines.

 

What looks bad on a CV?

Considering we’ve seen countless CVs over the years and we can definitely pinpoint a few of the most commonly found mistakes.

If you’re not sure whether or not something looks bad, you can ask yourself these questions, for instance:

• Is this going to improve my chances of getting an interview?
• Does it show the reader I’m qualified for the job?
• How is this relevant to the job ad I am applying to?
• Does it reflect my traits and skills?

 

Photograph.

Unless you are an actor, model, or TV persona, you do not need to have a photo in your CV.

Personal information.

This includes things like marital status, nationality, date of birth, hobbies, your parents’ names, personal achievements like having children or winning your community football cup. These things look bad on your CV because they tell nothing about you as a candidate.

Very short-term positions.

When it comes to this, we’re talking less than 6 months unless it was an internship. Hence, put those short-term positions on your CV only if you have no other material.

Messy structure.

If your content is hard to follow, that really looks bad on a CV.

Therefore, to prevent that, make sure to follow logic when presenting information: list everything in reverse chronological order and present everything horizontally. Do not add a column or a table or a timeline and expect people to read your CV.

Typos, grammar, punctuation.

Some would argue these aren’t bad if you’re not applying for a language-related job. Still, if you say you have great attention to detail and your CV contains typos – not a good thing!

Color-filled page, images, charts, icons.

In most cases, these are distractors that pull the reader away from the content you want to share. Also, a lot of people use these “modern” CV formats so you’ll be lost in the sea of candidates.

Have you recognized yourself in any of these?

Don’t worry if you have – you’re not the only one! When it comes to determining what looks bad on a CV, there are no rules as to who is immune.

We invite you to check out our other posts about CV writing. Surely, you’ll find those useful! If you want to become a pro in CV writing, think about ordering our step-by-step CV writing guide right here. With this guide, you’re guaranteed to get more replies to job applications, so don’t wait – get yours now.