Here's what happens when you write an honest CV listing your flaws
This was a very risky strategy but, luckily, it seems to have paid off.
Jeff Scardino was sick of tooting his own horn on his CV so he decided to do something different - he was brutally honest about his failures rather than his successes.
So instead of getting the highlights reel of Jeff's career as an advertising executive, potential employers were treated to the lowlights.
For example, he lists his education as ‘pissing off a few art directors’ and dating a ‘free-spirited girl who ruined’ his first year.
Under experience, he describes how in his first year at an advertising firm, he worked on three losing pitches and "failed to produce anything worthwhile".
He also lists his 'non-skills' and offers some 'bad references' as well as mentioning that time he got bed bugs.
It's certainly eye-catching and Jeff writes that it actually worked.
He sent off two applications to ten different companies - one with the honest CV and another with the regular one. He received one call back with the regular CV compared to eight for his honest one.
So it seems that his approach made him stand out from the crowd.
One employer gave some feedback:
"When I read your cover letter, I thought it was a joke. But after looking at your resume I’m really impressed with your honesty. I’ve never seen anything like this. I wish more people would send me a resume like this."
You can download the template for Jeff's CV here if you want to give it a try.
But there's no guarantee that it will work for you too.
