When you’re applying for a job, you want to make sure your CV stands out from the crowd, don’t you?
Of course, you do!
Your CV is the first opportunity you get to introduce yourself to a potential employer and prove why you are perfect for the role on paper.
Writing your CV can be difficult though; you can spend hours and hours crafting the perfect document, filling out forms online and then sometimes you don’t even get a response.
Download one of our FREE CV templates to make the CV writing process as easy and painless as possible.
But it’s not just job hunters who get bored when updating their CV; the hiring managers who read through piles of CV’s that all look the same start to switch off too!
That’s why these job seekers decided to take matters into their own hands, cut through the noise and scrap the traditional A4 format resorting to video, strong language and straight to the point visuals.
Here are five examples of some crazy CVs that stand out from the crowd.
5 Creative CVs
Confidence is key.
While this CV is very...enthusiastic, it’s a good example of what NOT to write.
Here are 5 more examples of what not to include on your CV.
We shouldn’t have to tell you that swearing is a big NO, no matter how passionate you are about the role.
However, it’s good to list your interests and hobbies on your CV. It lets the hiring manager see another side to you that isn’t just work, work, work. Show them whether you’d be a good fit for their company culture by sharing a bit more about yourself.
Although, maybe leave your crime-fighting skills off your CV for now though, unless you’re interviewing for an open position in the Avengers.
Short and sweet CVs
Reading over stacks of CVs can be a very mundane task (just as tedious as it is to write them!) so it’s not often that a CV will pique a hiring managers interest.
The average time spent looking at a CV is only 5 seconds, so you’ve got to do all you can in that short space of time to grab the reader’s attention.
It’s safe to say this attempt from Troy Green hit the nail on the head.
Short and sweet, what more could a hiring manager want in a CV?
While you should list your qualifications and academic achievements, you need to include other information about yourself too. Don’t overshare though! Your CV only should be about one or two pages long, in a readable font size 12.
Don’t capitalise every letter or use bold for every word, or hand-write your CV.
Video CV Example
After more than 1,500 unsuccessful job applications, Aidan Drapers decided to get creative and upload a video CV to YouTube that later went viral.
The video, titled ‘How to Make the Perfect CV’, has now racked up nearly 23k views since it was posted.
The process of making the video and its reaction online has led Aidan to branch out into other career paths – it just goes to show how a well-crafted CV can open doors for you.
Although we still prefer the traditional format, think about how you can make your CV stand out from the rest.
While a video is captivating, it might not be suitable for every job role. How can you make your CV attractive for the industry you work in?
When not to use autocorrect on your CV
For the average jobseeker, updating your CV can be a boring task. But, not for Aaron Giles…
To inject a bit of fun into the CV writing process, he decided to use the autocorrect feature on Google to fill in the blanks on his CV. He started the sentence in Google and wrote down the first phrase Google suggested for everything, including his nationality and qualifications.
While this might reduce the time it takes to write your CV, it’s not a good idea to provide false information to a hiring manager – trust us, they’ll be able to see through your ‘Gorilla Warfare’ skills in no time.
After posting his creative CV to Twitter, it sparked the #AutocompleteCV challenge.
We’re doubtful his CV landed him any roles, but it would have led to some interesting talking points in interviews, that’s for sure.
The importance of a good reference
It’s true, you probably do know yourself the best, however, you can’t be your own reference (Sorry Eric!).
It’s important to make sure you have your references ironed out (it’s best to have at least two) before you give out any of their information when applying for jobs.
Otherwise, they might receive an unexpected call from your potential employer one day and this could reflect poorly on you.
Our advice when writing your CV is: don’t be like Eric.
While his confidence can be applauded, it’s better to give the details of other people who can vouch for your character, skills, and experience.
Have these creative CVs inspired you to update your own?
Although they are eye-catching, we’re not sure how successful you’ll be following in the footsteps of the examples above, so it’s a good idea to stick to what’s been tried and tested.
Before you start writing yours, it’s a good idea to assess the company you are looking to apply to and write your cv in a way that matches their brand/culture to stand out. If you’re stuck, follow these 7 steps on how you can write a winning CV that stands out.
Not sure what to do next?
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