Jargon-filled CVs could cost applicants chance of a job

Forget
job cuts, red tape and union militancy, the thing that really gets HR angry is
buzzwords in CVs.

Seven
out of 10 of the 500 HR managers polled by jobsite Fish4Jobs, said that
buzzwords and phrases including ‘gameplan’ and ‘thinking outside the box’ are
more annoying than unexplained career gaps and CVs more than two pages long.

Simon
Devitt, Fish4Jobs director, said: "When applying for a job candidates
should use phrases that are specific to describing relevant skills and
achievements, rather than generic terms which sound impressive but mean nothing.

"Saying
you are a team player is largely meaningless. If you want to show an employer
you work well as part of a team, it is best to do so by providing details of
the sorts of work you have done in previous jobs."

Poor
presentation is cited by 78 per cent as a major CV irritant, while poor quality
paper and irrelevant hobbies are mentioned by 15 and 10 per cent respectively.

HR
pet CV hates

–
Poor presentation 78 per cent

–
Use of jargon 71 per cent

–
Career gaps of more than a few months 38 per cent

–
CVs over 2 pages 33 per cent

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–
Paper quaility 15 per cent

–
Irrelevant hobbies 10 per cent