These HR people revealed inclusions on job applications that were bloody strange

These HR people revealed inclusions on job applications that were bloody strange

Work. As much as everyone bitches about it, it’s one of those real necessities in life. With it, you get to enjoy awesome things like somewhere to live, food and beer. Without it, well, you get the idea. Of course, to get yourself some work, you’ve gotta have the CV to put in front of potential employers and advertise yourself. In a competitive market, the little things on your CV can make a big difference, you know, like creative inclusions. Here are the thoughts of managers who were faced with creative CVs and their immediate responses…

Now, we don’t want you to go getting all mixed up here. We’re not saying you should definitely mess with your CV – or your resume if that’s what you want to call it – but we are saying you should consider including evidence of your skills.

Credit: NothingBreaking

I was hiring for a very competitive IT role last year and one guy, who didn’t have the best real world experience, added a single QR code at the bottom of his CV. I scanned it and it took me to an online portfolio, including a secure lab with simulations he’d ran, allowing ME to test scripts he’d written and also play around in his lab environment. Honestly, I’d never seen anything like it. The guy got the job and has continued to be a great fit. – NothingBreaking

And it’s this that leads us – and you – to a very important differentiation. When you’re asked for evidence of your skills, you should probably keep it focused on the skills that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Credit: ProbablyNotCorrect

I had someone hand me a resume with the html code of a porn url mixed in mid-way through. I guess he was watching porn while updating his resume and somehow dragged in a link. Guess he didn’t proof read it. – ProbablyNotCorrect

And although it seems like we shouldn’t have to say that, the truth is that we do. Yeah, deadset. You might think you have a great six-pack, but unless you’re applying for a job as a male stripper, that’s probably not going to impress the manager at a web-design company.

Credit: Darthnut

I received a resume from an applicant that included a letter of recommendation from his cat. The letter was hilarious and signed with a clipart paw print. I thought it was great and wanted to bring him in, but the manager for the position wasn’t as crazy about it. I guess the point is, humor in an application can work for you, but it really depends on the person. – Darthnut

Similarly, telling the boss of a gang of bricklayers that you’re really good at animating hentai probably isn’t going to help either. As you can see, though, people do that sort of s**t all the time.

Credit: MovetoStrike

A guy put his bench, squat and deadlift numbers in his personal skills section for a bar job.

It spawned a long tradition of asking bartenders what they could bench when they applied for a job. – MovetoStrike

We can’t explain it, except to say that it’s a crazy world and it takes all comers.

My uncle works in marketing and told me about an applicant who sent them a video file as resume where he presented himself like one would present a product in a commercial. He immediately wanted to hire him for his creativity alone. – TheShruik

Credit: TheShruik

I was working for a small digital agency and we were looking for designers and illustrators – general multi skilled creative types.

The boss wanders in with a sly grin and a big folder. It was from a guy who wanted a job. I came over and he started flicking through it. Page after page of sexy cartoons. Lots of them furry type stuff. Boob, butts, lips, figures intertwined, lots of detailed musculature.

So I was like “Well it’s quite good for what it is… but what else is there? Is there another section?”

Nope. Nothing else. Just a folder completely full of semi-pornographic cartoon people and sexy anthropomorphised animals.

​Edit: He was not hired. It wasn’t because of the cartoons, it was because it was all just those cartoons. Would have liked to see some commercial applications of illustration, or something showing he could work to requirements, or a variety of work showing different styles. Also this was 15ish years ago. – Torn-Ainbow

Credit: torn-ainbow

I have several CV’s that will never make the cut. I keep them in a non GDPR proof binder hidden out of view. I work as an IT recruiter.

  • Normal CV on the job site. Junior profile, 18 years old , just finished school. Pretty normal CV, except , at the bottom, he writes that he has a small dick and likes guys. The CV goes back and forth in the office. Eventually we decide to call him and ask why he put that on his CV. Turns out he had to make the CV for school, left his PC open and one of his class mates thought it was funny to add that to his profile…

  • A CV with a picture a man in only his boxers. No headshot, just his abs , boxers and legs. We did not call the guy.

  • Several CV’s with people ranting against the government, religion or anything else. Obvious proof of mental disabilities. People writing things such as “I will do the time for the crime I may or may not have comitted”. I haven’t called any of them.

  • Cover letters with the wrong company name on it. So many cover letters with the wrong company on it. Recruiters will forget to change your name when sending you an email , applicants will forget to change the name when applying. We really need to get rid of mandatory cover letters. I’ll still call them if their profile is decent.

  • People being open about just putting their CV online so they can keep their unemployment benefits. At least they don’t waste my time. – magaruis

Credit: magaruis

Was looking for a casual sales person, this 18yo put a selfie of her which was taken in a car showing alot of cleavage. Not what I was looking for. I guess she was hoping I was a middle aged single man. – wellcookedlamb

Credit: wellcookedlamb

Final thought: After looking through a few of these, we reckon that it might be a good idea for you to get a second opinion on your resume if you’re including the quirky stuff. Seriously, if your mates are like, ‘Yeah, nah,’ you might need to go back to the drawing board. Having said that, let us know how you’ve gone with quirky resumes of your own. Hit up the Facebook comments with your examples.

Just in case you missed it, here’s one of Ozzy’s latest commentary videos…Ozzy Man Reviews: Ninja Fails

H/T: REDDIT.