So, you’re applying for jobs. As we all know, the application process can be long and painful. The slog of trawling through job listings, the pain of rewriting that cover letter, the anxiety of waiting for the responses to start coming back in.

Yes, it’s a chore, but there are some things you can do to make the whole process just a little less agonising. One of the best ways to increase the rate of response for your job applications is to give your CV a little spruce.

Yes, you’ve probably already done a cursory edit. You may have even added a few new details. But have you considered that instead of adding, your CV may actually benefit from some taking away. According to the career experts, there are a few things we all consider to be standard elements of a CV that we actually ought to simply cut. That headshot? Those clichéd jargonistic phrases? That fancy formatting? It all has to go.

Here are eight simple cuts you can make from your CV to make it shine.

Irrelevant skills

“You might want to showcase all your skills and experiences, but you need to keep your CV focused on what’s relevant to the specific role you’re pursuing. Tailor your skills to align directly with the job requirements, especially if you’ve worked in a variety of fields. Leave out skills that don’t directly contribute to your candidacy for this role, particularly if you have a broad set of skills. The goal is to create a targeted CV that highlights only the most relevant qualifications to boost your chances of landing the job.”

— Sharon Armstrong, career expert and CEO of recruitment agency Armstrong Appointments

School achievements

“Drop the Duke of Edinburgh award you did at school, the excel course you did for a day in 2018 and the grade 6 violin. That stuff was relevant when you were a grad, but unless it’s your first job, it’s making you look young.”

— Bee Jones, head of people at Brand Hackers

Cliches

“Words like “hard-working,” “team player,” or “go-getter” don’t add value. Instead, showcase your skills through specific achievements and results. While similarly switched to active language by avoiding passive phrases like “responsible for” or “tasked with.” Instead be more active with verbs like “led,” “managed,” or “achieved” to emphasise ownership and initiative.”

— Bethany Windsor, programme director at industry awareness campaign Generation Logistics

References

“Employers will ask for references separately or later on in the hiring process, therefore it’s worth removing them from your CV. Not only does it free up valuable space, but it allows you to concentrate on getting the details of your previous roles and skills to a high standard.”

— Aidan Cramer, founder and CEO at AIApply

Overused verbs

“Not all action verbs are equal, and some have been overused to the point of losing impact. There are only so many times you can say you ‘led’ a team, ‘handled’ a situation or ‘supported’ an initiative before your job descriptions start to sound repetitive. This can be especially challenging if you’ve held several roles in the past with similar responsibilities.

“If you find yourself repeatedly using the same, generic verbs words to describe your work experience, try replacing them with more dynamic action verbs that will capture an employer’s attention.

“Here are a few examples to help you bring your achievements to life on your CV:

• Instead of ‘Managed’ or ‘Supervised,’ try ‘Directed,’ ‘Guided,’ ‘Facilitated,’ ‘Recruited,’ ‘Mentored’ or ‘Cultivated’
• Instead of ‘Assisted’ or ‘Helped,’ try ‘Coached,’ ‘Represented,’ ‘Clarified,’ ‘Referred,’ ‘Facilitated’ or ‘Assessed’
• Instead of ‘Created’ or ‘Developed,’ try ‘Designed,’ ‘Originated,’ ‘Devised,’ ‘Shaped,’ ‘Conceptualised’ or ‘Fashioned’”

— Amanda Augustine, careers expert for TopCV and a certified professional career coach (CPCC) & certified professional CV writer (CPRW)

Job descriptions

“Remove the rehashed job description for each role. Instead, write about where you have added value to the role, not about what the job looked like when you took it on.”

— John Lees, careers expert and author of How To Get A Job You Love

Photos

“Photos on a CV are a controversial subject, however it is a personal opinion they should be left off a CV. They can distract away from the contents. CV’s that are too wordy won’t get read. Keep your points concise and focused on impact and results. Leave off details of anything reads like a job description or a task.”

— Charlie Rudd, head of agency performance at Balance

Overly complex formatting

“Applicant Tracking System (ATS) have become increasingly popular over the years as more companies move their recruitment processes online and look to automate reviewing applicants through generative AI. The software breaks down CVs into individual data points such as contact information, work experience and education, and analyses this information against predefined criteria. This may include skills, or keywords to identify candidates matching the requirements of the job posting. It is therefore essential that your CV is created in a way that ATS can easily lift your experience and skills, or your CV might be rejected, even if you’re highly qualified for the job.

“Make it easy for the ATS and reviewing to scan your CV by using standard headings like ‘Work Experience,’ ‘Education’ and ‘Skills.’ Avoid using unconventional headings or getting too creative with your formatting as this might bury key information and lead to you selling yourself short.

“This helps make the CV easy to read and enables automated software to easily summarise and categories applicants’ details. This will ensure valuable skills and experience aren’t missed.”

— Jonathan Firth, VP of Recruitment Solutions at LHH

Images: Getty